Predator Call

Last year, I attempted to help organize a Texas Trophy Hunter/Burnham Brothers deer hunt for some kids from San Antonio.  I wanted to give a few youngsters the opportunity to deer hunt who would otherwise not have the chance to do so.  We got a late start and were not able to get the hunt organized. I got in touch with Joe Betar, President of the Texas Trophy Hunters Association in San Antonio to help find the kids that were genuinely interested in hunting and killing a deer.  His first plan was to bring some kids from a church youth group.  When he was unable to recruit as many youth as we wanted, he made a call to Leon McNeil, City Kids Adventures.  He asked Leon if he had any children that wanted to go on a deer hunt and Leon assured him that he did. 

The group was gathered last Friday afternoon and they drove to the Whispering Waters Ranch south of Menard.  The group stayed at the ranch and we hunted there and another ranch owned by E. T. Barrett.  There were a total of 6 kids, one from the church and five from Leon’s City Kids Adventures.  I have helped with many youth hunts over the years but these kids were the best behaved, courteous and grateful of any I have ever had the opportunity to hunt with.

I feel that the kids behavior can be directly attributed to the leadership and discipline of Leon McNeil.  It is Leon’s belief that you should not give anything to the kids, they should have to earn it.  This “earning” of the hunt instills a work ethic that is missing in so many people today.  So many folks want something for nothing and expect the Government to take care of them.

There were four boys and two girls and all of the children killed at least one deer.  They did not ask for someone to field dress their deer rather a little direction so that they could learn for themselves.  These children were most coach-able and were there to learn.

I felt that this was a great target audience as they will go back and relate stories to folks that most of us will never have the opportunity to reach.  Before the hunt, I was praying that we would have a safe hunt and that the participants would somehow receive a blessing.  When the hunt was over, I realized that I was the one who was blessed.  If you have the opportunity to reward a youngster with a hunt or fishing trip, please do so.  We can’t always take…there should be a time for giving back. 

I was in New Mexico from October 30th to November 6th.  There was very little rutting activity in my home County of Menard when I left but things had definitely changed in my absense.  Last Sunday morning, I observed two mature bucks  chasing does as I traveled to Terrell County.  I visited with several Menard County hunters on Saturday that also reported seeing mature bucks chasing does.  I do not think that we are at the peak of the rut as I feel that will occur with the full moon which is on November 13th.  It seems that the bright nights aid in deer movement and help put the rut in full swing. 

The rut and pre-rut are may favorite times to use deer calls.  The increased activity of the rut makes the otherwise timid mature bucks more aggressive and more receptive to calling. 

Just returned from a deer hunt with two of my sons and some great friends.  After nearly fifty years of hunting, I am finding it more difficult to “pull the trigger” on a buck.  I have been blessed to have the opportunity to hunt more days in one year than many hunters get to hunt in a lifetime.  I have become very “picky” about the bucks I shoot, the first characteristic that they must possess is maturity.  If they are not mature, I will not shoot no matter what they have on their heads.

Another factor came into play last Wednesday morning that caused me to hold my fire.  I walked up on a really large antlered, mature buck and had him standing broadside at 70 yards, so close I could almost smell the deer scent.  The old fellow did not know I was there, giving me ample time to study his body confirmation and antlers.  Sitting flat on my butt and resting on my knees, the crosshairs settled onto the pocket behind his front shoulder.  I had the buck “dead to rights” all I needed to do was bump the safety forward and squeeze the trigger. 

It was then that a strange feeling came over me.  I started thinking about the mile long hike across the canyon and my two sons who were hunting within a couple of miles.  Would it be possible to turn down the shot, go get the boys and return to find the buck?  I let the old boy walk. 

I did return to the area with my boys in tow.  As luck would have it, the buck had dropped into a deep canyon and disappeared.  We did not find him again that day and since it was the last day of the hunt, I pray that he survives the predators so that we can hunt again next year. 

Well, Gary has gone mule deer hunting.  The weather has been too warm but they have seen some deer.  They are still looking for the big one.  He was loaded down with hunting supplies:  guns, ammo, game calls, etc., and of course just a little something to call a coyote.  He will be back next week.

In the ’90s, calling deer became very popular.  Grunt calls, bleat calls and rattling articles could be found in most outdoor publications.  While Burnham Brothers may not have been the first folks to call deer with calls, there is little doubt that they are the ones who popularized it. 

I have a copy of an OUTDOOR LIFE magazine article written by Byron Dalrymple in 1957 featuring Winston and Murry Burnham.  They were hunting mule deer in Colorado and in those days, the bag limit was three bucks per license.  They were making a bleating sound on predator calls to attract deer and it was really working.  The Burnhams limited out on mature bucks and all of them were called into close range.

Since those days, Burnham Brothers has made a deer call that is very effective for calling deer of several species.  While I have called many whitetail does and a few whitetail bucks with this call, I feel that this bleat call is most effective on mule deer.  It seems that muley bucks respond equally as well as does.

I feel the reason the bleat calls are so effective on mule deer is that they vocalize more than the whitetails that are so numerous around Menard.  I did not realize how much they communicated until I was sitting at a windmill in Brewster County many years ago.  A herd of approximately 20 muleys, small bucks, does and fawns were coming to the mill to water in a trough that was in the middle of a water lot.  In other words, there was a fence around the water which made it easier to trap or hold livestock at the water.  As the deer neared the enclosure, they became more nervous and began to bleat back and forth.  They continued to communicate until they had watered and escaped the net wire enclosure.  If this had been whitetails, one, they would not have been running in such a large group and two, they would not have vocalized nearly so much.

If you want to greatly improve your chances of finding a mule deer this hunting season, I suggest that you use a deer call.  A friend of mine told me, ”If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying”.  While using bleat calls is legal in all states, it works so well that it makes me feel like I am cheating.  

Deer, like many animals, communicate in a complicated manner, using a series of scents as well as vocal sounds. As a hunter, you can use both these elements to help in your success, but we’ll examine the latter here.

Before you purchase a tool to replicate deer calls, make sure you know what type of call you’re using and what that says to your prospective catch.

-Snort: The buck snort will most likely lure a male. Also, it is an aggressive call, so should the buck materialize, it will be ready to fight.

-Horn Rattle: Like the snort, this generally attracts a buck. In general, it will lure a buck that is not overtly aggressive.

-Grunt: Grunts can attract either male or female, but the male call is typically a deeper pitch. Grunts can be associated with mating, although they are not exclusively used in that way. They can also be a way for the doe to signal feeding time to the family.

With all replicated deer calls, listen to recordings of the actual calls whenever possible. This will give you a good idea how accurate your calls actually are.

My favorite method of hunting a mature whitetail buck is by rattling two deer antlers together.  When I do this, I am trying to mimic the sound that two bucks that are fighting would make.  If a mature buck hears this battle, he will go to the ruckus in an attempt to take the doe away from the combatants or drive them from his territory.

I use antlers from bucks that I have killed or shed antlers that I have found.  Synthetic antlers can be very effective as well.  I have found that a deer call known as a grunt call is very effective for luring bucks even closer to the hunter. 

My favorite time to rattle a mature buck is the week to ten days in advance of the rut.  It is at this time when the bucks are searching for receptive does and have the most vigor.  It seems that it is more difficult to rattle a mature buck during the peak of the rut for most will be with a doe.  It is almost impossible to rattle a buck away from a receptive doe. 

The closer the buck to doe ratio, the greater your chance of rattling a buck as they must compete for breeding rights.  On two different occasions, I have rattled eight bucks to one stand.

It seems every time I turn on one of the hunting shows, there is some poor hunter sitting in a blind or on a tree stand waiting for a deer to walk by.  It is time to get aggressive, quit sitting around and go after ‘em.  Get out your deer calls and rattling horns and make something happen!  Not only is this a much more exciting hunting method, you will get a lot more exercise.