In northern Maine and New Hampshire for example, the number of bucks per square mile is very small indeed. But many of those deep woods bucks have never seen a human. Hunting during the rut is the best time to bag one of these giants. Using rattling horns and grunt tubes can create the inquisitive nature of deer to come and see. Finding a doe during the early rut (November 1st to 12th) is actually finding a buck! He is not far from that doe.
This also makes you the hunter, an active participant and aids in preventing boredom!!
You must believe for this plan to work!
I have killed bucks in New Hampshire (up close) with this combination beginning with the grunt or bleat at first light. Be ready! A bit later, I take the shy approach, grunting softly first a few times and waiting say 15 minutes between grunts or bleats. No more than 2 sequences. Less is sometimes more, don’t overdo it!
I use the sounds of younger deer with an occasional bleat. You can use your mouth if you practice. I use the nasal sound “AAINT” thru your nose for younger deer or “AAUNT” to mimic young adult deer. If you want to mimic an adult buck snort practice snoring air inward like you do in bed. I called in a young 4 point buck to bow with a Can bleat call and a 2 1/2 year old buck to my mouth snort. It works! Coyotes can come too!
Nothing happening after 45 minutes or so? Tine ticking is my next move after an hour. It is just touching tine tips against one another for 20 seconds. Put down your calls and get ready! It may pull in a deer right away but if there is a deer that heard it, they know exactly where you are by now! Make the assumption that a deer or buck heard it! What did he hear? I like to use a doe or bleat combo that is feminine first followed later by a young buck sound with the tine ticking.
That bigger buck out there, is saying to himself that some young bucks are harassing his doe.
He is going to come in, if you’ve convinced him!
Now it’s your job to see the buck before he sees you!
If a buck is not smelling you, then he is relying on sight/ movement and sound from a distance. You are looking for any sort of movement, an ear perhaps, and so is the buck.
Deer don’t often stand broadside, offering a silhouette for you to say “deer”. Look for pieces e.g., ears, eyes, antlers, face, or rump. I grew up with seasoned hunters that had their heads on a swivel and move head and neck to change the picture of woods before them.
Here, I offer my hard earned secret!!! ” If you have one, Wear a face mask during this whole sequence!” Because deer can identify a face from a long way off. And so can those little red squirrels that chatter like crazy when they spot you, telling everyone that danger lurks here. You are then Busted!! If you have red or grey squirrels around you, a face mask helps greatly!
Because your face is your most identifiable feature. He is looking!! If you are using scents, I would mist an estrous like scent early in the sequence. If you have a mature buck tarsal scent I would use a drop of that as well. More grunts. Minimize your movements.
I use the tending grunt, where every step of a buck is a grunt as if the buck is right behind that doe! A tending grunt sounds more like a 50 pound duck quacking at every step.
If that does not pull out your big buck from hiding, then try a full crash and rattle sequence like the world is coming to an end! One of mine came in, mad as hell to grunt and soft rattling. I shot him ( a nice 8 pointer) at 20 yards with a muzzleloader. I also pulled in a nice 9 point with just scents to 20 yards. I was in his bedroom. I kept my face hidden behind a tree, like a squirrel not wanting to be seen. As I swung my shotgun he jumped out of his skin and stopped at 40 yards to look back. My slug was on its way.
Good Hunting!
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