There's still-hunting and stand-hunting, spot-and-stalk hunting and deer drives, each of which usually comes with some type of regional bias attached. One method, however, is universal to all deer hunting irrespective of the species: calling. That's right - calling deer to your location. And as you might have guessed, there's an entire cottage industry to support the grunting and antler rattling required for the tactic.

Using sounds to bring bucks to you, rather than you going to find the bucks, is a technique that's been quietly in use for decades, but its popularity with hunters has only recently come to the forefront with outdoor media and manufacturing companies. Seemingly forever, elk hunters have played off the rut-crazed bugle of a bull, suckering herd bulls in to protect their charges from some young upstart that dared to cut into his harem. When the old bulls got smart and stopped reacting so quickly to bugles, hunters learned to recreate the sounds of a cow, knowing that resisting a wandering female would be more than a hormone-enraged bull could handle.

It stands to reason that deer, being in the same ungulate family as elk, would not only rush in to fight off potential challengers but also vocalize their intentions. A lot of quality bucks have been fatally surprised when they showed up looking to drive another buck away from an area and encountered a hunter there instead. Such are the secrets handed down from father to son for years but rarely before spoken of publicly.

And yet it's so simple. All that this method requires is learning how to mimic a buck's rut-induced grunt and how to scrape and rub and knock together a couple of old deer antlers in a way we call rattling. Some hunters have turned rattling into an art form complete with crashing the antlers into nearby brush and trees to add realism to the sounds of the struggle that brings bucks running. If you're short of those talents or materials, there are plenty of manmade versions - with instructions - to help you in these endeavors.

There are other sounds deer make that you can use to bring a buck within shooting range. One is the soft bleating of a doe which can bring other deer coming toward the hunter. The other is the plaintive sound of a fawn. What's different about these sounds is that a buck challenging another buck does not make them.

RATTLING & GRUNTING

Natural or artificial antlers will make the sound of a pair of bucks squaring off in a knock-down, drag-out fight. Keep in mind that such fighting is usually induced by the presence of does. Just like schoolyard kids, bucks will come running to watch other bucks fight, with the difference being that the winner here gets all the girls. More than likely, bucks are attracted to other bucks fighting because they sense a threat to their own home turf; they come looking to enter the fray themselves.

Rattling is fairly specific to the rut. Bucks spend little energy fighting the rest of the year, aside from when younger bucks spar and joust with each other while in bachelor groups during summer. Typically, the sound of horns rattling wouldn't raise an eyebrow on a big buck until raging hormones and a swollen neck dictate his activities late in the fall.

There are probably as many ways to use rattling horns as there are hunters in the woods. The sounds you want to mimic, of course, are those of buck deer in battle. Not only would the two bucks make "rattling" sounds as their antlers clash, but there would be sounds of hard antler slipping and sliding against hard antler as well. Sometimes you'll only want to rattle the tips together; at other times you'll want to pound the antlers to the bases of their deepest forks.

Perhaps the best way to learn how to rattle is to be in the field when rutting bucks are actually fighting. Various manufacturers have video and cassette tapes that can help you learn these methods as well.

Grunting, on the other hand, works over a broad period of time, because all deer are vocal, and their effectiveness increases with the shortening of daylight hours. A buck hearing the vocalizations of another is likely to investigate to find the stranger. You'll find that grunting can also be incorporated to help settle jittery deer or to get a buck to lift its head at just the right moment.

Few hunters can actually reproduce an appropriate buck grunt with their vocal cords alone, but several manufactures now produce grunt "tubes" that make extremely realistic impressions.

The key to using any of these calls is by blowing easily through the air chamber. Blow too hard and the reed either vibrates too fast, thus making a higher pitch than you need to influence a mature buck, or it will stick in one place and prevent any sound from coming out of the call. Lightly and evenly exhale through the tube to produce a low-pitched, throaty tone: That's the sound you want.

A buck in full rut may grunt repeatedly as it runs to investigate the rattled antlers of two bucks fighting or in response to another buck's nearby grunting. You can almost pace this sound by imagining yourself running and grunting lightly each time your foot hits the ground. That's an extremely aggressive call, however, and should only be used when circumstances warrant.

And finally, try grunting and rattling simultaneously. Easy does it, however, as neither is typically a prolonged affair.

TWO MORE DEER SOUNDS

Fawn calling doesn't necessarily "attract" bucks at all, but it can be used put a big buck in your sights. How? Bucks don't care much about fawns, but does do. The maternal instinct is strong in ungulates such as deer, and the sound of a lost or injured fawn acts in a deep, primal way to get the attention of a doe. If they hear a fawn, does will often come to the sound even if it's not their own fawn.

What's interesting is that fawn bleats work as well in the fall, when fawns are nearly mature, as in the spring, when young of the year are small and helpless.

Calling a doe with the sounds of a distressed fawn will work just fine if you are hunting in an either-sex hunt or are deliberately targeting does, but that's not the point here. The technique works to bring bucks within shooting range, too. Timing certainly has a lot to do with it, but as bucks prepare to enter the rut, it's only natural for them to keep close tabs on their harem of does. And with the rut just about to begin, a buck that sees does on the move is likely to follow. It's a bit like Saturday afternoon at the local shopping mall: Locate the crowds of pretty girls, and the boys won't be far behind.

"The fawn bleat plays on the maternal instincts of the doe. They come in to check out the sound. "In the fall, there are certain times you use the doe bleat, and there are certain times when the grunt call will work better."

The fawn bleat also makes a good predator call during the spring when the fawns are small and represent an easy-to-catch meal for coyotes and other predators.

WHEN TO CALL

The buck grunt call works best when there is aggression beginning to develop among pre-rut bucks. However, the fawn bleat and soft-pitched doe grunt calls can work any time, and work better as the end of the season approaches, when the rut is beginning. The calling technique for deer using these calls is not all that different than to hunt coyotes or bobcats.

"With the fawn bleat it is hard to say how far you can call the does. "The fawn bleat brings the does and the does bring the bucks. You set up much as you would for predator calling. You want to be in an area in which you have a good field of view, but don't get right on top of a ridge or hill. You don't want to skyline yourself. It's a dead giveaway."

CALLING TIPS

An experienced turkey and varmint hunter actually looks for the same type of calling site for deer hunting as he does for varmints. He looks for good hiding areas about three-quarters of the way up a hillside that overlooks an area he suspects holds deer.

"Just like with coyote hunting, you want to camo yourself by taking a calling position where you have a solid background behind you that hides you. "Get up against a tree or a bush."

Even in an area you know holds deer, you can't be exactly sure where the deer are. They may be where they could see the movements of a hunter using the call, so a careful choice of background cover is as essential for deer calling as it is for sharp-eyed predators. Being able to set up in a shady spot also helps, as shadows help mask movement.

If there are deer in range of the call, you'll probably pick up movement right away. The deer react to the call even if they don't start coming your way; they may put their heads up to look, and that is easy to spot.

For the rifle hunter, you don't necessarily have to call the deer to you for this type of calling to work: The buck that reacts to the sound by moving enough to give away his position is nearly as good as the buck that trails a doe right to the call.

Bedded deer will first look in the direction of the call, and then they usually get to their feet. I think it's (the sounds of a fawn or doe) attracts bucks at times even though there is no doe with them. With the fawn bleat, we have called in bucks that were by themselves. We haven't gotten really big bucks to come in that way, but younger bucks will. I don't know why they respond to it the way they do. They may relate more to the call because they are younger, or perhaps younger bucks are just more curious or less cautious.

Finding calls that imitate does and fawns is not difficult. Almost all call manufacturers include them in their inventories. Some manufacturers even make adjustable grunt-bleat calls that work in all situations.

Deer Communications & Calls

Whitetail deer communicate not only with scent but they also communicate with various vocalizations. We as hunters have heard many of these sounds ourselves. But the key to helping you use these sounds as tools is to know what sound, how much and when to use these sounds to help you in your quest for that trophy Whitetail.

During the off season you need to work on imitating some of these and by the fall hunting season you will be a master. Read the description and click on the sound button to hear an example of the call. After listening to the call click you back button to return to the list.

Non Aggressive Deer Calls

Contact Calls: This sound is a doe's way of locating other deer of her family group . This call can be used all year long.

Doe Grunt: Grunts are a doe's way of saying come here , also to call her fawns at feeding time . It is critical to keep the call soft as a loud grunt is too aggressive of a call.

Buck Grunt: A buck grunt is a deeper pitch than a doe grunt , it means the same thing . The older the buck the deeper the tone.

Tending Grunt: As the buck chases the doe as the rut approaches he is frustrated, and makes a series of soft grunts while trailing her. It's the bucks way of asking her to stop so he can be breed with her.

Buck Bawl: This sound's a lot like a calf bawl , but it is a series of buck bleats. This signals the bucks desire for company.

Sparring: This is a non aggressive and social behaviour that all bucks do after shedding their velvet . This is when the bucks learn who can whip the other . This process does not prevent serious fights later on during the rut.

Rage Grunts: This is the sound that a buck makes during the courtship when the doe stops running , but won't let the buck breed her. It's a non aggressive and frustration call by him.

Estrus Bleat: This is the sound that a Doe makes to signal that her breeding time is near.

Breeding Bellow: This is the sound that a Doe makes to signal that she ready to breed RIGHT NOW.

Aggressive Deer Calls

Sniff: Deer make this sound to intimidate other deer and prevent fights. This call is often made by a rut- crazed buck when confronted with a rival. This sound can send smaller buck running from the area.

Wheeze: Another rut crazed Bucks sound to intimidate other deer and prevent fights when confronted with a rival. This sound can also send smaller buck running from the area.

Rattling
Aggressive Rattling: This is a short aggressive rattling sequence to possibly lure in less aggressive, but curious buck, as well as the local dominant whitetail buck of the area. To make this sound like a real fight sniffs, wheezes and grunts have also been thrown in for added effect.