Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

It was slow this morning....(and I found my flute;))....so about 8:00 I made a couple doe bleats....followed up by a series of rutting grunts.

5 minutes later....a HOSS of a 3-pointer (;)) shows up, looking around.

I may have just accomplished the seemingly impossible. I may have called in my first NC buck.

Who knows? If he'd been the one I'm after and I'd killed him......I'd have hung the flute around his neck for the harvest photos.:D

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

LOL it IS possible to call our NC deer....they just dont seem to respond very well. Ive called in more does looking out of curiosity than bucks...only called a spike in as far as bucks.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

For reference, though.....

I was in a spot I've hunted only twice, so far this year. I've yet to see a doe, there.....and I've seen 4 bucks.

I've got heavily doe laden spots where I "think" calling is futile. I might be totally wrong about this.....but I've just never had any response in those spots.

Rob...I AM willing to experiment.;)

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

True. I have high hopes this year for calling as Ive seen/have pics of atleast 6 different antlered bucks and only 2 does? Although doe sightings are down this year for me, they typically bunch up on the property I hunt later in the season. This is the first year Im hunting a specific deer and it's driving me nuts lol.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

I have grunted in a few bucks over the years but I have NEVER been able to rattle in a buck. When I rattle I don't bang them together I usually tickle them or lower them to the ground with my rope and let them do a little dancin'. In my area I have never heard a loud, fight to the death clashing of antlers.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

No comment.;)

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

The sequence you described Jeff works so often... it's not even funny.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

I think you may have heard this before but, What are you afraid of, actually calling one in? Be subtle and passive, it doesn't work every time but it can't hurt in a no shot anyway possibility. I'm still not a fan of blind calling though. I call when I see one.

This morning I turned a spike totally around to come right in. I've called them from 100's of yards to a shot and just this morning I called in 2 coyotes and almost got a shot on them using a doe contact call.

As long as your not too aggressive, you might just be shocked. ;)

And for the record, had my arrow connected I have a feeling one of the two on your wall would not be yours because of the call. ;)

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

I couldn't get a small 8 point to respond to anything last night. He came in on a dead trot, and headed right for some apple trees. Then a few minutes later what looked like 2 button bucks followed his path to the apple trees. I triedcontact callsand grunts and he wouldn't even look in my direction. The 2 buttons at least looked my way. I don't know if he just didn't care yet and was going to feed no matter what, or if I was doing something wrong. It was very frustrating! [:@]

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

Since you asked.....

I'm afraid of alerting a perfectly calm whitetail that may come by me as to my whereabouts.....or "something's" whereabouts. For every deer you tell me you call in.....there could just as easily be that many (or 2X?, 3X, 4X???) or more who hear it and go the other way.

I'm talking about HERE....where I hunt. I wouldn't begin to think I know someone else's woods better than they do...so I won't speak for anywhere else.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

Thats why Im skeert to rattle

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

A little topic-related story ...

Never, ever had any luck rattlin until last Sunday, when a 130 class came in (big for the area but not the biggest), of course very quietly and directly behind me and to my right. It was impossible to get in shooting position without him seeing me so I froze hoping he'd a make a mistake - he didn't. I'm guessing he wasn't the dominant buck of the area b/c he was scared looking, not agressive. He hovered 20 yds away for a minute or so, all the while looking around the base of mytree. By the time he looked away and I made a move he was in the thick stuff headin out the way he came

Honestly I've rattled in the past just to kill time, I was unsuccessful at it for so long, it suprised me when this dude responded, but next time I'll be more prepared.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

I "blind" call a lot and have A LOT of success with it. Maybe it's the area where I hunt but it works for me. I'd say that every buck I've killed as been a result of me blind calling or throwing out a few grunts when they are in sight. Good luck!

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

That's just it Jeff, in calling for 25 years, I've never seen a buck that changed direction simply because of soft calling. They either come in or ignore you. What makes you think your scaring any?

Sure it's unknown but I've never turned one away with soft calling.

And again, when you have a target buck in your vision and he's not coming, why not call? If he comes, shazam...if not, he's not spooked, you still didn't have a shot.

I guess your afraid because you don't know.

It worked for me in your woods. ;)

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

I did so tonight, and he did not change his mind off the doe he was joggin round my tree with [:@]

Honestly though, I have killed three deer off of me grunting them in here, and have grunted in quite a few more. Last year I blind called in a 5 point and turned around the 10 pt I shot . I have complete and total faith in grunting, but ticklin the horns is a totally different story.:eek:

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

Not so much "scaring them away"....but look at it this way....

I used to hunt the same areas over and over again (because I had to). If I were to use calls.....I'm alerting deer to the presence of "something". First time a deer looks for the source and doesn't see it....does it spook him? What spooked that buck in PA last year? We just don't know. We can guess....but we just don't know.

I do know if I don't make a peep.....chances are I'm not spooking anything.

None that you know of. Kinda like when people say they've never been busted.;)

I don't disagree with that. It's the blind calling I take issue with.

Why do you have to be a sarcastic smartass, Rob....every time we have a difference of opinion? I'm not "afraid" (maybe "smart"??). And what don't I know? Is it really that hard to just say you disagree without the belittlement attempts?

So you say. Got any harvest photos?;)

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

Jeff as long as you have several different spots to hunt, then I would try the blind calling. IF it doesnt work switch for another spot, keep shangin up your calling locations, this is what has led to my success in the past at calling deer in. I am not there everyday calling them in, only every once in a while.;)

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

Oneshot I did a little this morning (blind calling)....in a spot where I've ONLY seen bucks. I'm not afraid to try it there (okay....clarification....I'm not "worried" about educating deer, there, as I've only hunted this spot, twice). I've got spots where I won't do it, though (like pretty much all of the spots I had last year and the 2 years before).

I'm not against it. I'm against it in certain places, HERE.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

But he came from out of range to point blank range, at that point it could have been scent, not seeing the deer etc. but it was too late, he came in range. That's what was suppose to happen. He didn't turn tail and run when you called to him the first time. He came in.

I understand what your saying, your not "alerting" them, you just calling to them. If you are subtle, they will either come or flick their tail and continue what they are doing. No alerting, no harm, no foul.

I called aggressively when I was there, of course it was more into the rut. Most of the bucks just kept doing what they were doing and ignored me. That one I missed (most likely one of your mounts) heard me, walked up the park fence, and turned and walked right back down to me. (The call).

None of them spooked. Did I spook any I didn't see? We'll never know, I was calling to the ones I did see and wanted to come.

Nor do I care cause I'm calling to the one I have visual on, the one I want to come. I don't fret the unknown.

Thus why you'll read many times where I say I don't blind call but rarely.

For crying out loud, now whose being paranoid. There was nothing smartass nor sarcastic about that statement Jeff. Were these not your exact words from your own post above? Post number 10 of this thread. You said afraid, I just restated it that way rather than calling you ignorant to calling whitetails of which are you not?

You've never experienced successful calling in your woods. You don't know if it works. Your discovering maybe it does. Thus the title of your thread or are you now the guru of calling and above taking advice. I offer it, you denounce it. I haven't disagreed with your post, I was offering sound advice and you say I'm belittling you. Fine Jeff, I'll just NOT offer you anything more from here on out. You take it and run it into the ground anyway just like atlasman.



Now who's being the sarcastic smartass. It's not my word, you know I shot and missed. Big deal. The call worked, period. Now I'm out. Have a great season.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

I may have to give calling a try this weekend. I have heard more buck grunting this last week than in the last 2 years combined.

I tried a decoy 2 weeks ago and it spooked the does. That's not good after they blow a few times.[:@]

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

Case in point. Now I'm "ignorant", too.:D

There's a mouthful.;)

Denounce? We have a difference of opinion. That is all. Your side can't be proven....and mine can't be denounced. It's a difference of opinion. Period. "I" can leave it at that.

Your call. I wish you nothing but success and look forward to your next post and your harvest photo(s).

Peace.

RE: Dear Rob...I may have to recant on calling
 

Back fifteen plus years ago I got to hunt from 11 until about 16 years of age on the outskirts of Peachtree City, GA. This is one of the fastest growing/richest cities in the country. This area is 30 plus miles out side ATL and went from rural farm land to subdivision on top of subdivision in a couple short years. This gave the deer few palces to go and took us from several thousand acres 10 parcels of 10 and 15 acres. I had no problem with this as we were still seeing 50 deer on a bad morning. If any guys from Georgia are on here and got a taste of it in the early years you know what I mean. One thing I learned from watching that many deer is that they are very vocal. The does are always making small grunts/bleats but they do not sound lie any calls I have heard. You can manipulate your call and get real close but those deer made alot of noise all the time. I call from opening day until close of the season and get as close as I can to the volume and sounds of those deer I remember frommy early days. The rut changes everything when it is hot and heavy but I am a firm believer that deer can/will be called in anywhere in the country with the right circumstances. By no means do I mean snort wheeze at em on sept 15th, just sound like a deer. I think aggressive calling drives them downwind as they question where is teh hot doe, where is the small buck I need to whip or where is the big boy so I can keep from getting whipped again and maybe sneak some tail. I think if you just sound like a deer, sometimes they ease on over to be around other regular acting deer. I called in 7 does at the sane time with some soft doe grunts on opening day of Alabama's bow season last year (OCT 15th) and our rut down by Auburn is at the very end of January.