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.

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Guys,

The stand location, wind direction and timing are all a lot more important than calling.

However I will call with either my grunt or my bleat can every 10 minutes or so starting about November 1st. Prior to that I will use a very light bleat at about the same intervals.

I have seen the bleat can run does off during the rut, but have never seen either run off a buck. Although deer do not respond to it most of the time.

This year I was sitting on a cut over. at 5 till 9AM I hit my bleat 3 times and changed to a tending type grunt immediatly after. All of a sudden here he comes. a medium sized 8pt came running straight at me from about 100 yards awy in the cut. He slowed up at about 75 and started acting kinda nervous and I shot him. W/O the calls I doubt I would have ever seen him. But w/o me being there and the wind being in my face and being there when he was within hearing range, I KNOW I would not have seen him

Jim

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

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Very interesting post....I guess perhaps I take it for granted that during the rut hearing a buck grunt around here isn't all that usual. I would have to agree that I hear does and fawns bleat much more often than bucks but again around here I would call it common. I will say that I have only heard one snort wheeze in all my years of bow hunting and that was this fall. Needless to say I was ecstatic!

I do think there is something to hunting pressure being a factor in how vocal a buck is. On some of the public ground if you hit it on the right day and in the right spot it sounds like a kazoo convention. Over time I believe the bucks catch on. They certainly aren't any dumber than an elk. Those of you who hunt elk know how they can become call shy in a lot of areas from unpleasant experiences after coming to the call.

On the other hand nothing works 100 percent of the time. At times I have had them undoubtedly come to the call and/or horns. On the other hand I have udoubtedly ran some off. I would agree that calling has become over rated. But I find myself thinking like the guy on 'Dumb and Dumber' who asked the pretty girl what the chances were that she would go out with him. If you recall her reply was &quot;one in a million&quot;. My reaction (and the reason I always carry and use a call) is the same one he gave to her disappointing repy, &quot;So your telling me there's a chance&quot;..... <img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Buck Grunting
 

If I go a season without hearing a buck grunt , I'm doing something wrong!

>>>---Doug--->

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Thanks for the replies. I'm surprised that so few of you hear grunts during the season. The grunts I heard were actually rather loud. I'm guessing the deer were 70-100 yds from me, and I could hear them fine. But what puzzles me is why I only hear them from December on. I'm guessing its a social grunt, and that's why they respond to me and more join in when I start grunting. It is awesome when they do grunt back though. It always get my heart going when I hear them grunting around me.

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Interesting topic, I have often thought about posting a topic about how many hunters have actually been successful grunting a buck in. Well I can tell ya that I have heard alot of bucks grunting, and every time, they were always chasing does during the peak of the rut. Its always those short repeated grunts, and never those long drawn out grunts that you hear those guys on the videos doing.
I have more different grunt tubes than I care to mention. I have grunted at lone bucks, bucks with does, bucks with other bucks, and used ever tone imaginable to try to get them into shooting range without success.
I have also heard fawn bleats, but never a doe bleat in heat. I heard something this past year that I think was whats called a grunt, snort, wheeze and it was a very strange sound, a sound that you would never expect a deer to make.
Like I said, Ive never had any success calling one in, but I am gonna to keep trying.

hc4runner
MO. bowhunter

RE: Buck Grunting
 

I've been calling whitetails for 20 plus years now and I find our animals to be very vocal or at least respondant to vocalization. Every fall I can gaurantee some grunting, especially during the rut. I have on many occassions sat in the stand and heard the buck long before I saw him. Deer talk year around, I do notice more vocalizations during the peak days of the rut. I also have on video many scenes of bucks, does and fawns being very vocal and two seasons ago for the first time after calling in a decent eight point, I challenged him enough to see and hear my first snort/wheeze.

<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>

<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>

RE: Buck Grunting
 

I have had much success with grunt and bleat calls. Every year I have hunted I have heard bucks grunt...some more than others and most often during the rut. The buck I killed last year grunted all the way in for more than a hundred yards. I did not call him in with a grunt call however, I called the doe in that he was trailing with a bleat call and he followed her right in. This has worked for me on a couple other bucks as well. I have heard the different types of grunts from bucks also. The tending grunt call which is just short quick grunts to a challenging type of grunt which is awesome to hear...bwaaaaaaaaaaa...gets my blood pumping just typing this. Of all the grunts I've heard from bucks, I have NEVER heard a doe bleat.

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Wolfen,

I have only heard on Estrus Bleat, and a buck was on her hard. Hwoever during bow season (mid-September-Mid October) does are very vocal, especially to their young. Again they are very quiet though.

Jim

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

RE: Buck Grunting
 

Wow! I can't believe some of the posts here. I hear grunts ALOT! Must be mute deer in some areas. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Grunts have worked very well for me for many, many years. Grunts have worked for me by themselves and sometimes coupled with a doe bleat (can call now) Calling them in can be a crap shoot though. If they are on a doe or hot track they usually will not come in.

&quot;Semper Fi&quot;

RE: Buck Grunting
 

I guess some areas are different than others. Every year I hear at least 1 or 2 bucks grunt in PA. When I spend two to three weeks straight in illinois during the rut, I hear and see an easy ten bucks grunting during this time. Some of them grunt so freaking loud I am waiting to see them chuck something up!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

RE: Buck Grunting
 

I think the key to getting a buck to come to a grunt call is having a decoy for him to connect the sound with. I have had deer look my way when I have grunted, but they have never came in. I think they decide to keep moving if they don't visually confirm the other &quot;bucks&quot; presence. This is just my theory. I haven't used a decoy before, but I will be using one next year! Also, if you hear loud grunts and don't see the deer, it's probably another hunter!

Graham Outdoors

Not to change the subject, but I would like to get the word out about Phelps Game Calls. Just want everyone to be aware that if you purchase anything from them that is on sale you cannot return it for a refund, only a in- store credit. That is not described when you order, and I feel like I got ripped off, no call, and no refund. Plus I had to pay the return shipping so that money is gone also.

Some old names on this thread!

Deer can be very vocal. It seems to be regional to me though. Depending on who knows what. Hunting pressure? Predator pressure ? I don't know.

Sometimes they're noisy critters. Other times they don't make a sound