Just out of curiosity, how early in the season could u use a call effectively, or does it have to be only in the rut?

Theres a right time and a right place for everything. You can use your call at anytime during the season, but make sure its the right call and the right tone. During the early season I like to just use social tone calls, such as light bleets and grunts. Deer comunicate all the time with snorts, grunts, and bleets. Never over use any call. I suggest getting some instructional dvds or cd's or tapes that will help you better understand the art of calling deer. As for rattling I have found that rattling too early in the season is ineffective and may spook the deer. I try to hold of till about mid season like in mid October before I hit the rattle bag. When rattling, make sure you start off lightly, if you go intoa big session of loud crashing and banging, youll more than likely spook any deer that you cant see. You want to build up the emotion and curriosity for a buck to come see whats going on. Also I have found rattling about an hour before dark works great. Start out light and buildup to a good fight in lateOct early Nov. When I rattle I start out by ticking the bagor antlers together lightly for about 2-3 minutes. The wait 5-8minutes and do it a gain but getting a little more agressive, again for 2-3 minutes and so on. This strategy hasincreased my sightings of bucks drasticly and could do the same for you if done properly. But the mostIMPORTANT thingyou need to do is practice with your call well before season and through the season and in the off season. You dont want to go out to the woods with a call youjust bought andnot know how to use it. Good luck and hope these tips help.

Here in Wyoming deer seasons are moslt over by Oct.15 so calls and rattling are non-effective for the most part. I have had varied success with a doe/fawn call from E.L.K., Inc. out of Montana. They have a web sight. I use it as a low socialization call. It's not like elk that holler back at you, but often times will bring the curious in. I've actually made "doe-in-distress" calls and had does stomp the ground and charge me. Kind of kool.

Again just make sure not to rattle to early, because you will just spook the heck out of the deer. The best time forrattlingis about a week before the peak of he rut and go till about a weak into the post rut.

When the rut is getting close and you see bucks start to scrape and rubs are popping up, start to grunt at them. Once the rut is over make sure not to use aggression grunts and go more toward contact grunts.

I don't know where you are from, but my buddy rattled in a nice !30" 8 last year on October 13th. He had seen bucks fighting in a field across from where he shot him for a week prior to trying. I thought it was early, but I guess not.

I have never had much luck grunting until about the 3rd week of October.

Never, leave them at home

I've grunted softly....mildly....aggressively....and done the Godzilla roar.

No dice.

I guess I don't "roar" like the Drury's, huh?

The deer here pay no attention to such. I still carry onefor the time leading up to and during the rut.....but I think I use it to throw and run deer off when I'm trying to come down in the evenings....more than anything.

I never go to my stand without a couple of grunt tubes, if for nothing else the no hands ones are great for getting that buck to stop in a shooting lane. My rattle bag stays at home until around mid October.

Exactly. It depends on the area you are hunting and how much pressure the deer receive.

Up here I call bucks in almost daily with a grunt tube, rattling and especially with a bleat can. The deer I hunt haven't seen many people and are not nocturnal, so calls work great. I'll start light rattling the beginning of October and will use a bleat can as soon as season opens.

So again, it all depends on your area.