Responding to calls in PA?
 

Hey guys.
Has anyone had any luck with getting bucks to respond to any calls here in PA yet?

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

Not for me yet but I would bet that it would be a little difficult for them to hear me down the shore in NJ;):D. Kidding but not in Nj yet or atleast for me.

But should be soon real soon.:D

Brian

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

Never had much luck in Pa. I have noticed the deer out west in Iowa and down in Texas are much more aggressive and respond to calls and rattling. I have tried it while scouting and they usually dont hang around. I have tried the normal social calls at doe and they just dont seem to care.They look around and either run or go back to eating.

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

Ive had some success with calling not this year yet though, but it wont be long till the grunt should be working. Ive rattled deer in, in the past, but it does work. Ive also used a grunt call and sent them high tailing to the next bush[:@] Good luck!

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

I rattled in a 6-point once and I grunted in an 8-pointer last year. The 6 point appeared all of a sudden and I had the rifle on my lap and the horns in my hand. He was looking right at me and I couldn' t move. Fortunately I was in a treestand when I grunted the 8-point in and he didn' t see me.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

I tried that ' lil can' doe bleap and it didn' t seem to do much. I had a doe about 60 yards away from me and she didn' t seem one bit interested.

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

I tried it again yesterday.I had 14 doe in a field .They were 85 yards away.It was only 5 minutes of legal shooting time left. So Just to see what happens I gave a soft social call. All Heck broke loose.It caused a stampede and they run for the hills.I dont understand????

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

I had a doe respond to a soft grunt on Friday evening. That' s about the most luck I' ve ever had. :)

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

It' s kind of early for calling now. The deer that are spooked probably know it' s out of place and that' s why they are feeling uneasy about it. It' s like trying to catch brook trout with squid. Try grunting, rattling or the doe bleats in a month and see what happens.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

I keep trying but I can' t say for sure that I have ever had a buck interested in a grunt or bleat. ONce night spotting I started mewing with a cow elk call and brought a doe in from 100 to within 30 yards of my running vehicle, so they must work a little. Might just have to try the elk call this year on the stand.

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

A buddy of mine has grunted in a couple of bucks, but all of my attempts have failed....either my calls are ignored or avoided.

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

I agree, it' s too early for that stuff (Tink would probably disagree). I tried some buck lure last night and when the does caught it, they ran the other way! Save all your calls and lures til the last week of season.

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

There are certain calls for certain times of the year. You can use doe bleats during the early part of the season, rattling during the pre-rut and rut. Lures such as Tinks69 or any other kind of doe estrus shouldn' t be used until the rut begins.

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

I also think it matters where you' re hunting, that is, private or regulated land vs. public. So much of our state forests and SGL' s are hit hard from opening day of bow to last day of gun season that deer just don' t respond to calls and lures like we' re told they' ll react. My one opportunity in late Oct on private land was quite an experience with lures, compared to state land.

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

from my past experience... I can never seem to call a deer in... I only use it to stop the running ones on a drive

RE: Responding to calls in PA?
 

I' ve had a little success with the grunt tube and my rattling bag. I' ve read in this thread about aggressiveness of deer in other states and that is important. When I call I am very passive and only call softly.

The grunt tube has only ever worked for me when I could see the buck I was calling to. The key is to use the call to direct him to you...not to turn him around once he has gone by. Don' t call alot. Just call enough to pique his interest.

The biggest mistake people make in our area (PA) with rattling antlers is to bang them together very loudly or too aggressively. That' s why I use a rattling bag. All you want to do is " tickle" them together real softly and for short interims. And, unlike the grunt tube, I only use it when I don' t see any deer. The only time I get aggressive with the antlers is in the peak of the rut when I am seeing no deer whatsoever.

Most importantly, I only ever call when I am in thick cover. My experiences show that deer expect to see deer when they hear deer-type sounds. They hold up out of range in light cover, but come in much closer in the thicker cover. And be ready once you call - then can show up in the blink of an eye.

Good Luck!