Get vocal for archery season success
Get vocal for archery season success
By Tyler Frantz
Calling whitetails can be a very effective archery season strategy as long as it isn’t overdone. While I wouldn’t recommend calling every single time one hits the deer stand, there is definitely a time and a place for getting vocal. What follows are four scenarios when running a deer call can be a game changer.
Early Season (Evening: Doe bleats/grunts, soft antler tickles)
If you’ve ever hunted overlooking an early season food source, you already know the first deer to enter the field are often the fawns. Shortly afterwards, their more cautious mothers filter out, followed by a young buck or two, perhaps from a different corner of the field.
The fawns will romp about, making playful bleats while their moms offer occasional irritated grunts in an attempt to keep them in line. The young bucks, seemingly entertained by the fawns, may join in to instigate the fun, and in doing so, could link up for a little light antler sparring to impress the others.
This is all typical behavior for early season evenings in fair weather. The problem is, it sometimes only takes place during the last half hour of daylight, while the bigger bucks hang in the cover, delaying their appearance until dusk.
In an effort to speed up the process, try initiating the action in a barren field a little earlier on a clear evening by mimicking doe bleats/grunts on an adjustable O-ring tube call. You can even pique curiosity by tickling some rattling antlers lightly together to imitate non-aggressive sparring.
This may draw deer out to feed a little sooner- possibly giving bucks the confidence they need to enter the field during daylight when your sight pins are still visible.
Late October Frost (Morning: Contact grunts) It always seems like that first frosty morning in late October spurs an increase in buck movement. Coincidentally, the first frost usually occurs right when pre-rut seeking behavior begins to spike. The moist, crunchy soil holds an abundance of scent, the air is often still and it is easier to hear greater distances than when foliage was lush and green.
Reach out to bucks you see cruising out of range with subtle contact grunts- short, one-second blasts on the grunt tube. Don’t overdo it, as these can sometimes spook bucks if they’re not in the mood.
It’s better to be quieter than necessary at first. Try a soft, single grunt; if he hears it, he should stop and look. If not, increase the volume until you get his attention. Just as he steps to continue on his way, hit him again with a single grunt. That may be all it takes to confirm what he heard, and it may bring him in to investigate.
November Rut (Late Morning/Mid-day: Estrous bleats, challenge grunts, rattling)
The first week in November is typically when chasing action is at it’s best. With bucks rutting hard and does becoming more receptive, deer movement is almost constant- even late morning through mid-day.
Sit the morning out quietly and see what sort of madness comes your way, but then stir the pot around 10:30 with a cocktail of estrous bleats, challenge grunts and a bit of rattling.
I like to begin my series with a few estrous bleats from a can-style call, followed a minute or two later with some longer, more drawn-out challenge grunts. Feel free to mix in a snort-wheeze and then hammer the rattling antlers for a brief 20-second fight sequence.
Immediately afterwards, ditch the calls, grab your bow and get ready. If any bucks are coming in, they will be there soon.
Final Day (Last Day of Season- All day: Blind tending grunts, estrous bleats)
Let’s face it- desperate times call for desperate measures. That’s why I always pull out all the stops on the last day of bow season. Whether I’m seeing deer or not, I call blind, using a combination of scents, estrous can bleats and repetitious quick-paced tending grunts.
Alternate calling for up to one minute and then rest and scan the woods for 20 minutes, then repeat, especially in the evening when the “Hail Mary” either works for you or your season ends in a bowl of tag soup.
Several years ago, on my last hunt of the season, a sleety drizzle subsided, leaving me desperately hoping for a buck to come my way. As daylight faded, I called relentlessly from my stand. “Bawahh-bawahh,” from the can call; “Bap-bap-bap-bap-baruuup,” from the grunt tube; I called over and over with nothing to lose. Suddenly, through the dense fog, my best career archery buck to date emerged from the standing corn and stiffly trudged toward the scent wick hanging near my stand. A well-placed arrow put him on my wall, but it was my no-holds-barred, aggressive calling sequence that ultimately sealed the deal.
Calling whitetails at the appropriate times can truly make the difference for your season. By knowing when to break out the deer calls, you will be better equipped to pull curious bucks in close, instead of watching them slip out of range. My experience in the field offers proof that sometimes it pays to be vocal.
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