What is your experience calling deer?

Other people may do things differently, but the more time I spend in the woods deer hunting the more I just play the wind and stay quiet. When I say play the wind, I mean only hunt stands where the wind won't blow TO the deer from the stand for at least 200 yds, if not more.

The only call I even carry anymore is a Knight & Hale doe bleat that I have had well over 25 years. I don't know if it has ever called in a deer, but it has stopped many that were otherwise on the move.

I gave up on grunting and rattling years ago. I know that many people have done it with great success, just not a skill that I have.

I have rattled in a couple in late Oct. Never capitalized on it tho.

The can call (bleat) has never worked for me, although I use it. Some guys claim it's a magnet.

Decoys... 99.9% of time they have been a detriment to me. Does absolutely hate them. Bucks usually pay no attention. I have only killed one buck over my decoy, a very decent half rack warrior in gun season. I was tucked into the edge of a swamp, and had the decoy in a lane the main trail came into. This buck showed up out of thin air. When he walked into the lane and seen the decoy, and then got a whiff of the scent I put on it, he froze and bristled up like a wire brush. He was only about 30yd away, but it took him over 30min to move 20yd closer, to an opening I could shoot thru. Bang, dirt nap. It is still one of my most memorable hunts. I tried the decoy a few more times, but gave up and it still sits in our yard for fun.

Grunt call. For sure! Have called in quite a few bucks, killing several over the years. This last seasons private land buck came blowing in right to me. When I was about to kill him, another much bigger buck came charging right in, and ran the first one off. Mistake, lights out.

Likely the season timing works for and against you on calls. All my successes have been Halloween thru first couple days of gun. After that, bucks are looking for love, not fights.

These are just my observations and experiences. NW part of state, mostly flat land, mostly ag fields. Been a lot learned thru trial and error over the years. No two deer are alike!

About 35 years ago, I was in K-Mart with my Dad looking at fishing lures. As a young outdoorsmen, I was wanting everything they had,I will never forget what my Dad said "son,95% of these lures catch way more fishermen than fish". 100% TRUTH! I feel the same about 95+% of deer hunting scents,calls etc.

I’ve used doe decoys and killed some nice bucks but only during peak rut. The only call I use is a can doe bleat, only use it if I can see a deer way out. Works about 50 percent of the time and usually only on young deer.

I quit blind calling outside of the rut a long time ago for a couple of reasons.

1.If a deer is already headed your way, or nearby, it's at least going to stop and listen, putting it on alert or potentially running out the clock in the evening.

2.If it's a buck it's almost certainly going to circle downwind, and most of the time you'll never even know it was there. A few times I have seen bucks do this. I got them interested in my calls and they immediately circled downwind. I did kill an eight point that did this, but barely, and only because he circled out in the open. He stopped right as he got downwind and that's when the arrow struck. Even 1/ 1/2 year olds will do this.

3. If it's a doe, and coming your way and hears horns, it's liable to turn around because it doesn't want to be chased.

For these reasons I play the wind and stay quiet most of the time, esp. during the early season.

HOWEVER:

During the rut I carry my calls and use them if nothing is happening. I have rattled up and killed 3 bucks over the years. I never go anywhere without that "can" call during the peak. I have had that call turn deer completely around, and two years ago I spooked a buck walking in. It was peak rut and I thought he wasn't sure what I was. I ducked behind a tree and snuck a few bleats. He actually circled back, trying to go downwind but couldn't because of a steep dropoff. I got my bow drawn but a screen of brush saved him. I wish it was a tad louder. If it's windy at all or the deer is far off forget it.

All calls are frequently ignored, ( and I believe often unheard ).

That's my 2 cents anyway.

We all have our own experiences. I have killed a few bucks who came to a grunt call. 100% have been blind called. One of my bigger bucks was a last ditch effort to keep me in the stand. I did an aggressive call and in less than 5 min a buck was on a string through heavy briars to kick my butt.

I have passed many small bucks that came to a grunt call.

2 of the biggest bucks I have seen came directly to my stand that I was climbing into. This past season I was just settling in and had not pulled up my bow when a stud stopped at my tree and sniffed my pack while I sat there. Barely light enough to see his rack. Same thing 16 years earlier but that dude came back 45 min later and I whiffed. I feel like they heard the ruckus and thought it was something like rattling. I have never had buck come to me when actually rattling though.

I really only use them in November.

I think a buck has to be in a certain state of mind for calling to work. It is totally dependent on the deer. That said I almost never leave home during season without my old K&H Easy Grunter. Several years ago I was hunting with my wife, I had already killed my buck and was helping her. Around 9:00 a buck crossed a clearing about 80 yds. east of us. He was headed South and on a mission. I grunted at him and he stopped I grunted again and he turned towards us. When he got closer I could see his rack and it was a dandy. I told my wife "don't look at his horns look where you want to shoot him." He came directly to us and turned to cross a small ditch and she shot him at about 20 steps. It was her biggest buck and the biggest one ever killed on our place. Sorry for the long story but I lost my best hunting buddy a year and a half ago and when grunt calls are mentioned I think her and her big buck.

Sorry for your loss , Tom.