Buck Grunting
 

Here in North Dakota, bow season runs from September through the first week in January. This year I spent many hours in the woods, both early and late in the season. During December, I noticed the bucks became more vocal. Each morning I would hear at least one buck grunting. I would grunt back and then several more would join in. However I was never able to actually grunt one in and it's really thick brush so I couldn't see more than 40 yds. The thing I can't understand is why they were not grunting early in the season. Had I been able to hear them earlier, I may have been able to fine tune my stand locations. Have you guys noticed anything like this? Do bucks normally become more vocal after the rut? Any help understanding these critters more would be great.

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Well, I've been hunting for about 45 years. I call myself fairly successful at it. In 45 years I can count on ONE hand the number of times I've heard a buck grunt. Maybe it's where I hunt, but I think all this grunting and calling is over done, over hyped and over worked. Positioning, silence and patience are far more consistant producers as far as I'm concerned. I've spent a lot of time in NY, MD, Georgia, Texas, some in Ohio, Indiana and PA. I still haven't found those VERY VOCAL deer.

Edited by - davidmil on 02/03/2003 09:43:39

RE: Buck Grunting
 

In over 35 years I, like David have only heard one buck grunt, I have heard a lot of doe bleats, but generally even then it was before legal shooting time.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog

RE: Buck Grunting
 

In 25+ Years of Texas hunting, I have yet to hear one grunting. I have carried a grunt call the last two years and have grunted to 30 or more out of range bucks around and during the peak of the rut. While I have never had one become alarmed, I have only had one respond postively to it. It was a mature dominant buck during the rut that came right to me from being out 60-70 yards. And who knows, maybe he would have taken the same travel path anyway. The rest have bascially ignored it.
I am sure some marketing guy will tell me that I could be more successful if I bought his brand or at least bought a tape from his company to learn how to properly use the thing.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Buck Grunting
 

I've had similar results like the rest of the guys. I've only heard 2 or 3 bucks grunt and only had two actually respond to a grunt at all.(They were both young bucks) I'm so sick of watching bigger deer ignore it that I carry it into the woods but it is in my pack.

RE: Buck Grunting
 

I am actually kind of surprised by the comments here. Every year, I have heard bucks grunting. A majority of them are very, very soft. But every year, there are a few that are so loud, that you are surpised that they are deer. A grunt really doesn't work all that well (at least around me)though as far as atracting deer. I have been able to get a few actually stop and look around, but trying to get them to come in to a grunt is very difficult. I think one of the problems are the number of people around here that blow the grunt tube all day long. I did have one though that was walking away from me, it wasn't a buck that I would shoot, so I gave him a grunt. He actually turned around and started walking toward me. But like I said it was a young buck. For me silence, and no use of scents seems to work best for bigger bucks.

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Here in IL. I have some areas that the bucks are very vocal. I hear at least 2 or 3 bucks grunting a year. Thirty miles away at my other place I hunt I have never heard a buck grunt or even a doe bleat.

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Taz and David,,,,,

Fellas, ya'll need to come hunt with me. I can hear grunts, just not kill the bucks behind them:)

I can't remember how many buck grunts I heard last season, much less over the last several.

One thing I can say is that very, very rarely are they as loud as our tubes. Normally a very light uurp is all. If a buck is hard on a doe, he seems to grunt hard, short bursts with every step.

Until the rut hits hard it seems that it is usually younger bucks grunting. After that the younger bucks seem to keep their traps shut and the older boys start up.

I think a lot of it has to do with the age structure and doe/buck make up of the immediate herd.

Jim

Visit me on the Web...
http://www.huntinginga.com

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Down here in South Carolina, we are covered up with deer. It has been by experience that bucks respond better to Doe Bleets during the pre rut and post rut, than a buck grunt. During the rut when bucks are chasing every deer in site, buck grunts seem to get a lot of action.

This past year in the middle of November, when the rut is wide open, I shot a doe with my bow. There was another deer with it that I could not see and it ran off probably 60 yards away. I immediately hit my buck grunt and that deer came running at me on a full sprint. When it got within in range I hit the grunt one more time and it froze, presenting a great shot. It was a nice looking 6 pointer, that looked like some of his points had been broken off. I let him walk.

JJ

One shot one kill.

RE: Buck Grunting
 

I'm glad this was posted. This was my first season of bowhunting, but I've been hunting whitetails for 16 years. I have never heard a grunt in the woods or have seen a buck in the distance respond possitively to when I grunted. I always thought it was because it was past peek rut by the time gun season came around. This year I saw more bucks in one bowseason than I probably saw in the last 10 gun seasons. Most of them of course were too far away. I did start to try and grunt some of them in to no avail. It was counterproductive if anything. I thought I totally screwed myself after making a couple run off. I finally decided to forget about the grunts and rattling and do exactly what David said. I really concentrated on my position, stillness, and patience. I took a chance on moving a stand half way through the seaon which I'm not overly excited about, but it payed off. I went to a different location and practiced the above methods without the grunting and rattling and within 4 days passed on 3 smaller bucks and harvested my first buck with a bow. Maybe it comes with experience ?? i don't know i'll be interested to see the rest of the responses, but next season I'm leaning towards finding the proper location and being quiet and patient.

Genesis 27:3 Now then, get your weapons-your quiver and bow-and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me.