Best Attractant Deer Calls For The Perfect Catch
Deer calls are just as effective as deer scents in drawing deer toward your stand since their hearing capabilities rival their olfactory senses. By combining a variety of deer calls with scent lures and decoys, you can greatly improve your chances of spotting some bucks. Don’t forget that there is an expansive selection of both manual and electronic deer calls available on the market!
Biologists have determined that deer communicate through a variety of vocalizations, including dominant, tending, and maternal grunts as well as pre-estrous doe bleats, doe-in-estrus bleats, and fawn bleats. However, unlike humans or other animals with set languages for communication between members of the same species, deer freely express themselves in whichever manner they choose. Thus, in comparison to Wild Turkey, hunters need extensive knowledge of which call to make and when deer hunters merely have to use the ideal call during mating season. This captivates the attention of deer enough that they will approach you. Deer calls can be a powerful tool for any hunter if paired with scents and decoys—making them all the more effective!
The Different Types of Deer Vocalizations
Fortunately, deer have minimal forms of communication amongst each other; limited to certain vocalizations and specific body language. Furthermore, there is no set pattern to their vibrational songs so three grunts may be just as successful a call as seven with varying intervals in between them having possibly little effect on the outcome.
Deer are social creatures and often communicate with one another, so it’s no surprise that they’re curious when we make noise as well. Research shows that deer commonly use six distinct vocalizations to converse, and making sounds similar to these can draw them in for a closer look. Consequently, if you’re looking for an effective way of luring deer close enough to observe or hunt them down, try mimicking their calls!
1. Grunts
Dominate Grunts are vocalizations mature male deer make to express their dominance, either towards a female in estrus or as an opposing gesture to competing bucks. Tending Grunts, on the other hand, occur when following a doe ready for mating; they signify the buck’s strength and sexual readiness.
2. Bleats
Deer make three distinct types of bleats: pre-estrous doe sounds that they use to communicate with each other, estrous doe calls used by does to attract mature bucks during mating season, and fawn distress noises which youngsters employ to summon their mothers if they find themselves in a bind.
3. The Snort/Wheeze
The snort/wheeze is an assertive exhalation of air from a deer’s lungs to signal its readiness for combat. It often occurs before two bucks lock horns and wrestles in order to ascertain dominance over one another.
4. Antler Rattling
During the rut, rival bucks will face off with their heads down and antlers pointed forward before rapidly colliding in a short wrestling match. Only one buck can come out on top of this battle for dominance and that’s what draws both do look to mate with him as well as other bucks hoping to challenge the victor while he is weakened from his recent encounter. The fight may continue until one buck submits or concedes defeat.
Manual Deer Calls
Manual deer calls are usually much more affordable than electronic versions, but can often only produce one sound. However, there is still a variety of manual models to choose from; tube type or can type for vocalizations and either rattling antlers or imitation sounds which recreate the effect.
1. Tube Type Deer Calls
Grunt Tube deer calls are designed to make realistic sounds when the hunter blows air through them; some also have a flexible tube that can help lower the pitch of the sound. A few examples of successful and reliable grunt tube products include Haydel’s DG-87 and Primo’s Uproar Deer Call.
2. Can Type Deer Calls
Can type deer calls use the power of gravity to create sound. By turning a can call upside down and then right side up again, it causes the weighted plunger to ascend upwards before slowly descending while emitting the desired noise. Primo’s Original Can is an excellent choice when looking for such a product!
3. Rattling Antlers
Not classified as a classic deer call, rattling antlers mimic the sound of two bucks fighting and then separating before locking horns once again until one concedes. Deer have an innate inquisitiveness; this noise will coax both does and bucks to investigate right before and during the rut season.
Electronic Deer Calls
Electronic deer calls may appear more expensive than manually operated ones, however, they are worth the cost as you can create a variety of sounds with only one call. Plus, electronic deer calls come with bonus features like sound effects for clashing antlers – which means you don’t need to purchase three or four individual manual devices anymore!
Electronic deer calls
Electronic deer calls make hunting more manageable since they allow hunters to reproduce a variety of different types of vocalizations with ease. Furthermore, the Primos Speak Easy Deer Call and Cass Creek Ergo Electronic Deer Call are two exceptional options when it comes to looking for an electronic call; both are compact, convenient units that can store multiple deer calls in one device!
Best Electronic Deer Call:
Primos Speak Easy Deer Call
How to Use Deer Calls
Deer calls represent an integral element of any successful hunting strategy. When used in combination with deer scents or decoys, they are even more effective at attracting game. Fortunately, you don’t need to learn a specific language as deer do not have one – simply choose the right sounds and be ready! When you are in the field, it’s essential to match your deer call with the current phase of the rut. If not, then this could send vibrations that seem odd and foreign to a deer, causing them to flee instead of approach. To increase your chances of success while hunting, make sure that you use calls specific to each stage!
Grunt Calls
The grunt call is quite possibly the most versatile deer sound available. With it, you can utter a single “contact” grunt that mimics both doe and buck reactions to other nearby critters, or make a softer series of 7-10 grunts like those made by bucks when they are tending to do during mating season. If you want even more excitement then try out your loudest roar – one befitting of an alpha buck at peak rutting time!
To take advantage of the rut, you must be conscious and intentional with your grunt calls. Make sure they are neither too soft nor too loud – this will ensure that a curious buck is attracted without sounding like a challenge. Adjusting the pitch to mimic a younger deer makes it less threatening as well. Two excellent options for tube-type grunters are Primos Hardwood Grunter and Primos Power Buck & Doe Deer Calls, which have been proven to entice bucks during the rut season!
Best Grunt Calls:
Primos Hardwood Grunter
Roar Calls
The roar call is a unique buck call, crafted to emit an audible enticement that summons other bucks from near and far. If there are rival bucks in the vicinity, they will be invited to appear at the source of the noise either to challenge for dominance or protect their breeding area.
You can use these calls before and during the rut, or combine them with snort/wheeze calls and antler rattling to create a more realistic effect. Start off by issuing a long-distance challenge roar call, followed up shortly after by a short-range snort/wheeze call. Finish it all off with simulated fighting sounds from some antler rattling for good measure! Primos Buck Roar Deer Call and LittleBig Roar are two perfect choices for your purpose here.
Best Roar Calls:
Primos Buck Roar Deer Call
Snort/Wheeze Calls
Snort/Wheeze calls are engineered specifically to imitate the sound of a strong buck issuing an antagonistic threat before charging his adversary. To engender maximum efficacy, these types of tubes should be used along with rattling antlers.
To make an effective snort/wheeze call, start by bellowing a forceful auditory challenge to any bucks in the vicinity and follow it up with colliding your antlers together, replicating two bucks battling for control. In this instance, both the Flambeau Grunt-Snort-Wheeze Call and Flextone Buck Rage Plus Deer Call are recommended calls.
Best Snort/Wheeze Calls:
Flambeau Grunt-Snort-Wheeze Call
Rattling Antlers
As the rut season draws near, it is essential to combine your dominate buck grunt call with a rattling call and/or snort/wheeze challenge. Initiate by making a statement of dominance through your tube call then picture two bucks in front of you ready for battle as they tense up their body before clashing antlers together. This technique will create an incredibly realistic sound that will draw deer into view!
Utilize your rattling antlers to recreate the sound of two bucks clashing as they fight for dominance, followed by their heads twisting back and forth as they attempt to overpower one another. Conclude with a sudden disengagement after an intense battle and you’ll have successfully expressed how to use rattling antlers in order to attract deer. For these purposes, Primos Fightin’ Horns or Hunter’s Specialties Heavy Horns Rattle Bag are both reliable options that should be taken into account.
Best Rattling Antlers:
Primos Fightin’ Horns
Bleat Calls
Bleat calls come in two distinct forms: tube-type and can-type. Depending on what you wish to achieve, these various bleats will be used accordingly. Preposterous doe bleats are suitable for hunting year-round whereas doe-in estrus is best targeted during the rutting season, while fawn bleats will attract both does and bucks regardless of the time period. To that end, some popular options include the Primos “The Can” Family Pack as well as Hunter’s Specialty Bleatin a Can Deer Call; either one being an ideal choice when it comes to igniting buck curiosity!
Best Bleat Calls:
Primos “The Can” Family Pack
