Last year it was the peak of the rut here in IL. I think somewhere around Nov 15th or so. Anyways - I was sitting at the very top of a large finger of woods that jutted out into a CRP field. The deer love traveling up and down this finger and then hopping in the next big block of woods. Especially the big bucks, since it provides them with the most cover.

In any case, it was an extremely foggy morning. Right about 8 am I catch a glimpse of a beautiful buck about 80 yards out into the CRP field, angling down into the finger. I bleated at him 2-3 times before he head it. His head immediately snapped up and he made a b-line straight for me. He passed through one shooting lane, came around the top of the woods, and got to within 8 yards of me.

Knowing something was up, he started back around the finger the way he had came - eventually stopping directly in the middle of my shooting lane. I drew back and........shot right over his back! [&o]

The moral of the story - doe/fawn bleats can and will bring in mature deer during the rut. I wouldn' t expect it during early or late season, but when they' re out cruising for does it just might spark their curiosity to come check things out.

Furthermore - if you are hunting a spot with a lot of pressure I' ve found that doe bleats work even better, considering that everyone in the woods is using a grunt tube and eventually the bucks are becoming weary of it. However, most people don' t bleat all that often.