9 minute read
Outdoor Logic with BioLogic
CALLING MATURE BUCKS
THE RIGHT SOUND AT THE RIGHT TIME
BY TODD AMENRUD
Learning to read whitetail body language is a key to being good at calling them. You need to know whether you’ve made the correct sound or whether you need to change or call again. Watch their ears to know whether they’ve heard you or not. (Photo Credit: Tom Reichner)
While talking with several wildlife biologists regarding whitetail vocalizations, I’ve learned some new things in recent years. I learned that we are only beginning to understand about what their “vocabulary” means. I don't have the sophisticated listening equipment that some of these biologists do, but I have observed and studied whitetails for quite some time. I do know for sure that - whitetails vocalize to communicate a variety of socially-important information and their sounds vary in pitch and intensity. However, most importantly, I know they can be called to us by imitating these sounds. Aside from a doe and her young fawns in the spring, whitetails are most vocal during the fall months and breeding season. Making the right sound at the right time can be an exciting way to fill a tag.
To understand a whitetail’s vocalizations we need to be familiar with their sense of hearing. After all, it's their hearing that we’re trying to reach when using a call. The average hunter would say that a whitetail has much better hearing than a human does. Actually, our eardrum is more sophisticated. Humans have the capabilities to pick up higher pitch and lower pitch frequencies. However, imagine if you had two huge, open-ended cones with which you could direct and cup sound. Because of the style of their ears, they are much better at pinpointing sounds and separating noises.
My point - during a stint in a treestand you may have trouble hearing an approaching buck walking in the leaves because of the squirrels scampering around underneath you. Or, you may have trouble hearing a whitetail grunt because of traffic sounds on a nearby highway. A whitetail, however, can distinguish and pinpoint the location of those sounds much better than we can.
As far as the often asked question, "How loud should I blow my call?" The short answer is - about as loud as you would if you were trying to get another human to hear at that same distance, maybe a little less. That doesn’t mean if you’ve got a whitetail standing at 500 yards you want to blow the guts out of your grunt call. I guess a better answer would be, “Make the sound the same volume that a whitetail would.”
Adult deer communicate through grunts, bleats, bawls, bellows, snorts, hisses and wheezes. The two most common sounds are grunts and bleats. Varying the tone, length or volume can give them very different meanings. Both bucks and does make both grunts and bleats.
Two very common vocalizations are what some call the "contact bleat" and “attention grunt.” The contact bleat just simply means, "Here I am." The attention grunt I believe takes it a step further and means, "Here I am, come to me” or, “Come follow me.” Both of these sounds can be made on a number of blown through, adjustable O-ring type calls or bleat cans.
Possibly the most commonly-heard vocalization during the breeding season is a tending grunt. It can
Mature bucks will usually swing downwind to scent-check an area once they have the sound pinpointed. The author suggests placing some scent out crosswind of your location to confirm to the buck that it was another deer that made the sound. Notice the wick soaked with scent on the branch above the buck. (Photo Credit: Paul Marion)
last from a fraction of a second to over a second and has a different tone. This grunt sound differs from the attention grunt in that it sounds more nasal and smooth where the attention grunt is throaty and has a “clicking” sound to it. This sound is made by bucks either when following an estrus doe (or a doe about to come into estrus), while he's checking different does to see if they are in estrus, when following a trail made by an estrus doe or when trailing a doe during the chase phase of the rut. I've had very little luck calling deer to me with this call.
Aggressive sounds like the "snort-wheeze” or "aggravated-grunt" will intimidate or alarm many deer. However, I've used the aggravated-grunt, or what some call the "growl-grunt,” to call larger, mature bucks to me numerous times. This sound is a longer, drawn-out grunt that is phrased somewhat like a growl. It’s not as common as other whitetail vocalizations, yet I've heard it many times in the wild. It is common to hear before a confrontation between two mature bucks. Their hair gets bristled up, they do a funny-looking stiff-legged walk and they posture each other side to side trying to intimidate their opponent. It is often made in combination with other aggressive snorts or sniff-wheeze sounds and means "I'm king of the hill, hit the trail buddy!"
The “Buck Roar” from Primos is a call that is designed specifically for aggressive buck sounds. This call was initially intended to do another unique buck vocalization dubbed the “roar” but will work to do several different buck calls. Some may have heard this “roar” sound in the wild and not known it was a
deer making it. I would have to describe it as almost like a buck “bark.” This is an assertive sound in the whitetail world. Even though this is an aggressive sound, you will be amazed at how well bucks are drawn to it. Another vocalization that I've also had success using is a "breeding bellow." An estrus doe makes the breeding bellow when she is ready to breed. I've only heard this hair-raising vocalization several times in the wild but I’ve listened to it being made by captive does many times. Although I hear this most often with captive does, this call has worked for me numerous times in the wild. It's an urgent sound that resembles a long sheep baa. It means, "Hey baby, I'm over here and I'M READY NOW!” You can make this sound on several calls. A bleat-can will work but it doesn’t quite Here the author poses with a nice 5x5 that was called into range using an estrus bleat that capture the volume, pitch fluctuation or tone he made with his voice. The buck came in intently searching for the source. (Photo Credit: Todd Amenrud) of the real deal. Years ago, I used to sit outside my buddy’s deer pens and listen to the does make this sound and then try to repeat it. I can actually make it best with my own voice. Several years ago, I harvested a respectable 145-inch 5x5 using this sound. He was skirting me about 100 yards out so I thought what the heck. It actually brought him in on an intense run to search out the source of the sound. I drove an arrow through both lungs as he stopped 18 yards away probing the brush for the doe that made the sound. There’s also a very social buck call some refer to as a “buck bawl.” Not to be confused with a distress bawl, the call I believe is basically a "buck bleat." Some call it a bawl probably because it is louder than a typical social bleat. It sounds more as if the noise should be coming from a sheep than a whitetail. Late season is the only time I've had this call work for me. Alarm calls or distress calls tend to be very loud in comparison to other whitetail communication. Most whitetail hunters have heard a snort. There are several different variations of the snort. Some mean danger and some are aggressive sounds. I have called whitetail into bow range using a snort. If they snort at me, I snort right back at them and I suppose their curiosity has gotten the better of them. More often than vocally, whitetail communicate through smells or body language. In fact, a key to becoming good at calling deer is learning to understand or “read” body language. You need to know whether or not you've blown the right call, or whether you should change calls or try again. Watch their body posture, their tail positions, movements, and their
overall demeanor to tell if you've "hit a nerve." Watch their ears when you blow your call. If their ears are still searching, you probably need to blow the call again and possibly a little louder. When their ears lock in on your position, stop calling. Your call has been heard, and the "kiss of death" can be over-calling.
Use other stimuli in conjunction with calling. Use rattling, scent, decoys, or better yet – “the combination” in conjunction with your rattling. Usually a mature buck will swing downwind and scent-check the area before he closes the distance. He’s heard “deer sounds,” now if he swings downwind and smells “deer smells” it appeals to another sense and makes the situation seem more real. Now what if he swings downwind and satisfies his sense of smell but also sees another deer (your decoy)…get the picture? What makes a situation seem real to you? The more senses you appeal to the more the condition seems real.
Match the scent to the situation – for instance, if you’re making an estrus bleat close to the rut, a little Special Golden Estrus placed out crosswind from your location can help seal the deal. Or, if it’s early season and you are making soft, social buck grunts, a plain buck urine or curiosity scent like Trail’s End #307 will help you to seal the deal.
Keep your ears open and listen to them communicate for yourself. There is no doubt, a whitetail is a social animal, and calls are one tool we can use to get closer to them.
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30’ x 40’ x 10’ - Installed Roof Only, Open Gables - $7,500 + tax and delivery Roof only, (2) Closed Gables - $8,900 + tax and delivery Humans actually have a more sophisticated eardrum than a deer. However, deer can collect more sound with their two huge open-ended cones, and with their head stationary, they can still scan their ears 360°. Because of the style of their ears, they are much better at pinpointing and separating sounds. (Photo Credit: Dennis W Donohue)
