I usually carry two separate grunt calls, one from Roger Raglin and a separate one from MAD calls. I also have a lost fawn distress call from MAD calls and I usually have the BIG CAN bleat call with me along with a rattling bag. Years ago I tried carrying either the antlers from a previous buck I had killed or a BIG pair of synthetic antlers (spray painted orange) so as to reduce my chances of getting shot. The full size antlers were just too much to carry as I like to move around and try different spots during a hunt and they were simply awkward to carry. I usually pack an inexpensive and fairly realistic battery operated recording call from Cass Creek which has a buck grunt, snort/wheeze, tending grunt, lost fawn and rattling antler choices at the press of a button along with a volume control.
I have called in bucks that were walking away in the distance with a grunt call and have had some success during the rut with the BIG can estrous doe bleat. I have also tried about every deer scent on the market at one time or another and have had very limited verifiable success with any of them. I have tried Deer Sense smoke sticks, Pete Rickard's various concoctions, Doe Pee, Buck Bomb Spray Can, Tinks 69, Code Blue, Hunter's Specialties and dozens of others. I have actually had the best verifiable luck using Tinks 69. and Buck Bomb. I simply don't spend as much money each season on scents since I retired. I think the buck/doe ratio plays a role in how effective scents are and that applies to rattling and calling also. I went to a seminar once where the speaker liked to use vanilla extract as a curiosity scent. I personally LIKE the smell of it myself and have used a couple of drops on my hat or coat and sometimes put some on a cotton ball or a torn strip of cloth hanging on a branch etc. Does the vanilla really work ? ..... I am NOT really sure, however as I indicated, it amuses me and makes me think I am adding curiosity to the mix. I have never had a time when a buck smelled it, snorted and took off the other way, so I keep using it.
I tend to think 90% of it is playing the wind right, (I always carry a little bottle of wind checker powder with me) and spray down my clothing with one of the 99% sprays. Making yourself as invisible as you can and staying quiet and limiting movement also plays a role. If you are hidden and using a good pair of Binos to hopefully see and identify deer before they see you, your odds improve dramatically. Look for pieces of a deer and not necessarily the whole animal. I was taught to look for horizontal lines (a deer's back line) in an otherwise vertical world (a woods full of trees). Also look for a twitching ear, or slight movement of the head etc. Pay particular attention to a brush pile or deadfall that might reveal a big buck hiding in the branches. Practicing until you are proficient with your bow, or rifle or shotgun, muzzle loader etc. gives you confidence when it is time to make the shot.
Truth be known however, I have killed as many deer over the years still hunting (pussy footing along, stopping, looking, listening) as I have sitting still. I have a real problem with heights, so for the most part I stay out of tree stands. I have no doubt that I could have probably killed more bucks from a tree stand than I have off the ground, but I am afraid I would spend most of my time hanging onto the tree.
The time of year plays a big role and from experience the last two weeks of October and the first couple of weeks of November ( at least in NYS) are probably the best time to use scents and calls. I killed my biggest buck ever on Thanksgiving day a few years ago with a Ruger 77/50 muzzle loader. I also try and pay attention to the various hunting mags as they set their annual "Best Days Of The Rut" articles.
I would be interested in hearing from other hunters what sort of calls, and scents they have used with a degree of success.
Dan
2 comments:
I appreciate your blog. I started hunting last year and came back empty handed. Numerous reasons, loud neighbros for one and really blew my chances. I have been out bow hunting and I missed, mostly because my sights came loose on the first buck (which I had no idea) and the second BIGGER buck the whole unit fell out, which made it obvious why I missed. LOL, but I am not giving up and I am in a stand which is difficult because I do have vertigo and I take every precaution. I have learned so much being out in the woods and do not llok at it like I have come back empty handed. I have seen plenty of big bucks and gotten to know who is who but I can only bow shoot so far. I am sure that I will have a nice buck to show for by this weekend. As long as my neighbors don't blow it for my by walking the property line. What can you do in case like that!? Not much.
I did want to say, I have had luck rattling in bucks but more luck with the Primos can. It really gets their attention. The other thing I found out is that the Buck bomb works best at about 45 degrees on a chilly morning. I do make sure to get rid of any scent. The does are super smart and more careful so I learn to not move at all when they are around. When they are around a buck is usually nearby.
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