Grunt calls.

[denvermartinfarms]

This here lohman 33 is what I have always felt like worked the best for me.

 

[highgrit]

The deer are smart to the grunt call here. Every deer hunter is blowing on one now, and I haven't heard a buck grunt in 6-7 years now. But I have had 5 come to the grunt tube this year so far. 20 years ago the grunt call was the ticket, bucks would come in grunting and some would rub and beat trees. And when I was down in south TX hunting in the early eighties rattling was the ticket. When you started rattling antlers together you had better be sitting back to back with someone, cause the bucks were coming to fight. And now they tell me the bucks don't charge in hard anymore. We as humans are very easy to pattern, and the deer have us figured out. IMO

 

[denvermartinfarms]

The deer are smart to the grunt call here. Every deer hunter is blowing on one now, and I haven't heard a buck grunt in 6-7 years now. But I have had 5 come to the grunt tube this year so far. 20 years ago the grunt call was the ticket, bucks would come in grunting and some would rub and beat trees. And when I was down in south TX hunting in the early eighties rattling was the ticket. When you started rattling antlers together you had better be sitting back to back with someone, cause the bucks were coming to fight. And now they tell me the bucks don't charge in hard anymore. We as humans are very easy to pattern, and the deer have us figured out. IMO

Here decoys and urine don't work IMO, can calls and good grunt calls do though.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I have used a Haydell for years have tried others they didn't work well.
Grunted in 4 bucks last week.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

I've never had much luck with a grunt call, it may very likely be user error. I have called a couple in with rattling- they were maybe going to have come through anyway, I don't know. But a 3rd was a 2 1/2 yr old that I watched walk through and rattled just to see if he would respond. He did and came back in.

One thing I (metaphorically) put in my hip pocket to use again is a snort wheeze.

For Inyati:

Murphy's law has always been the shared thread woven among my encounters with large bucks. The late evening prior to opening morning of deer season of my 19th year, found my rifle and mounted scope falling vertically onto the concrete walk, slipping from the back of a slightly unzipped gun case. While wallowing in feelings of foolishness, a family member graciously offered the use of a beautiful 30-06 automatic rifle. I politely refused and was planning to check the accuracy of the scope the next morning after sun rise. But after much persistence on his part, I accepted the kind offer. Being quiet as I exited the truck in the pitch black morning, I eased the slide of the rifle forward. Twenty minutes later as the Sun peaked over the horizon, I made out the silhouette of a large deer approaching. Shouldering the gun, I centered the cross hairs on his chest just behind his left elbow and squeezed an unforgiving trigger. I hastily flicked the safety back and forth with no difference in outcome. As he passed by and walk away, I ejected the chambered shell and slowly eased the slide forward chambering a fresh cartridge. Repeating the action several times, the initially full clip was exhausted as the buck passed out of sight. In the open perch of the small hardwood, I collected the live rounds stashed in various pockets of my army surplus camouflaged garments and reloaded the empty cold metallic clip. As I replaced the clip into the gun, the click that boomed forth seemed deafening on the frozen, calm hill side. From the bottom below, the buck retorted with a snort and snorted again pounding his hoof into the packed earth of the trail beneath. Having read of simulating this behavior back, and realizing there was nothing to lose, I gave him a quick but powerful snort and followed with a drawn-out wheeze. It gained an instant reaction, as if someone had called his mama a lady of ill repute. Crashing out of the bottom, he was coming straight at me, eyes wide open and dancing back and forth. Eighteen yards away and at 12 o'clock to me, he cut to the left and circled my position twice grunting continuously. I applied pressure to the trigger as he completed each lap and the tan hair filled the scope, hoping this would be the time the firing mechanism released its fury. The crack of the rifle never came and the beautiful 10 point bounded away from the direction it had first appeared. Being unfamiliar with the intricacies of an automatic rifle, I didn't know the slide needed to freely slam shut to engage the firing pin. A lesson I will never forget.

For everyone else:

I used a snort wheeze successfully to call in a startled buck once, it worked quite well and is one of my favorite memories hunting.

http://wiredtohunt.com/2009/12/04/white ... rt-wheeze/ Don't need a call, but this is the sound.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I think Murphys law and luck are very woven into deer hunting. I have always said deer hunting in East Texas is 80% luck 20 % skill.
The luck was you were in the woods at the time in the universe that he decided to walk by or come in to a call. The 20% skill are you good enough to capture the opportunity when it is presented.
Of the four bucks that came to a grunt call last week only two were legal.
Had a very nice 8 point long tine illegal deer super heavy 6 point again illegal deer.
Button buck and Spike both legal, now tell me that Texas Parks and Wildlife doesn't have their head up where the sun doesn't shine.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

CB, I didn't know you could kill anything less than 13 inch spread.

But since you are saying you can, I bet it has something to do with the research out at Kerr WMA regarding spike vs fork horn yearlings. I was down that direction during the fall several years back and drove through it to glance at some south Texas white tails. Stumbled upon this study when I was looking up the WMA online.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hu ... yearlings/

 

[Caustic Burno]

CB, I didn't know you could kill anything less than 13 inch spread.

But since you are saying you can, I bet it has something to do with the research out at Kerr WMA regarding spike vs fork horn yearlings. I was down that direction during the fall several years back and drove through it to glance at some south Texas white tails. Stumbled upon this study when I was looking up the WMA online.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hu ... yearlings/

You can kill all the spikes you have buck tags for.
The problem with the 13 inch rule here in the thicket is we have high and tight genetics not wide.
I have several 5 and 6 year old bucks with huge racks in mass and height that are 12 inches wide.
These deer are never going to be 13 inches wide. There is no provision in the law to age and shoot the older bucks.
I may be wrong but I see a train wreck coming for East Texas in we are killing what little 13 inch genetics we have and leaving all the high and tight to breed the does.

 

[TexasBred]

I've never had much luck with a grunt call, it may very likely be user error. I have called a couple in with rattling- they were maybe going to have come through anyway, I don't know. But a 3rd was a 2 1/2 yr old that I watched walk through and rattled just to see if he would respond. He did and came back in.

One thing I (metaphorically) put in my hip pocket to use again is a snort wheeze.

For Inyati:

Murphy's law has always been the shared thread woven among my encounters with large bucks. The late evening prior to opening morning of deer season of my 19th year, found my rifle and mounted scope falling vertically onto the concrete walk, slipping from the back of a slightly unzipped gun case. While wallowing in feelings of foolishness, a family member graciously offered the use of a beautiful 30-06 automatic rifle. I politely refused and was planning to check the accuracy of the scope the next morning after sun rise. But after much persistence on his part, I accepted the kind offer. Being quiet as I exited the truck in the pitch black morning, I eased the slide of the rifle forward. Twenty minutes later as the Sun peaked over the horizon, I made out the silhouette of a large deer approaching. Shouldering the gun, I centered the cross hairs on his chest just behind his left elbow and squeezed an unforgiving trigger. I hastily flicked the safety back and forth with no difference in outcome. As he passed by and walk away, I ejected the chambered shell and slowly eased the slide forward chambering a fresh cartridge. Repeating the action several times, the initially full clip was exhausted as the buck passed out of sight. In the open perch of the small hardwood, I collected the live rounds stashed in various pockets of my army surplus camouflaged garments and reloaded the empty cold metallic clip. As I replaced the clip into the gun, the click that boomed forth seemed deafening on the frozen, calm hill side. From the bottom below, the buck retorted with a snort and snorted again pounding his hoof into the packed earth of the trail beneath. Having read of simulating this behavior back, and realizing there was nothing to lose, I gave him a quick but powerful snort and followed with a drawn-out wheeze. It gained an instant reaction, as if someone had called his mama a lady of ill repute. Crashing out of the bottom, he was coming straight at me, eyes wide open and dancing back and forth. Eighteen yards away and at 12 o'clock to me, he cut to the left and circled my position twice grunting continuously. I applied pressure to the trigger as he completed each lap and the tan hair filled the scope, hoping this would be the time the firing mechanism released its fury. The crack of the rifle never came and the beautiful 10 point bounded away from the direction it had first appeared. Being unfamiliar with the intricacies of an automatic rifle, I didn't know the slide needed to freely slam shut to engage the firing pin. A lesson I will never forget.

For everyone else:

I used a snort wheeze successfully to call in a startled buck once, it worked quite well and is one of my favorite memories hunting.

http://wiredtohunt.com/2009/12/04/white ... rt-wheeze/ Don't need a call, but this is the sound.

ROFLMAO... :lol: :lol: :lol: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[J&D Cattle]

Grunted a good one (approx 120"-130") in last night with a Flextone. Thought he was coming across the field so I was patient for a change. He took a route through the brush across the creek onto the neighbor. I took a dig but was forced to stand up in my stand and shoot free hand at about 150 yards over brush and threw a fence line. Never found blood but I'll go back here in a bit once I can sneak out of work and check again. I was sick about it all night and am still pretty upset with myself. Not sure if it was a clean miss or hit some brush. The old 30-30 is far from flat shooting but surely it didn't drop under him. Ticked off!!!

 

[highgrit]

J&D, have you ever shot at milk jugs at 100yds. freehanded? A 150yds. is a long way to shoot freehanded.

 

[J&D Cattle]

J&D, have you ever shot at milk jugs at 100yds. freehanded? A 150yds. is a long way to shoot freehanded.

Don't know as I've ever practised freehanded outside of a 22 with open sights. I'm hard on my self and it was a poke but I should have killed him. Should have shot the dang thing across the field when I had a rock solid rest but I just knew he was going to walk in. Still ticked.

I did sneak out and walk around and found no blood.

 

[danl]

I don't have the writing skills to do a Inyati version of this but..

A long long time ago, when I first started bow hunting. I was sitting in a tree stand and saw a gnarly six point in the brush, I grunted him over and he got close, too close. about 5 yards. I was shaking like a leaf and I missed. He ran off a short distance. I grunted him back, still shaking, missed again, he ran off again, I called him back, this time the grunt call string got caught in my bow string and I shot the arrow and the grunt call at him, missed with both and no longer had the grunt call to try to get him to back...
For some reason I just had the call in my mouth with the string hanging down, not around my neck.
Please keep in mind this was 25 years ago or so and when you have never got a deer with a bow everything is a trophy.

 

[highgrit]

J&D, the reason that I asked if you ever tried to shoot a milk jug at 100yds. freehand is.
The majority of people can't do it. And that's not even under hunting conditions, it's just a milk jug by my shooting range. Try it sometime with your 30-30, or any other rifle.

 

[Caustic Burno]

J&D, the reason that I asked if you ever tried to shoot a milk jug at 100yds. freehand is.
The majority of people can't do it. And that's not even under hunting conditions, it's just a milk jug by my shooting range. Try it sometime with your 30-30, or any other rifle.

That is the exact reason my Dad and uncles used to say man only needed three guns a 30-30 or 30-06 12 gauge and 22 LR and learn to shoot them. I literally got whipped for missing squirrels one day with a donkey bar b que while hunting with my dad and uncle one day.
I was told those shells are expensive the next ten shots a squirrel fell. Different generation didn't put up with wasting anything my grandpa used to give my dad 2 shells for his double barrel to go hunting.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

I agree CB, there is something different about hunting for food vs sport. My grandad was one that could shoot lights out freehand. I assumed it had a lot to do with being very poor and hungry, plus they probably went rabbit and squirrel hunting a lot more frequently. I couldn't shoot close to him then and probably worse now. Before stands, I generally picked a high point to lay on my belly or sat against a tree to balance off of my knee.


J&D,

At 150 yds I don't think the drop would be that big if you had it zeroed at 100. Probably around 2.5 inch drop if you are using a 150gr. The drop at 200 is probably close to 7 inch with 150 grain common load. When I used a 30-30 I think I zeroed it at 150, the rise at 50 was close to the drop at 200 I believe ~ 3 inches. There are some good ballistic charts by manufactures out there. When laying down, I could hit a 16 oz plastic mountain dew bottle reliably at 200 yds.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I agree CB, there is something different about hunting for food vs sport. My grandad was one that could shoot lights out freehand. I assumed it had a lot to do with being very poor and hungry, plus they probably went rabbit and squirrel hunting a lot more frequently. I couldn't shoot close to him then and probably worse now. Before stands, I generally picked a high point to lay on my belly or sat against a tree to balance off of my knee.


J&D,

At 150 yds I don't think the drop would be that big if you had it zeroed at 100. Probably around 2.5 inch drop if you are using a 150gr. The drop at 200 is probably close to 7 inch with 150 grain common load. When I used a 30-30 I think I zeroed it at 150, the rise at 50 was close to the drop at 200 I believe ~ 3 inches. There are some good ballistic charts by manufactures out there. When laying down, I could hit a 16 oz plastic mountain dew bottle reliably at 200 yds.

My Dad was the baby and he would be a 100 next year. My grandpa was born in 1878 talk about a bunch that didn't put up with BS out of kids, you had better tow the line. I hated hog killin days. They killed a pile of hogs and that work went on for hours. You had better like hog liver or brains and eggs cause that was going to be the meal for the day. I have Dad's Remington 241 Speedmaster I would really like to know how many deer and hogs that it has killed. Spent a many a night in the woods with a Carbide lamp.
No matter whose house you went to when I was a kid you could bet the number one weapon was a 22 LR.
Every house had a model 94 hanging on the wall as well. Ninety nine out of a hundred would have a Winchester Model 97 or 12, that might have just been an East Texas thing.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

CB, I didn't know you could kill anything less than 13 inch spread.

But since you are saying you can, I bet it has something to do with the research out at Kerr WMA regarding spike vs fork horn yearlings. I was down that direction during the fall several years back and drove through it to glance at some south Texas white tails. Stumbled upon this study when I was looking up the WMA online.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hu ... yearlings/

You can kill all the spikes you have buck tags for.
The problem with the 13 inch rule here in the thicket is we have high and tight genetics not wide.
I have several 5 and 6 year old bucks with huge racks in mass and height that are 12 inches wide.
These deer are never going to be 13 inches wide. There is no provision in the law to age and shoot the older bucks.
I may be wrong but I see a train wreck coming for East Texas in we are killing what little 13 inch genetics we have and leaving all the high and tight to breed the does.

I would worry about the selection of basket racks as well CB. I thought of that when I heard the regulations. I hope Oklahoma is never dumb enough to implement this.

I've always thought that if they want more bucks to reach a mature age, why not just limit the number of bucks that are legal for a few years or maybe even alternate years. At least in our situation, the best idea might be to just make a limit of 1 buck for a year or two (we can take a buck in each season or more than one in archery). I've thought it might be the best compromise between those wanting trophy dear and meat hunters and young or inexperienced hunters.

It wouldn't keep young or inexperienced hunters from being able to shoot what is a trophy to them. I think the 13 in rule would be criminal in this regard. It also wouldn't artificially skew the genetics. There are too many does, and hopefully a one buck rule would lead to more people taking does. An alternate idea would be to make it mandatory to take a doe before you can take a buck.