By John E. Phillips, originally published in the 1994 Mossy Oak Bow Hunting Magazine
As I squirmed in my tree stand to shift my weight from a sore backside, I saw what I believed to be an ear twitch about 60 yards away on the edge of a field. With the Pentax binoculars, I studied the tree line and spotted what looked like the vague outline of a whitetail.
Then I spotted the dark circle of the deer's eye. I watched as it cautiously approached the field. Venturing no more than three steps from the woods, the buck fed on the winter wheat. I counted six ivory points on the 14-inch rack.
I'd been watching the buck for about 20 minutes when I decided that time was running out, as well as shooting light. If the buck didn't come in quickly, I'd be unable to take a shot with my bow.
With my Primos Still Grunter, I gave five short grunts, prompting the buck to lift his head and look in my direction. I grunted two more times. The buck walked toward me and put his head down to feed, allowing me time to stand and prepare for the shot.
This time I twisted the tube of the grunt call to deflect the sound to my right and behind me. Once again the buck moved before finally stopping 20 yards from the tree where I was perched. The sun had almost vanished behind the pines when I made my draw. When the pin settled slightly. low behind the deer's front shoulder, I squeezed the trigger on my mechanical release. The bow jumped, the deer jumped, and my arrow dug into the dirt, leaving the buck unscathed.
Using the grunt call. had given me the opportunity for a shot I wouldn't have had without it. When I stepped off the distance, I realize I had been concentrating so hard on the buck that I had miscalculated the range. However, I was totally convinced I'd never have gotten the opportunity to shoot without the call.
Today, like the mythical Dr. Dolittle, we can talk to the animals, as deer hunting has followed much the same pattern as turkey hunting, duck hunting and predator hunting. In recent years, we've learned how to effectively call deer where we're hunting. Although speculation abounds as to why deer come to grunt calls and rattling antlers, until we find a whitetail that speaks English, no one will know for certain what these sounds say to the deer.
How should you grunt? When should you grunt? How often should you grunt? When are rattling antlers effective? When are they not? Why do deer, come to rattling antlers? Will rattling antlers spook as many deer as they call in? These are the nettlesome questions that continue to plague whitetail hunters, especially bowhunters, who must get a deer in close enough to take a shot.
But rattling antlers and grunt calls are often the archer's keys to bringing a buck within that 30-yard kill zone. So let's talk to the Mossy Oak pros and learn how they call deer while bowhunting.
The president of Primos Game Calls and the producer and host of the "Truth" series of deer hunting and turkey hunting videos, Will Primos of Jackson, Mississippi, is known nationally for his deer-calling ability. In his latest video, The Truth III, Primos uses calls to lure in bucks.
"Remember, aggressive rattling and grunting will call in deer as soon as the bucks are in hard antler," Primos explained. "The bigger bucks will come out of velvet quicker than the smaller bucks. Perhaps they have a higher hormone level than younger bucks do. Hunters need to understand that any time the buck's in hard antler, he is capable and ready to mate. All he needs is the signal from the doe to breed.
"On October 1, bow season opened in Mississippi last year. On October 16, my video crew and I photographed two large 8-point bucks in a full=blown fight. I was bowhunting on the Mississippi River, inside the levee system. An 8-point with 18 inches between his antlers walked within 20 yards of my stand. The deer would have been a nice trophy for any bowhunter. But I knew the land we were hunting held some bucks with antler spreads from 20 to 24 inches. Since this day was the first of the hunt, I chose to let this buck walk.
"The buck moved into a green field and began to feed with four other smaller bucks and two does. After the 8-point had fed for about 10 minutes, he looked back into the woods, bristled and walked stiff-legged in our direction. Then a second, larger 8-point entered the field at approximately the same place the first 8-point had.
"The two bucks locked antlers and fought as though their lives depended on the outcome of the battle. But most of the sounds coming from the fight were not antlers clashing ,but rather hooves stomping. The bucks often locked antlers for a minute or two, pushing and straining their necks like Sumo wrestlers attempting to throw one another.
"The bucks also blew short, quick bursts of air as they shoved each other back and forth, much like the sounds linemen on a football team make when blocking. This sound was something I'd never noticed before. Finally, the younger, smaller buck bested the bigger 8-point and ran him out of the field. When the victor reached the end of the field, he stopped his pursuit, snorted and blew at his vanquished foe.
"From this deer fight, I now know for sure that aggressive rattling and grunting should not be considered a tactic to be used only just prior to the rut, during the rut and in the post-rut. Anytime the bucks are in hard antler, they will fight. Therefore, at anytime during hunting season, aggressive rattling and grunting can pay buck dividends, even in the early season."
When Primos rattles, he prefers synthetic antlers rather than real ones. The reason, according to Primos, is that real antlers have a tinny sound when they're not attached to the deer's head.
"When live deer clash antlers, the sound is a deeper thud than when you clash antlers that aren't attached to a deer's head. I believe synthetic antlers produce a more solid, realistic sound than real deer antlers do. I have had success with heavy, real deer antlers by holding them tightly in my hands. Then my body absorbs some of the sound produced when the antlers are clashed together and they don't sound so tinny. But I still prefer to use synthetic antlers.
"A full-blown buck battle like the one I witnessed in the early season last October usually begins with the deer clashing antlers, which results in a hard, loud crack when the two sets of antlers meet with heavy animals behind them. The purpose of the fight is for one buck to fling the other buck to the ground and drive an antler into his opponent, in either his side or his rump. If the bucks can't throw each other, then they'll shove until one deer gets tired and gives up. The loud, exhaling burst of air you'll hear the deer giving while they're fighting can be made by opening your mouth and blowing out very quickly. If you'll stand against a wall and attempt to push the wall down, after awhile you'll begin to gasp for air. Then you'l understand how to make this sound."
But Primos doesn't rely solely on the sound quality of his grunt call and rattling antlers to create his illusions.
"If I'm in a tree rattling and grunting, I want to be close to limbs. Then I can rake the antlers through the limbs and leaves. When bucks fight, they push over limbs and small trees. I also grunt as a I rattle and blow, since I've observed deer grunting and blowing when they're pushing back and forth against each other.
"Another technique of rattling I use, especially in the early season to call in numbers of bucks, is the sound young bucks make when they spar. These young bucks are not actually fighting and trying to hurt each other like older bucks, but instead they put their heads down and barely touch antlers. To make this sound, I tap rattling antlers together lightly. Because this sound does not simulate sparring, ou don't have to blow or grunt as hard or as loud when you're imitating young bucks. I use my Still Grunter and give light, soft grunts to imitate the sounds another buck makes as he watches two youngsters butt heads.
"Grunting, like rattling, will call deer at any time during hunting season because grunting is the way deer communicate throughout the year. Again, when I'm tickling the antlers to imitate the sound of young bucks, I give short, low grunts. If I'm trying to imitate a major buck fight, I make longer grunts and interject blowing sounds and heavy rattling in my sequence.
"In the early part of bow season, the young buck sparring sound and light grunting will lure in deer, as will aggressive antler rattling, grunting and blowing, since bucks fight at the beginning of bow season just as at any other time of the year. Rattling and grunting will call deer the first morning of deer season you go up a tree or take a stand in a ground blind."
Eddie Salter, president of Eddie Salter Game Calls in Brewton, Alabama, and two-time World Champion turkey caller, lives in the woods during deer season. In his home state, he hunts pre-rut, rut and post-rut deer from October 15 to January 31 each year.
"I believe the most effective rattling and grunting during the early season occurs when you produce just enough sound to prick the buck's curiosity," Salter explained. "I like to use a rattling bag and very light grunts to try and call deer at the first of the season.
"I believe that accusing a deer to come and investigate the sounds you're making will result in more bucks being bagged with your bow than simulating a life-or-death buck fight in the early season. At the first of bow season, light calling will bring young bucks as well as. older bucks. Young bucks are usually easier to call in than older bucks because they're just like young children on a playground. When a fight breaks out, the youngsters want to see which deer are fighting and what the outcome of the battle will be.
"I've found that rattling and grunting are the most effective before the does come into estrus and after the peak of the rut's over. usually, when the rut's on, the very big bucks will be with an estrus doe and are not as interested in coming to antlers and grunting as they will be before the rut or after the rut.
"Always keep in mind that the white-tailed deer is a very social animal. Anytime you make any type of deer sound, you can call in bucks. I believe the hunter should take his deer grunt call and his rattling antlers with him every time he bow hunts, just like he puts on his Mossy Oak camouflage whenever he goes in to the woods. Although at the first of the season you'll probably rattle and grunt up young bucks rather than older bucks, I prefer to see a buck--any buck--than no deer when I bow hunt."
Preston Pittman, the president of Preston Pittman Game Calls in Lucedale, Mississippi, is the five-time Natural Voice World Turkey calling champion and one of the best deer callers in the nation. Pittman believes that during the pre-rut, some does already in estrus, while other does are not ready to breed.
"Even though some does come into estrus during the pre-rut, I haven't found that all the bucks are as aggressive as they will be later during the rut," Pittman observed. "I believe that aggressive rattling will not produce as many bucks are more subtle rattling will during the pre-rut.
"I prefer to use softer, shorter, passive grunts in the pre-rut. I also will add some doe grunting at the beginning of my sequence of calling and rattling. Doe grunting is usually somewhat higher pitched and not as guttural as buck grunting.
"I rattle, too, when I grunt. Instead of using synthetic or real antlers, I like the Battle Bag rattling call. I want to use the sound of antlers tinkling or barely touching together to call in deer because I believe more deer during the pre-rut are sparring rather than fighting intensely. Young bucks as well as older bucks will respond to t his sound better than they will to the more aggressive sounds of rattling and grunting, since light calling is not as threatening as very aggressive calling. I want the deer I'm trying to call in to think two young bucks are sparring and a doe is standing close by, watching.
"I'll continue to call deer for as long as two hours using this technique. Then, 15 minutes before I'm ready to come down from the tree, I'll grunt more aggressively and rattle the bag harder to get more distance with the calls and to sound like the fight has become more serious. I'll also blow between grunts to mimic the sounds of exhausted deer pushing against each other.
"However, I've had more success rattling deer by hunting downwind of a bedding area, calling for 20 to 25 minutes and then changing locations, than I've had sitting in a stand and calling for two hours. I attempt to pull bucks out of several bedding regions from about 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. I may make eight to 10 stops near thick cover in the middle of the day using this tactic, which I've found to be the most deadly method of rattling during the pre-rut. If a buck comes from his bedding area to the antlers, he will move in quickly. You'll either get or not get a shot within that 20 minutes."
As Pittman illustrates, the technique is as simple as child's play.
"On one of my most memorable hunts, I took my 5-year-old daughter Casey with me to south Mississippi's Camp Shelby, which is public land. Although I had a gun, I wasn't really hunting, but rather had planned to spend a day in the woods with my daughter. Casey and I went into a thick cover area and sat down. I gave her the grunt tube and told her to blow the grunt tube three times, and I would rattle.
"After Casey made three short grunts and I rattled lightly, we waited about three minutes. I told her to grunt again, and I rattled. A big 6-point buck came busting out of the thicket close to us. Since I had laid my gun on the ground because I was more interested in enjoying the woods with my daughter than I was in taking a deer, I didn't get the shot off."
Rod Haydel, president of Haydel's Game Calls in Bossier City, Louisiana, is a veteran deer caller and a master woodsman who uses rutting bucks' natural aggressiveness to his advantage.
"During the rut, bucks produce numbers of sounds," Haydel explained. "They're angry at the world until they find an estrus doe to breed, and they'll fight with anything or anybody.
"One of the most effective ways to call deer during the rut is to start off with some light grunting and use your antlers to rake bushes and brush, like a buck fighting a tree. This sound often will call in more deer than aggressive antler-crashing. If another buck is in the area, he'll usually come in to see what's beating up his bushes. If after a few minutes of calling like this a buck doesn't come in, then I'll begin to crash antlers together and become more aggressive with my grunt call."
To add realism to his calling, Haydel has come up with a new twist.
"I've learned that using my Variable Tone Grunt to sound like two different deer makes rattling and grunting during the rut sound more realistic. The Variable Tone call has a hole in it, and by covering the hole with my finger the call produces a deep pitched grunt. Removing my finger from the hole allows the same call to make a higher pitched grunt. Using this type of call, the grunts actually sounds like two different bucks, which I think is more realistic when you're trying to imitate two bucks fighting. I prefer to make short grunts instead of long, drawn out grunts. At the end of my rattling and grunting sequence, I like to give one low, long grunt to sound like a buck that's been wounded in battle.
"Remember, though, grunting and rattling will not bring in bucks every day, even in the rut. One day you may go out and call in five bucks in the morning, and the next five times you rattle and grunt you may not see a buck. But I do believe that, especially during the rut, the hunter who uses rattling antlers and a grunt call will call in more bucks than a hunter who doesn't."
Gary Roberson of Menard, Texas, an owner of Burnham Brothers Call Company, has discovered the secret of calling difficult post-rut bucks. "The rut's very stressful on deer. But after they have had a resting period, rattling and grunting can be deadly effective.
"From watching and filming deer, I've learned that bucks always come in downwind of the calling. Even if a buck comes busting out of thick cover in front of you when you rattle, he will circle downwind before he comes within that 20 to 30 yard range a bowhunter needs to take a shot. Therefore, I'm convinced that effective rattling is a team effort for bowhunters. If I'm rattling, I want my bowhunter to be about 30 yards below and downwind of me. Then when the deer comes in, he will be within the archer's range but never see the shooter. That buck will be looking for the fight and searching for the source of the rattling." While Roberson's double-team calling is effective, it works even better when spiced up with scent lures, he said.
"A deer that comes in downwind of you has a good chance of smelling you. Therefore, I keep my clothes and my body as clean as possible. I use Scent of Cedar to attempt to cover my odor. I also use the hocks of a buck, which I get from a deer processing plant. Usually during the post-rut, the tuft of hair on the inside of the buck's legs, which he urinates on, will smell very strong. Since I'm imitating a buck fight by rattling and grunting, I want to use real deer odor to make the buck that's coming in think another buck is in his territory.
"The ratting sequence I use is a very loud and hard crashing of the antlers together. If the deer can't hear the antlers, he won't come to them. But by popping the antlers hard together, I've seen deer come from nearly a mile away straight to the sound. I've also watched what happens when I stop rattling. The deer quit coming. I think that as long as a buck can hear the antlers and the grunt call, he'll continue to come to those sounds.
"So to bag more and bigger bucks with a bow by rattling and calling during the post-rut, use cover scents, natural deer lure scents and buddy-hunt.
