Predator Call

As a youngster, I thought that “rattling” was magic, a “cure all”.  If I only knew how to rattle, I would never have to experience another hunt without seeing a buck.  I could go to the woods, knock the “horns” together and all of the old bucks that had avoided me for years would come charging from the thickets.  After rattling for over 40 years, I am convinced that rattling is a truly a magic hunting technique when it works, but certainly no cure all.

While some rattling experts would want you to believe that if you do not perform a certain routine or sequence that your chances of calling a buck are slim to none.  I do not agree for it seems to me that the racket that you make may not be as important as when and where you are trying to call a buck.  My Great Uncle rattled many whitetail bucks by banging a four inch 2×4 block on the wooden stock of his rifle. 

I feel the key ingredient to successful horn rattling is to call where bucks are competitive.  As a rule, the closer the buck to doe ratio, the more competition between bucks for a receptive doe.  It seems to me that I have difficulty rattling a buck if the buck to doe ratio exceeds 1 to 4. 

If your goal is to call a mature buck, rattle in the pre-rut (the week to 10 days prior to the peak of the rut).  When numerous does are cycling as they do when the rut peaks, you can bet that a mature buck will be occupied by a receptive doe.  Rattling a mature buck away from hot doe is almost impossible.

Use the wind and terrain to your advantage.  I prefer to rattle in semi-open areas, if possible.  Older bucks are sometimes hesitant to expose themselves in wide open areas such as grain fields in daylight hours.  An area of with patches of brush or trees will give you visibility while offering a buck the security of cover.

Be aggressive.  I am sure most of you have observed at least footage of two mature bucks fighting.  There is nothing subtle about it…they are genuinely trying to kill each other.  Don’t bang the antlers together as if playing the symbols, hit the horns together and push and twist them against each other to mimic the sound of two bucks locked in combat.  It seems the more aggressively I rattle, the more aggressive a buck will respond.  A buck responding aggressively will make more mistakes by not going to the wind or looking for the source of the sound.

Use a coverscent.  I don’t believe that there is any way to mask 100% of all human odor.  But I do feel that by using the scent of a rutting buck, you can confuse a buck and buy a little time.  My favorite source for this scent is to remove the metatarsal glands from a buck that has been rutting.  Hang them on branches just downwind so that your scent is mixed with the odor of a rutting buck.  The responding buck fully expects to smell another buck or two because he has heard them fighting. 

Care of antlers.  While rattling with synthetic antlers can no doubt be effective, my favorite “horns” were removed from a buck I killed in 1987.  I have rattled literally hundreds of bucks while using this set of “magic” antlers.  I have found a way to preserve my antlers while helping them to retain their natural odor.  Remove the kidney fat from a deer when field dressing, whitetail or mule deer and melt it down in a frying pan until it turns to a clear liquid.  When it cools, it should look like hog lard or shortening.  I store it in tuperware or plastic containers in the freezer or refrigerator.  At the end of the deer season, rub the antlers down, leaving a coating of the fat on the antlers.  Hang the antlers indoors so that they are never in direct sunlight.  When next season rolls around, wipe the excess grease from the antlers and they will be ready to go.

Rattling is not magic and will not call in a Boone and Crockett buck if there is not one in the area.  Rattling can be a very effective and exciting method to help you bag your buck this season. 

See you out of doors,

Gary Roberson

It is no secret that proper deer management can improve antler growth and overall deer health.  Removing excess does is a management practice that is needed across most of the country.  In the Hill Country, I feel that it is a good idea to remove the excess does early in the season while they are in good body condition.  Another reason to remove the does as early as possible is because they consume food that a deer that you want to keep could eat. Shooting does early in the season, especially in South Texas can create a few problems.  The rut in South Texas generally peaks 30 to 45 days later than it does in the Hill Country therefore, the fawns will be considerably younger in the first part of deer season.  I have seen a few situations where killing the doe stunted the fawns, as they were still nursing.  Though it was impossible for me to monitor the fawns on a 5,000 acre ranch, I always felt the fawns that were stressed might not ever reach their potential.

Everyone knows that an old buck can be difficult to find but, I have found that a whitetail doe can disappear as well.  When whitetail does realize that they are being hunted, I have to change tactics to find them.  I have found that deer calls, especially bleat calls are very effective on whitetail does.   

Last Saturday morning I awoke and walked out of the camp house over an hour before daylight.  I heard the rolling of rocks as my presence had evidently spooked some of the deer that feed and water near the camp.  A few seconds later, I heard the unmistakable sound of two bucks fighting.  The clashing of the antlers, rolling of rocks and breaking of brush lasted less than 30 seconds but is a sure sign that the rut is very near.  Fights regularly break out as bucks compete for territories.  The older more dominant bucks prefer to control high traffic areas as their chances of encountering a receptive doe is increased.  Bucks make scrapes, paw the ground and leave their deer scent from periorbital glands on overhanging branches to mark their territories as well.

A few years ago, my good friend Jim Zumbo and I were deer hunting in South Texas.  One evening we got bored and decided to watch a video that was lying around the camphouse.  The video was produced by someone attempting to sell a bleat call that mimicked the sound of a whitetail doe that is in estrus.Through the years, I have had the opportunity to observe whitetails on an almost daily basis and have raised quite a few on a bottle.  The sound that the “hot” doe was making was one that neither Jim and I had ever heard for she was “honking” like a goose.  Since that day, I have not heard a doe make a sound like a goose and it concerns me that someone will do anything to sell a call. 

A rare sound to hear a deer make is a “snort wheeze”.  Last weekend, I had a chance to observe two mature whitetails that were aggressive posturing at each other (trying to bluff the other out of an area).  Most hunters have heard deer snort and grunt but I do not recall observing and listening to two bucks “snort wheeze” as much as these two old boys.  They stomped, walked stiff-legged, snorted and wheezed for over ten minutes.  Finally the four year old yielded turf to the older buck and moved to a friendlier neighborhood. 

If you are ever in the woods and hear something that sounds like a steam engine and there is no rail nearby, get ready for a mature buck may be in your neighborhood.  

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.