[Marshall Stanton]

I was raised in Southern Oregon, hunting blacktail deer.  They are a very territorial deer and very predictable in their habits.  Hunting them is a whole different ballgame than whitetails.

Rattling and calling were new to me ten years ago when we moved to Idaho.  I've had varying degrees of success with these techniques.  

There are a multitude of calls on the market, and some I know more effective than others.  Some too are designed to only call the dollars out of a hunter's pocket.

With the folks that are on this board, I thought maybe some might share their views/success with deer calls.

Thanks, and God Bless,

Marshall

 

[MattC]

About five years ago, I though I had discovered the secret.  Western Illinois whitetails seemed to run to me using grunt tubes or fawn bleats and rattles, which meant easy sucess with traditional archery tackle.  Since then I have moved (unfortunately) to within one hour of Chicago.  Now I hunt more populated public hunting areas which recieve heavy hunting pressure.  The deer have figured it out, I have seen deer "sneaking" away after hearing a grunt or bleat.  In my experience lately, a fawn bleat must be the equvalent in deer speak as yelling, run for your life this guy is a carnivore!!!!

 

[helenajoe]

Hi Marshall,

I've used E.L.K. Inc. deer and elk calls with success. Their "Deer Talk" deer call has stopped deer for me even when they were running away --- that is simply amazing. Mostly, I use the Deer Talk call to keep the does calm while I'm waiting for a buck to show up. The Deer Talk call doesn't spook the does and they just keep feeding and wagging their tails ---a sure sign that they feel safe. Sure they look up and look in my direction but holding still with a brush background seems to work at hiding me.

I had a fun experience with my "Cow Talk" elk call. I was scouting for elk and used the call. First a coyote came by and after he finally saw me, he took off fast. Then, a mule deer doe with a fawn at about 250 yds away, actually came towards me until they were about 100 yds away. They sure were curious at my "Cow Talk" call. When they finally lost interest in the call, they just drifted back into the woods as they continued to feed. They weren't spooked at all.

E.L.K. Inc. also has some scents, books and videos. I sure like their books and videos. Here''s their website and phone number: 1-800-272-4355

http://www.elkinc.com/default.aspx

helenajoe

 

[pisgah]

I've had spotty success with calls. I've seen some deer come charging in, some sneaking away, and others who ignored the call completely. To me, calls are like various scents -- useful tools in some circumstances, but hardly the be-all to end-all the sellers portray them to be.

 

[kiddekop]

In AZ while in college earning a degree in wildlife mgt many of my classmates used predator calls to bring mule deer in that were curious about the screaming cottontail or jack.I've used fawn bleats to stop a group of blacktails wandering up a hillside in northern calif long enough to be assured their were no bucks in the group..

 

[tpv]

I was raised in Southern Oregon, hunting blacktail deer.  They are a very territorial deer and very predictable in their habits.  Hunting them is a whole different ballgame than whitetails.

Rattling and calling were new to me ten years ago when we moved to Idaho.  I've had varying degrees of success with these techniques.  

There are a multitude of calls on the market, and some I know more effective than others.  Some too are designed to only call the dollars out of a hunter's pocket.

With the folks that are on this board, I thought maybe some might share their views/success with deer calls.

Thanks, and God Bless,

Marshall

Marshal, really enjoy the forum. Though we live in different parts of the country and hunt different deer, I still think rattling would work if your buck/doe ratio is in order. With a close ratio (1/1 or 1/2) you will see a lot of broken horns and down here at least you will see more bucks than doe during the rut.

Rattling at the right time and at the peak time of the rut means everything. Rattling at the wrong time is a waste of time.

Again down here, our first rut (pre-rut) when the doe go into estros is about the third week of October toward the full moon. This doesn't mean that the doe will let the bucks breed but you will see the does hocks turn black.
28 days from that period of initial activity, and the chase is on.
Again, where I hunt, the moon determines it.

The two weeks from the new moon to the full moon in November and again in December is full rut and rattling really works.
I am convinced that most of them rut at night when its the coolest, rattling in the morning is the best until about 10:00AM. If you can get a good freeze, all the better.

I have rattled the horns at night on a full moon during the rut and I can tell you that it is dangerous. I wouldn't recommend it- That's why I think they breed at night when possible.

But I believe that your best buck activity will be that two week period as the moon is rising toward full. A waning moon is not near the same.
That may sound silly to you but its always worked for me.
Again, I've never hunted where you hunt.
Good Luck

 

[KampKool]

Primos fawn bleat

When I purchased this call, I noticed that my dog was very uncomfortable when I blew it. Same dog that cocks her head and looks anoyed that I'm practicing my turkey call again was bothered by it.

I tried it during the October PA Muzzleloader. I had just left my neighbor and crossed the road and sat down on a log to catch my breath and make sure I was ready to hunt. It was just getting light and legal to shoot when I see a doe walking towards me stop. & walk directly away as & primed the pan & got ready to hunt. I blew the bleat and she came right back & stood broadside in the early light & I discovered that I really do need those fibre optics for the front sight...at least the bleat gave me the opportunity to shoot.

 

[dartonvpr]

Marshall, I grew up in northwestern Oregon hunting blacktail deer also. I started getting interested in calling deer 30 years ago, but there was little or no information on calling blacktail or muledeer, so most everything was learned through trial and error. Blacktail and muledeer will come to both calling and rattling, but they react differently than whitetail. The one thing I've figured out over the years is that blacktail do not normally respond to aggressive calling/rattling. I've used about every grunt tube on the market and they all work about the same, so getting the most expensive one on the market doesn't mean it is the best one. In Oregon the rut is normally during the second bow season. I use a fawn bleat, a grunt tube and a set of old antlers. Some people look at me funning when I tell them I use the fawn bleat, but my response is always the same. "Call a doe in during the rut and a buck is going to follow it". The whitetail I have called, have all come in very aggresively, while blacktail either come in very slowly, or are suddenly just standing there leaving you to figure out how the heck he got there.
On a side note Marshall, How come nobody wants to hunt whitetail in Idaho?

 

[6pt-sika]

Marshell , I've had very good results with the grunt call on whitetails . It seems to work best during the rut thou . I have had more then one occasion when two bucks came up during ML season and I would shoot one reload and call the other back and kill him as well . Have also done it a few times when a buck and a doe came up , but you must shoot the doe first . The doe isn't gonna come back after she hears the gun go boom . But it seems the not to smart buck will .

I've also had some luck with the fawn call during early bow and ML seasons.

I just recently picked up a Sika Deer call and have thoughts of getting another by a different manufacturer. Do not know if they will work , but they sound very realistic . As I can make many of the sounds I have heard Sika make .