![]() ![]() I think that is especially a good game plan during the pre-rut.Deer, known for their gentle presence and graceful movements, possess a sophisticated system of communication that relies not only on body language but also on various vocalizations. “Sometimes, the best tactic is just to sit quietly all day, having taken precautions earlier to be as scent-free as possible, and just wait for things to happen naturally. Click to subscribe to Game & Fish Magazine “I do think there is something to the being there without being there approach,” said Mark Cromer, an archery specialist for Mahoney’s Outfitters. ![]() Meaning, they just want to blend in with the woods, be quiet, concealed, and as scent-free as possible. Some sportsmen rarely or never use deer calls, either because these individuals think calls infrequently work or because these hunters are members of the “being there without being there” philosophy. Really, it is probably best then to sit quietly and wait.”Īdditionally, loud calling at that time could possibly even alarm deer. ![]() “The does are likely to be coming to that type of area anyway. “If during the rut, I’m sitting over what we call a destination food plot or maybe an agricultural area in the evening, I prefer not to call,” he said. The patterns of the deer you’re hunting can guide you in the decision to stay quiet. When to stay quietĪt certain times, it’s best not to do any calling. He may be slipping in to see if he can find the now-untended doe. Remember also that a buck coming in to the sounds of two other bucks fighting may not be coming to join the fight. That is when rattling will have a real place in your calling strategy. If many bucks still seem to be on the move, then I’ll use the same calling strategies that I did during the pre-rut: bleating, then grunting, last, rattling.”īucks can still be fighting during the rut. “If a buck is locked down, chances are nothing you’ll try call-wise will work. “During the rut itself, a buck is often either going to be locked down with a doe or chasing after them,” he said. Since a buck will be seeking the source of the sound, it’s important to be well hidden. A blind helps conceal movement while calling. However, if you start your calling sequence with rattling and grunting, it’s very difficult to dial back the intensity level to mere bleating.Interestingly, Blissett’s calling routine does not differ between the pre-rut and rut. The rattling, will almost always be the last calling strategy. If no bucks respond to bleating, then it’s a simple matter to later switch to grunts, next very vocal grunts, and eventually even to loud rattling. If, for instance, the buck is one of those relatively docile ones, then the soft bleats of an estrous doe might be all that is needed to cause him to ease into an area. ![]() It can help the hunter determine and take a buck’s temperature with how aggressive he responds. Sometimes it’s best to start a sequence with a bleat call. When the bucks hear the doe bleating, they sometimes infer there is no competition. Instead of grunting or rattling, estrous doe bleats be a handy sound to lure in a buck.īleat calls can lure in even the most reluctant bucks. These non-aggressive bucks can be attracted to the sounds of a doe in heat. These males strive to avoid contact, not initiate it. Of course, some bucks, even mature ones, are by nature risk adverse. On the other hand, if there is a good buck-to-doe ratio, calling may work really well. Many places in the South have high doe populations, so calling might not work as well there because competition for does isn’t as intense. The rut also varies in intensity, depending on doe populations. So traveling hunters especially have to know what the stage of the rut is because that will affect their calling strategies.” “However, in some parts of the deep South, the pre-rut might not even begin until early December or late December or even early January. In some parts of the South, especially the northern part, the pre-rut begins in late October with the main rut starting about two weeks later,” Blissett said. The first step to success, he says, is to understand when the rut occurs in your part of the region. As such, he has hunted and filmed all across the South. Jordan Blissett is a videographer for Primos Hunting in Mississippi. Here are some strategies to hopefully help us make the right decisions on calling during the rut period. Chances are as well that many of us have had to endure deer of both sexes turning tail when we imitated some sound of theirs. Chances are many, if not most of us, have experienced bucks and does charging toward our stands when we tried some vocalization or another. Deer calling during the rut is a tricky gambit. ![]()
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