Chuck7

I need help from one of you experts. I hunt at a place where the art of deer calling is a must. The deer are in massive islands of cypress domes or bay heads. AND THEY'RE NOT COMING OUT
I called one out with a Primo can on Jan. 1st.I scored. Earlier in Nov. I had one answer a grunt call. I grunted again. The buck never came. A skillful hunter told me when the buck grunts back to stop grunting he is on his way. By the way I came back to where I shot my buck. In 10 minutes I heard them slushing through the swamp. I used the Primos can. They froze up and never made another move. The hunter told me when you hear them don't use a call. Is this correct?
Questions
1. If the buck doesn't answer the grunt call, about how often should I grunt.

2.What is your favorite call and when and how do you use it?

Trying to get better,
Chuck of Lakeland Florida

treehunter

I am also curious on this. If i could just add one thing too......rattling, when and how often. The rut is just getting into full swing down here.

Deerslayer_37

I highly doubt that calling in your situation is a must. i think calling too much is going to not help you, as you could educate the deer so to speak. I really think too many people go out in the woods with a can call because they see it on TV and just start turn the thing over until their wrists fall off. the buck probably didn't come because he pinpointed you. If you are grunting blindly and get a buck to come into viewing range, its really more a feel him out type of thing. some deer are going to be shy and run when you grunt again. If he's looking right at you, i think it could be a problem calling again as he'd see where you are. However, if you just shut up all the time when theres a buck around, they might start to figure out that something ain't right. i think you gotta feel them out. try and see if he's aggressive and just give a real quiet soft grunt. just get a reaction out of him. If you are rifle hunting, it shouldn't be too hard to pull him to within a couple hundred yards. Calling to the running deer with a can call probably isn't a good idea. Usually, i use it sparingly. i would use it if i saw a buck cruising for does, or a buck alone. i woudlnt use the thing to call blindly unless it was during the rut and the bucks were cruising the area. you dont want to call at everything that moves. you'll get the deer "educated". For my whitetail calling, i use an HS True Talker. Best grunt call on the market period. I can go from old buck to young buck to doe to fawn with the movement of my finger. I really dont call to deer a whole lot when they're in range or i know they're coming into range. If i need to stop them for a shot, i give a whistle or use my K&H soft grunter inhale call that fits in the corner of your mouth.

As far as rattling, i like to call everything 30 minutes to 45 minutes, and mix it up. i start off softly and gradually move to a more banging around action with the antlers. I use a set of 140 class antlers that my dad sawed off a buck he found dead after season 7 or 8 years ago. they give a very realistic sound, but are cumbersome. When im running and gunning and traveling light, i'll somtimes leave them behind and in their place i take my HS rattle bag. fits in a pouch in my day pack and works almost as well the real things. i prefer the real ones when possible, just out of a personal preferences. i dont think the deer mind a whole lot.

If the deer are holing up, i guess i'd try to sneak in and hunt them there. Sometimes you gotta be aggressive. I dont think calling at them blindly is going to be the answer.

slayer

Tree climber

deerslayer pretty much covered it the way most do it.
Me I us a call about 1/100th of the time.I do most of mine calling with horns.I have a 6pt. set that was very small about 10" to 11" beams.they will fit into my pack.I rattle very lightly at first,if I don't hear or see anything rightaway , 2 to 3 min. them a little harder. and I do this for 30 sec. to 1 min. then stop for 15 to 20 min.if I see a deer that is far of I might grunt one or two times no more .tickle the horns and then stop( No More).
I have used the horns for years and harvest a deer or two every year.4 this year with the horns.durning the rut they are hot.I get near the beding area and wait and work.you will just have to try it and see.you can never tell what they will do in responce to calling.

Bigfoot223

i grunt about every 20 min and if you want any does you can try a fawn distress call i heard they come runnin to it . but when ever im in the woods i just carry a grunt call.

turkeyhunter_15

I wanna try a can..on the truth (primos) they use it and seems to work....Not Sure.

turkeyhunter_15

Firehawk7309

"Here deer, come here deer"!

AJ52

I used the large Primos to call in a lone 6pnt this fall from approx 200yrds out while sittin in a 14' tripod in middle of field.Couldn't take him as I already took a 7pnt. Next one had to be 15" minimum.

This buck walked around in circles for 20-25 minutes lookin for that call. I had a blast watchin him and callin. I got him to within 50+ - yrds lookin at my stand I had wrapped in cedar branches.He finally walked off. I've taken 3 bucks with grunts. My experiance has been #1 - if you can see the buck and he is courting a Doe(s) he ain't gonna leave that Doe(s) for any kind of call. #2 Calling to much too often is a big no - no. I learned that early on with callin. Never had any luck with rattlin,but I give it a shot almost every year.

SeaHunter

The deer I got this year was out out a cyprus swamp near Daytona. A few weeks before season opened I cleared the path to my stand and placed landscaping timbers where I had to cross water more than 4" deep. Then on morning I'm hunting i get there about 4am. I walk upto the Cyprus stand as quite as I can. I walk with a broken rythem so I don't sound like a normal person just walking along. I almost always spooked the deer no mater how quite I try to be. but by getting there early they seem to calm down before sunrise. Then around sunrise if they are going to come out then they seem to come out and head twords a tree farm about 1/4 mile away. I've tried calling them out but I've never had any lucK. One time I had one make a grunting snorting sound behind me by I never turned around to look at him.