M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

I know that there has been alot of discussion on the Buck Growl by MAD and the Buck Roar by Primos so I hope you guys don't mind another post about it, but I wanted to throw my personal experience with it out there.
I was really intrigued when I first saw the Buck Growl on Drurys Wildlife Obsession show quite a while back, because about 4 or 5 years ago I had a monster buck do it right behind me one Nov. evening. I told my hunting buddies that night that I had a buck make the longest, loudest drawn out grunt that I had ever heard. He was following a hot doe and there was a smaller buck trying to nose in on the action. That was before it was known as "The Buck Growl"!!!:DAs soon as I saw that on the show that night, I knew that was the sound that I heard years back. So I wasn't as skeptical as some guys probably were. Jump ahead now.
Earlierthis year right before the season,I was gonna buy one. I went to Dick's and Gander Mt. in Ft. Wayne, In., about 1/2 from us. Well neither one had it then. I kind of forgotit when hunting season began.Last Sat. night one of my hunting buddies was going over there so I told him to pick me one up.
I had really followed the Buck Growl vs. the Buck Roar thread on here. I was a little concerned about the Mad Growl because a few guys had mentioned that if you blew it just a little too hard, it would "rap" the reed and go into a high pitched sound. They also said that the Primos Roar did not do this and you could get more aggressive with it. Plus, how can you live without a built in compass!!!:D:D
I told my uddy that I really preferred the Primos Roar if possible, but would take the MAD Growl if that was all he could find. Well guess what? He only found one call left at both places, and it was the MAD Growl.
I watched the DVD and practiced with it Sunday while watching NFL games all day, and couldn't wait to get out in the woods with it monday. I must admit, I was pretty let down with it.
Those guys were definitely right. It really does go into the high pitched rap very easily. That really bummed me out, because I felt that I wouldn't really be able to do long range calling if I did see a buck at a distance. Even without the "rap", I honestly do not think that it sounds that similar to how it does when mark is demonstrating it on the DVD. My 16 year old daughter didn't either, even though she felt that I was doing it exactly like he did.
But, I knew the real test would be in the woods. Unfortunately, the past 4 nights in the tree hasn't given me any more confidence in it. I have tried it with no deer in sight with no luck. I have also used it on 4 different bucks in different woods this week with no success. One buck was a 140 class buck and the others were small to average bucks. Not a single one had any interest in it at all. The one buck stood and listened to it, until I tried to get it a little louder to try and coax him in, and then that wonderful high pitched rap snet him hightailing it away from me.
Now, I know that using this call is just like all the other tricks we use( scents, calls, rattling etc.) Sometimes they work and sometimes not. But I really thought that I would get some reaction to it in the past 4 days. And the bucks are chasing the does here in NW Ohio, so I really thought I might get something to happen with it.
I have used it by itself and with the can.
So needless to say I am pretty dissapointed. Mostly by the high pitched rap deal. You know as well as I do, sometimes a guy can get a little excited out there and maybe blow the call a little too hard. And , as I said, I have no confidence in trying to use it for a buck in the distance.
I just feel that it is a very unforgiving call. And to me, that brings problem when in a hunting situation. There is enough to worry about when that monster is out there to have to wonder if your call is gonna work or not.
as soon as I see the Primos Buck Roar, I will buy it and see how it does.
That is just my honest assesment of the Buck Growl from my personal experience. I just hope that the Roar works better than the Growl. I am really excited about using it, but am very dissapointed and not very confident with the Growl.
Any other experinces or opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.
P.S. I am using a vacation day tomorrow to sit all day and try and get a really nice buck I have been after for the past few weeks. Hopefully I will be able to come back tomorrow and say to disregard this post, because the buck came in on a string to the Growl!!:D

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

I bought one earlier this year also.
I too am a little disapointed in it.
My picks on it
1 it doesn't sound anything like the "growls" they play that real deer are making in the DVD
2 no laynard? 20.00 and they can't include a piece of string? I had an extra one from an old grunt call I put on it.
3 Why would anyone make a call that is hard and not fully rubber coated? That thing clanks on anything it touches,especially the top portion of it.
4 That same top portion of it is shiney, who would make a deer call that shines?, I'm going to put camo duct tape on mine to quiet it and to make it dull.
5 I have yet to have any deer react to it
6 Can't blow it hard or loud without it turning into a duck call.

Just my opinions YMMV

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

Buell, I picked one up yesterday to see what all the fuss is about and I noticed/was concerned with everything you mentioned as well.

I can make the same noise with my True Talker, I just have to blow into it really hard.

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

I think I can "roar" better, at least closer to what they play in the DVD with my True Talker too
I'm going to check out the Primos call and see if it is any better
Plus with it, I'll never be lost!

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

Fortunately for me I didn't have to spend $20 on mine.

I picked it up at Wal*Mart for $9.00.

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

grrrrr

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

I have had the problems with the gowler.. I tried it on a buck the other day and got no reaction at all. I hit a snort weeze and he snaped his head right up.. And the no lanyard is really stupid.

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

I bought one the other day, Mad Growl. I watched the video last night and practiced. Took it out this afternoon.....Had a Mallard broadside @ 15yrds!![8D]

SeriouslyI did buy one yesterday and practiced w/ the dvd. Sure looked good and was ready to use it today!
I sat in a cold a$$ wind storm from 11:45am to 5:00pm, BBBrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Didn't even see anything. The grunting part of the call sounds pretty good.But like you said the pitch is higher than what I had heard on the video. Especially the bucks themselves. Their tone was alot deeper than the call. I was thinking maybe it was because the deer were in the timber it made it just sound deeper.

I wasn't aware that primos had a buck roar. I have alot of primos stuff and have really liked it. Let me know how the Roar does.Maybe I just need to practice a little more with it? If not, Istill have the reciept for this duck call...:)

keep us posted! Thanks

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

Yeah it is pretty vrappy if you ask me the regular grunt noise sounds great but you cant get very mean with it.

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

I have one and have yet to have any response from it as well.
I have the same concerns as everyone else.

In hindsight, $20 seems a bit high for a duck call.

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

Well guys, if you go back and read the P.S. the beginn9ing poast of this thread, you will see where I made the joke that I was using a vacation day the next day to hunt all day and that I hoped to come back with a post saying to disregard this post because I brought a buck in on a string with it. Well, beleive it or not....... it happened.
I am totally serious. This is the first time I had any real time to get back on the computer since friday morning, but this is the honest truth.
I was in the stand good and early fri. morning. Right at first light I had 4 does and 2 yearlings feeding for a while out in the open feild out in front of me. They ended up leaving. About 8 am I looked to my right and saw a fawn walking parralell from me, then a doe behind her. I wanted to get them down around me just to get their scent down around my stand in case a buck did get around and was scent checking. So I hit my can call a few times and here they came. It took them a few minutesto get to me, but they were just straight out in front of me about 20 yards when all of a sudden the doe whipped her head up and looked past me behind me. I knew she saw someting.
Then I heard a deer running towards me and turned my head and saw a small doe just booking towards me. I could tell she was getting pushed pretty good. I was hoping it was a buck chasing her. She stopped at the edge of the woods and looked back where she came from. The she took off again, across the small open field and into the other section of woods. then I heard another deer coming, and heard that lovely errr, eerrrr, errr grunt sound behind her. I looked back and it was a pretty decent racked buck. Not a monster but a real nice solid raked deer with a real good sized body.
As he wascoming closer I deceided to try the Growl. Hr ran up and stopped right where she did and smelled where she went out into the field. Just as he was getting ready to head across the field, I got the Growl up and blew it. Man, he stopped and straightend right up and jerked his head around and looked in my direction. Thenhe looked back towards where she went, then back towards me. Suddenly the hair on his neck and back stood up, he layed hios ears back and puffed all up like they do, and he let out a reall long deep grunt. Not like thegrowl ( or roar for the Primos call owners:D), but just a long drawn out grunt. Then he started twisting his head around back and forth from side to side. I thought " Man he is agitated!!"
I blew the call agin and that was all he could take. He started right down to me, taking a perfect anglr right out in front of me. When he got behind a few trees I drew andput the pin on him and followed him. When he got in my shooting lane I grunted him and stopped him broadside at 14 yards. I put my Snyper tipped Gold Tip right through his lungs and into the ground behind him and watched him tip over at 39 yards.
It was really a cool hunt!!. Their is nodoubt in my mind that I never would have had a shot at him that day if it weren't for the Grwol. He intent on following that doe and I pulled him off of her with the Growl call. That don't happen to often. I know that if the doe would have come down in front of me I wouldn't have had to use the growl. But she didn't, and I did use it and it got me a really nice 9 pt. that was just a few #'s under 200 # field dressed.
Do I beleive that the Growl or Roar will work? Heck yes I do.
Do I think it will work all the time? Nope. It is like anything else. Sometimes yes and sometimes no.
But I now am a believer that it can bring a buck in.
That brings me to the 2 brands of calls.
I am still concerened about the shortcomings that I and the others listed about the MAD growl call. Luckily for me I didn't have to blowit hard and turn it into a duck call, as it was a still morning and he was only about 70-80 yards when I called him with it.
I think for next season, I will be carrying the Primos Roar call out with me now that I know they will work. I have just read to many posts by guys that said that the Primos Roar won't do that like the MAD Growl. I have a $39.00 credit at Dicksso I belive that the Roar will be half of that.
I know that there are alot os skeptics out there on these calls. I am not one of them anymore. I know that it isn't a magic call that will pull every buck in to you, but I do know now that in the right situation on the right buck, it can be another weapon in the arsenal !
Sorry for such a long post.

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

Would it be proper etiquette to say, "I told you so"?[8D][8D][8D]

The best buck Growl or Roar I ever heard was the time I almost inhaled a Primos Deadly Double Deuce Diaphram turkey call.[8D]

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

Its amazing how we all fall for these "new invetions" all the time. I'm guilty of buying alot of stuff that I didn't need because of good marketing on the part of the manufacturers. Thanks for the post I think I'll pass on the new Buck Growl products. Thanks for saving me 20.00

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

I bought one. Like all calls, it has its shortcomings, and those have been covered nicely in this thread.

I'm not giving up on the call. I'll keep trying it until I see that it runs them off.

Hey, $20? If it works for the right buck at the right time, and that is precisely what it is designed to do... is it worth a measley $20?

I've hunted as much or maybe even more than the average guy and in my experience some calls are clearly superior to others. This one was made to fill a specific niche, unlike the average off-the-shelf grunt call.

Those who are willing to part with a 20 and experiment until they become proficient in field conditions may be handsomely rewarded.

Or not...and that's half the fun of trying new calls and bowhunting gadgets.

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

Pretty much my opinion and experience with it also. Not even a response once from it.[&o]

RE: M.A.D. Buck Growl dissapointment
 

I have the MAD call also and in addition to everything you guys mentioned I noticed mine freezes up a lot. So when you go to grunt nothing happens until it dries out a little.