RE: New to Deer Hunting
I agree and disagree with a couple things.
Yes as a new hunter , you need to learn the sounds of the woods. ESPECIALLY, if you hunt the same general area. There will be a dead tree 150 yards to the south that the same woodpecker will hit every morning checking his bait holes. There will be a couple trees that didn't quite fall down and will squeek as they rub each other blowing in the wind. There will be the owl that is settling down into his nest and will call out to his other buddies before going quiet. You will hear the local flock of turkeys, if your lucky, flying down to the ground to your left. Pretty soon you will hear the sound of shuffling through the leaves behind your back and go into alert mode only to find that it is just a couple of squirrels looking for breakfest. But there will come a time when you hear the distinctive sound of burring or grunting moving through the woods. And this is the sound of the deer calling out in the morning to each other for one simple reason. And that is contact! They feel safer by calling out and getting a reassuring response that others are in the same area. This calms them. You have to master this sound and become one of them, moving through the forest, reassuring each deer around you that you are one of them. That is your job when using a contact call.
But you won't get them to come your way, unless you call out. Practice listening! Then Practice Calling! It will make you a better and more successful hunter!
Eric S. Stacy AKA DeerDope