To late for grunting or rattling?
 

Heading back in the woods around Dec. 8th. Will grunting and or rattling cause more harm than good this late in the season?

By this point most deer have been called to death by many hunters. I find it's better to be silent and only call as a last resort if I spot an animal that's not going to head my way. It just depends how pressured the deer are that you are hunting.

In many areas the second rut comes along in that time frame. I find that calling can work but not as well as early in the first rut. Around these parts even during the rut it isn't a high probablility method due to a low buck doe ratio and not many mature deer. Late season there is usually snow for tracking here so still hunting and tracking is my best tactic at that time.

On December 3rd of last year I used a tending grunt to arrow the buck in my avatar. I actually have had better luck calling in the late season (late November/early December) in my neck of the woods anyway. The only conclusion I can come up with is most of the does are bred and the bucks are moving more to find their last hot doe. Again this has been my experience in western south Dakota.

Never call unless you can see the deer you are calling to. Give a call or two and watch his reaction. You will know real quick whether to shut up or call again.
Calling to empty woods hoping something will hear and come looking is a fools errand.

It's not too late in the year for calling to work but be very conservative with it.

2nd best time of year to call IMO. Right before the does start really coming in is best and right when most have been bred is 2nd best. It doesn't make any difference at all what your buck/doe ratio is. What matters is what your buck/doe in heat ration is. No matter how many doe you have in your area there will be times when there are just enough in heat to get the bucks going but not enough to go around.

It is always a risk/reward way to hunt though. There are a lot of factors to consider.

Unbred doe are out there. Conservative doe calls can't hurt. Like once or trice a day.
Other than that be quiet.

Since everyone has been mentioning calling, and "not" rattling I probably don't need to say this, but I believe that it's way too late for rattling in the North.

Here in MN. the best time for rattling is in October, and early November.

I have some rattling antlers in my hunting shack I use when i'm bored.. Alot of bucks in the area I hunt but I have only called in one buck rattling ever. About 14 years ago on a windy day in early november. I rattle sometimes when I see bucks in the distance and they look sometimes but that's about it.

During the second rut a few years ago 1st week in December in western NY I saw a couple of bucks chasing a hot doe just B-4 dark. I went back the next morning and waited to see movement and then after about 1/2 hour of not seeing anything I figured I would rattle. I did the first sequence and a doe cam running out of the swamp right in front of me. I looked behind her and didn't see anything then off to the side a nice 8 was legging it right over to the doe. Lights out and the rattling did him in. You never know until you try.