hatcher

Personally, I play the game to make my harvest the sweetest moment of that year in my life. By pitting my gray matter versus his keen senses, my belief is I have made it truely fairchase,bonafide and without trickery. To each their own, but after forty plus years into learning my craft and maybe somewhat philosofical now,I truely feel there is a differance.
The one thing I am sure about is that there is no substitute for learning the nature of the beast and how he uses the lay of the land in which he resides in, that isif you want to consistantly harvest big maturebucks. When a person endeaversyear after year to do that, there will come a time you wo'nt just be thinking it, you'll be knowing you are a big bucks worst nightmare.
For what it's worth, YFIS.

HuntmDown

I agree with Zoomer for the most part. I usually don't use calls either. However, when the rut is coming on and the bucks are starting to move, calling can really work. The rest of the time, and especially if calling is loud and often, I think it risks spooking them off. It seems like the more pressured the deer are, the less calls work. Like some others have said, scents are another matter. Deer have to use their sense of smell, to find food or other deer and to avoid danger. Maybe if calls weren't being used as often, deer might respond a little better. The way it is these days, blowing away on a call on public land is like standing up and screaming, "I'm a hunter over here!" They know that sound means danger.

RiverBottomBowHunter

I have used calls and rattle bags with success. Experience will teach you when/how to use these tools.

mahoningbuck

Before the rut I just pick my place and lay low. No noise what so ever! When the rut starts I make a fifty yard circle around my stand with Doc's Doe in Heat with four spokes running to my stand with three bombs out there with the same scent. After a half hour in the standI let the grunt call rip!!!!!!!!!!!! Works like a charm and every buck that I have shot has come screaming in like it a fat kid who just fell down, scraped his knee, and lost his ice cream cone!

heeze gutshot shortee

bow hunting... you may need to get that bucks attention by rattling grunting or sex lure. just to get him . in close enuf. You may have to grunt to get him to stop for that bowshot for better accuracy.. With that rifle you can touch him from hundreds ofyards away. I have the calls, the sex lures and the horns, sometimes i use them , sometimes i dont. If anything can enhance your hunt go for it.

ps dont forget to soak those old horns in cold water to wakem up. sheds do not work as well as those cut off,,sheds sound hollow