calling
 

2 way better hunters than me were having a interesting debate. how effective is calling deer. it seems some guys call every time and some never call. it seems everyone has different opinions. clearly it does not work all the time but do you think calling with standard calls works with whitetails.

I think it largely depends on the area, the hunting pressure, and of course the skill of the one calling.

I've had success rattling antlers with small bucks coming in curious. I've also used the doe can call to get deers attention.

The can call is the least risky in my opinion. I've never seen deer react negatively to it. They either show interest or ignore it completely.

-Jake

I have had some success rattling and using a grunt call but those successes have been rare. Most often nothing happened.

The grunt tube is your friend. ha.

I have had luck getting bucks to pay attention to the area around me by grunting and is by far the most utilized call in my deer bag. I have rattled a few small bucks up but usually if I am not hearing it in the woods I am not going to add the noise. Most of the time it takes 30 min or more for the buck to make his way over to me after a grunt sequence.

If you are hunting a field edge then an added factor you could use would be a good decoy to add a little bit of realism.

Bleat can the week before actual mating begins can be awesome fun !!!

Was it on here where someone posted a video with numerous clips calling to deer? Some came in on a string, some ran, and some ignored it. Rather interesting video. They were trying to show deer body language, calling success, and calling fails.

I rarely call whether a bleat, grunt. or rattle. Have had each work on rare occasions. Have had deer come into me clanging my climber while installing it onto a tree in the darkness. So dark, I could not see the deer which came to me. Like Kelly I tend to try to stay quiet while in the woods. i carry a grunt tube just to add weight to my day pack.

I heard a grunting buck this year before I saw him. He was pushing a doe. I rarely hear actual deer calls while hunting. A doe bleating to her fawn more than anything else. Unless an all-out fight, most deer noises and vocalizations are not that loud.

I personally think this way after yrs of using trying and NOT using them
there are SO many variables involved in calling of deer that there is NO clear answer on if they work to help or hurt you at times
age structure of deer in your area, pressure, cover, deer density numbers all have SO much to do with calls working or not IMO

I personally tend to always CARRY a grunt tube, and or bleat/can call
but seldom use them, I sort of use them as if a BIG buck is out of range and ONLY going to get farther away(AKA going wrong way) and I don't think he will be back any time soon
THEN when I can SEE the buck I will try calling as a last ditch effort to get him!

I am NOT a fan of calling blindly
all my yrs of hunting , I have had WAY more encounters with big bucks NOT calling than calling, so thats MY preference
when the stars line up , things can be magical with calling, but from my experience, more times than not, all you do is let smarter deer know some idiot is up a tree with a fake call LOL and they then avoid the area! having doen more harm than good to your spot!
I have hunted whitetail deer in about 15+ states and Canada, and that's my 2 cents!

Some ten years ago my son used one of the doe in heat cans to call in a buck that measured 186 and a fraction. I came across the woods on a line to him. He hasn't had that kind of luck since.

I believe one thing we can learn from all the above comments is:
It all depends on the state of the deer (his or her attitude at the time), if he or she is going to come in or go further away, when calling. Have had calling work and not work. I've used them and not used them. Sometimes I will just blind call to change my routine when I've been in the stand for a long time. Always experimenting, types of calling, how often, how long, cadence, etc.; always looking for reactions,

I find calling with grunt tube works best in chase and rut phase but do it sparingly. I'll use rattling sticks when I've seen or heard deer fighting, otherwise, no. Cans have never worked for me.