Blind Calling

[markdeerhunter]

Does anyone do any blind calling, i.e. when you don't see any deer? I've tried it but without much success. I bowhunt public land in Maryland and gunhunt in a club with about 1500 acres of all woods. One time I rattled and a deer came out soon after, but quite a distance away. When I tried to grunt call him in he spooked. I would like to here other peoples experiences.Thanks,Mark

[Graybeard]

Every year I do some blind grunting. Never one single time has it resulted in a deer coming to investigate. Yet if I see or even hear but can't see one moving nearby I seem able to get their attention and usually can draw them closer. Now it could just be no deer has ever heard it thus didn't come. But as many times as I've done it in areas that hold deer and where I suspect one should hear none have come in. So I've about stopped doing it.

[Siskiyou]

I am not much of a caller, but I normally have a call with me. In the wild I had a very enlighten moment on a National Forest.  It was raining and I had not seen a deer all day.  I had watched a hillside covered with timber and oakbrush.  I was getting ready to head back to my pickup.  I tried the call and to my surprise does and fawns popped-up all over that hillside.  I could not put horns on any of them.  

I know they react to the fawn in distress called.  One day there was a group of does and fawns behind my place.  A gave a couple of calls from the back door and then backed into the house.  The does and fawns circled the house two or three times looking for the source of the call.  They were almost in a panic.

This time of the year I have had bucks re-act to the grunt call.  It is good for getting their picture.

[KYsquirrelsniper]

I'm an avid caller/rattler, given that certain conditions have been met. I do some blind calling just about every time I hunt, and it has accounted for the deer that's on my home page plus another 140-class buck that's hanging on my wall. It was during the rut both times, both deer responding to aggressive grunting and both deer came in with that PO'd look like they were getting ready to whip someone's @$$.

However, for me to do any type of calling, a few conditions have to be met.

First, if I'm just looking to get a deer, with no regard to sex, size, or maturity, I don't call any at all. Using a grunt call can easily scare off smaller bucks and does, and using doe in estrous bleats can easily scare off non-estrous does. If you're looking for the dominant buck (as I often am) and don't care what other deer you may potentially scare away, then it's time to try calling/rattling.

Secondly, what calls you use depends on the time of year. Obviously if you try aggressive grunting, rattling or estrous bleats during a time when the rut isn't even close to being in, then you'll probably scare away most of the deer in the area except for maybe a curious doe. Make sure you are using a type of call that suits the time of year.

[JPSaxMan]

At what time during the season do you guys start calling? I have a friend who does archery and it usually starts the first week of October and doesn't call because it's too early. When's a good time to call and a time after that to rattle?