I took a grunt call ZERO times to the woods, this season. I took a can, a few times. I used the can, once....and actually had a doe come to it.

"I" think the effectiveness of calls is directly proportionate to your herd dynamics. They are absolutely useless, here (grunt calls). I've never had any luck with them....and don't even take mine to the woods, anymore. I just choose not to tip them off to my presence.

BUT.....HUGE..."but"......

If the herd dynamics are different......(say....where Rob hunts).....I think they're awesome. I grunted in a nice buck up there......from 100yds away (when I first spotted him). Based on what I hear from Rob......he'd never go into the woods without his.

I don't know much about them.....but this has been my limited experience.

Tony:

I heard more grunting in one morning this year (before daylight)....than I have in every other day afield I've ever sat.....COMBINED. It sounded like a whoopee cushion factory.

I hear 'em grunting here......about 2-3 weeks.....but RARELY. I only had 17 buck sightings the entire season. But that buck in PA.......he surprised the heck out of me coming to the call. I guess I look at it like this. WHY would they come to a grunt call, here??? Why would you leave 4 does in the thicket.....to go possibly get your ass kicked....unless you were the big daddy rabbit?

You wouldn't. A nanny in the thicket is better than a possible ass-whoopin in the bush.

Jeff's spot on in his assessment of his herd and calling as well. When I hunted the two days last season with him I roughly saw 10 different bucks in those 2 days. I called to each of them. I had one come into the call and it was the biggest one of the 10. Like he said, they don't need to come to a competitor buck when they have plenty of ladies for themselves. The one that did come probably was the dominant or a dominant buck checking his territory out. I told Jeff, I wondered if that was the bull, last year. It was the right spot.