Over the years I have used both grunt calls and rattled during archery seasons...I learned 40 years ago how to grunt with my mouth, by watchin' bucks chasin' does and mimicking the sounds they made. For me, in order to successfully call in deer, they have to be undisturbed, they have to be susceptible/be in the mood, the time has to be right and they must already be active. Altho I have called in/rattled in deer that were randomly walking, moving away or ones that were a little uneasy about coming my way, I have never brought one back that had been spooked by me or something else. Not right away anyway. I have never called/rattled a buck away from a hot doe......but I have called in hot does that brought the buck with them. Altho curiousity plays a small part, most deer I've called/rattled in were deer susceptible because they were already on the prowl, either lookin' for does or marking/defending their territory. This goes along with the timing thingy. Altho the "rut" is what everyone talks about, it's really the "pre-rut" when the bucks are the most vulnerable. Before the does are ready, is when the bucks get stupid. They're horny, lonely and lookin' for a fight. 'ell, I've had bucks in the pre-rut come in to the sound of my climbing treestand, thinkin' it was another buck tearin' up a tree in his territory. I've tapped aluminum arrows together lightly and had bucks run across the swamp in anger looking' for me. But.....once the does kick their fawns away and get friendly, the bucks have their noses so tight to the does butt, they can't see or hear anything......much less are they gonna leave a sure thing. I start rattling right before the bucks start establishing their scrape lines and will continue thru the season. I tend to grunt on sighted deer or later on when the rut gets closer. Once the rut is on I concentrate solely on the does.....by then any buck without one isn't worth the time. I don't rattle or call during the gun season, one for safety and secondly where I gun hunt, by the time shooting light comes, every deer in the woods knows what's going on and any noise will only spook them even worse. I've found that small bucks tend to come in more than big bucks, but I assume it's cause there's more of them , they're more likely to be active during the daylight hours when it's legal to hunt...plus they're just easier to fool. Big bucks aren't active during the daylight hours very much, especially during hunting season. Getting close enough to a bedded deer for them to hear you rattle or call without alerting them is tough.....that's why it helps when they're active and moving. Ironically, I've found that mid-day can be a good time.....as the last coupla bow bucks I got were between 11:00 and 1:00 pm. I have also found that when you're by yourself and rattlin' horns, you don't have time to dawdle.....you make your series of rattles and then you hang the horns up and get ready. Most bucks that I have rattled in that weren't seen first, came in so fast I barely had time to get my bow.
On public land I start early and try to be more subtle. The deer on public land learn quickly and are exposed to more of it. Here I find less is more. Once scrape lines are established I tend to keep quiet unless I hear another buck (not another hunter)grunting or thrashin' trees. Or if I see that the deer is moving away and the only hope I have is to turn them.......
