Calling in deer

[buckhunter24_7]

Calling in deer is one of my favorite things to do while hunting! Let’s hear some stories about how you did it and anything memorable that the deer did while coming in to the call

 

[Davey Crockett]

I'm watching this thread with hopes to learn a bunch. I live right amongstem and have never been able to call one in. What works for you ?

 

[dukgnfsn]

Sorry Davey, this probably won't help much on how to get them in but another possible lesson or 2 learned. Going back probably 30+ years ago I get drawn for my 1st muzzleloader tag and order a CVA 209 muzzleloader, go out and get really comfortable with shooting it and season rolls around and out hunting I go. A very cold December morning maybe 0-5 deg and windchills in the negative. I have a doe in estrus call flip can and a grunt tube. Know nothing about using them but away I go. Get set up on a ridge on the river bottoms overlooking a big flat of willows below and out about 200-300 yards I see a very very decent 4 X4 working thru the willows and hit the doe in estrus can and he stops in his tracks. I am thinking ahhhh got a chance to get him in and about 1 minute later hit it again and he starts the loop to circle downwind and start coming in. As he goes into a thicker set of willows, I hit the buck grunt, and he is coming in on a string. I sit and wait about 8-10 minutes later he is 30 yards below me and I take aim and pull the trigger feeling very confident of the situation. All I get is a light click and nothing, recycle the bolt 3 times and same result. Buck is looking at me the whole time and pretty sure he had a smile on his face. Finally, out of boredom he walks away. Dejected I head back to truck pull the bolt from muzzleloader and set on dash with heater running. A few minutes later throw bolt back into muzzy and aim out into open, pull trigger and BOOM. Now head home totally dejected and start looking at muzzy and upon taking bolt apart find it full of cosmoline grease and in the cold grease was too stiff to allow spring to fire the firing pin hard enough to ignite primer. After a good cleaning back out the next day muzzy fired just fine in subzero weather. A day I will never forget. Lessons for me that day completely clean even a new weapon top to bottom. And I believe there is a 2nd rut sometime in December for does that weren't breed or didn't take in 1st rut so don't be afraid to try same November rut tactics in December. May my folies be you chuckle for the day.

 

[bucksnbears]

Calling bucks can be hit/miss.
Calling does with fawn distress is piles of fun.

 

[lunkerslayer]

I'm in the same boat as Davey, never had any luck calling them in. I mostly just used a couple fork buck antlers and a cheap deer call i bougnt at cabelas like 20 years ago.i have had good success with making my own deer rubbings and putting scent on them. And I am big fan of the scent bag until you are walking back to your stand in the pitch black to only find out you lost the scent bag somewhere across the field and now you have to find it. Ugh oh well anyways I sure would also like to learn about the advantages of calling in deer.

 

[Shockwave]

Back a long time ago when I was a youngster, I was still half in the bag and using a doe bleat at some cows in a pasture. At the time it was funny because every time I blew the call all the cows would moo. After doing this for maybe 5 minutes, a big buck came barreling over the hill right at us. The wife jumped out of the truck and shot him. This is the only time I've ever called anything in using calls.

 

[LBrandt]

Never had any luck with HERE BUCKY BUCKY BUCKY yet. LB

 

[buckhunter24_7]

I’ve got a lot of stories on calling in deer, I got confidence in it after calling in two 5x5s that were not quite shooters. I would call them in and when they would leave I would call them back using different sounds. Called them back 5-6 times before they left completely. Loud doe bleat is the ticket for calling deer. Most people call to quietly imo. I got a set of heavy tined rattles that carry sound very good. I got 5-10 great stories I will share when I get more time

 

[jr2280]

I have never had luck with calling them in with grunting myself, but I have called them in with rattling antlers and that is piles of fun. I called in a nice 4x4 just to be humbled by the one branch between me and him that my arrow found once. A few times I have played with young bucks and could repeatedly get them to come back just to wonder where those other two bucks are.