Deer Calls Have you ever asked yourself, do deer calls really work during the early archery season? Or what about grunting and rattling during the rutting season? The answer is yes. In the northern states many archery deer hunting seasons start in early October. Here in Michigan, the deer season kicks off Oct. 1st. One of my favorite calls to use is the Bleat in a Can or calling with my mouth in the early season. When calling with my mouth, I simply make the sound, "blat" ? or "mat" ? trying to imitate either a mature deer or a young fawn. Mature does seem to respond to the fawn bleat "mat" ? more so than the "blat" ? which I use when trying to call in a mature buck. This type of calling seems to work best in the early season before the rut sets in. Modern deer calling didn't start or it was not accepted until the early 80's when companies like Quaker Boy of New York, Haydel's of Louisiana and Woods Wise Products of Tennessee started mass producing the white-tail deer calls. Many archery hunters like me and my Dad started calling with our mouths as early as the late 60's. Most calls that are produced today, imitate the grunting noise of the buck and the snort and bleat noise made by all white-tail deer. Rattling of antlers is also considered a type of call. For this particular call, I like using the antlers in a bag. The reason for this is the bag is not bulky like carrying around a set of antlers would be. I usually have the bag of antlers tied around my leg or in my front pocket where I have easy access to it. If you use antlers for your choice of rattling call, you either have to hang them up in your stand or lay them down on your platform. Both of these types of antler rattling work well during the rutting season. The grunt call is also an excellent call to use during the entire archery season. This call stimulates the deer's curiosity and the noise is made by both the doe and the buck. Most people think only the buck makes this low pitched noise during the rutting season. Not true.The doe makes this same noise, only not quite as loud as the mature buck will make. It is also believed that grunting will scare off the smaller buck. That is not necessarily true. Although the smaller buck may not want to get into a battle with the larger buck, they are curious and anxious to see a battle. Grunting calls work very well during the rut. Keep in mind, during your archery white-tail deer season, using one particular call may not work as well as another on any given day. This is why I carry or use different calls all season long. In order to master a call, all you have to do is practice and listen to the deer talking out in the wild and then imitate them. It really does work! Listen and Learn! |
