warbirdlover

I've been hunting for 44 years now and have taken my share of decent whitetails.

I'm just now trying to learn how to call the sneaky bast**ds... as I haven't had any of the wall hangers on our leased land come by. I've seen them but not able to get a shot. So I have been experimenting with grunt, bleat and rattle calls the last two years.

This year I managed to call in a doe by rattling a Knight & Hale rattle bag. She came running in looking all over for the fighting bucks. Came right up to me and slowly walked back still looking for those bucks. She acted almost depressed that she didn't find them.

It was the highlight of my gun season as I let a small buck go and again got no chance at the monsters that roam the land we hunt. This was the last day of the one week long rifle season and at the very end of the rut. I don't think rattling is supposed to work then but one guy rattled in and got a nice buck the first day of this season. And we heard bucks fighting on the land the first couple of days. None of the rattling sounds were made by any of us (leased land and only 4-6 hunting it at any time). No one is within 300 yards (usually much more) of each other.

I just got a Knight & Hale Pack Rack system which sounds way better then the bag of plastic sticks. I'm not gonna haul around a big pair of antlers if I can make decent sounds with something easy to carry. Maybe not a good idea but don't care. I also just ordered the Extinquisher deer call which everyone seems to be raving about.

So now, I need all you experts to tell me how and when to use all this good stuff so...

#1 I don't look like a complete idiot out there...
(partial idiot is okay as that is my norm)...

#2 I actually have a chance at bringing in a buck.

#3 I'm not scaring the deer away instead of bringing them in.

So far on this land no one has used calls during rifle season (they do use grunt and bleat calls during bow hunting). The private land bordering it is lightly hunted similar to this land. No crowds walking around. We have a solemn agreement among ourselves to stay in our stands all day so we do not have anyone roaming around screwing up the natural deer movement. We go in the woods in one group and come out in one group. I'm trying to set the picture for you guys to advise. I have watched two bucks really fighting hard on a whitetail hunt near Devil's Tower in Wyoming and pretty sure I know how to make accurate sounds. Grunt call comes with DVD on how to make the calls and use it. So I'll be working hard on making the sounds correctly. I'm mostly interested in the duration of calling, when and when not to call etc. The real details that makes it work. And thanks ahead of time for any insight you can give.

Horacio

Rattling and calls can be a frustrating bit. You're relying on both your own skills and the deer's mood (mood not the best word but all I can think of)

I've never rattled up a buck myself. I've tried but never really stuck it out for a long time because I really am never sure if I'm doing any good or wasting my time. That's something I intend to change.

A buddy rattled up a buck for me to shoot years ago and we hadn't been on the ground for 10 min before he came in hauling arse and looking for a fight. That probably spoiled me a bit. Said buddy is my shop foreman and I see him every day. This time of year, we pretty much talk hunting all the time and we chatted about rattling some yesterday. His point to me was that you have to commit to it and stick with it. You can't go sit down in a bush, slap the horns, bleat, grunt, whatever and expect deer to hop out of the brush. You really have to devote the time to it and wait it out. Maybe they didn't hear? Maybe they weren't close enough? Maybe they are approaching slowly and wind you?

I expect others will have better advise than that but I'm going to give it a go.

BTW: I got a pack rack and I like the sound alot. I have the real thing as well and its fairly similar...alot close than most bags I've seen/heard.

Also, another thing my buddy said was that if you get busted, you're through with that particular deer. He knows the jig is up and is out of there. You won't be able to call him back to the same location.

WNYhunter

really my only advise to you is, don't call to a deer that is already coming to you. Watch the deer, it will let you know what to do. If you have a buck walking by at 50 yrds, grunt to him. If he stops and looks your way now it's his move. He might walk right into you, if he turns his head to walk away grunt again. If he still wants to walk away hit your bleat call. If he still want to walk away hit your horns together.

2 years ago I was in a tree with my son. We had a nice 8 pt come walking by at 50 yrds. I grunted, he stopped looked and then started walking away. I then used the bleat, he stopped looked and walked away. We played that game till he was 75 yrds out and leaving. I told my son to rattle, he turned on a dime and ran in to 20 yrds broadside. I missed. He ran out to 50 yrds and my son rattled again. He turned on a dime back into 30 yrds but left with no shot. Later on that day I used the bleat can and called in a nice 7pt which I was able to hit.

Point is, I try everything without giving up my exact location. The deer are in control of the situation you just have to learn to peak thier interest. Every deer will have a different tolerance to calling. Good luck

7.62NATO

Good topic. I would be interested in some responses that deal with using or NOT using calls after the rut is over.

Edcyclopedia

1-800-big-buck

warbirdlover

So how long do you rattle?

How much time between rattling?

How much time between grunt calls or bleat calls?

Should I use any calls right before opening time or wait to see if they'll come near without calling?

Do you use doe bleats along with buck grunts or just use one?

Will they always come in into the wind? Or maybe sometimes crosswind?

iSnipe

I use to own 1-800-243-buck back in the days when I was guiding. Wouldn't mind owning the big buck one!

iSnipe

iSnipe

Usually when you rattle, they almost always eventually try and circle downwind of your location.

Think of this when you're set up so you know when you have to shoot and where to set up at.

iSnipe

warbirdlover

I watched a show on TV where this sourthern guy took out his grunt call was nearly playing a toon on it he blew it so often.

Then he took his rattling horns and rattled and clawed a tree next to him frequently.

I bought one of the new Extinquisher deer calls with the video and in the video it said not to grunt only once or twice.

Why would two fighting bucks bother to stop and rub a tree? I've watched two fighting and the fight is the only thing on their minds.

What do you guys say?

llpaintball

warbird I think I saw the same show.. was he on an indian ranch in canada? I couldnt figure out why he was doing that either, it made no sense to me