Calling Deer! mouth calls

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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Alright so Downunder has been recently exposed to Flexmark deer calls, ive got one to see what the fuss is about !

totally new for us on the Sambar! normally the deer make a big Honk an take off, people are using these mouth calls to expose the vulnerable protectiveness of the Hinds and have had luck after hearing a deer moving around near by or spooking somewhat and calling it back via curiosity!

not so much the stags at this point....


What can you tell me about Calling in deer? i see it might be something that ya do for Island deer? the lil blacktails i think? or perhaps you have called Sambar?


down here its being flaunt as a 'fawn call' ?

sorta similiar to a elk cow call....

im not even sure how to sue the thing LOL but i have got it peepin an squeekin an stuff..... i guess it is all trial an error!!!

lets discuss calling, an any vids to help express technique would be awesome
 
The following are my experiences with NA whitetails WRT calls

I have buck calls, doe calls and fawn calls.

I consider the fawn call a 'curiosity' call. It could bring in either ###, or even a coyote. The buck call might bring in a doe in heat, but mostly I expect it to bring rutting bucks looking for a fight. Doe calls can bring in either ###, but I have seen deer totally ignore them on many occasions too.

Using a buck call when a doe is in sight is almost guaranteed to get them to snap their heads up, and act nervous, they may go back to feeding or they may walk away.

I have used the doe call to repeatedly call back the same animal on several occasions. Having a doe in front of you is having a live decoy, so I try to keep one there. I've used both can calls and mouth calls to do this. If using the can call I generally muffle it somewhat, and only tip the can part way so it's short if they are nearby. I don't want them figuring me out. Using a call too frequently will generally just cause them to silently leave.

The buck call, that can be the deal breaker. They work awesome when they work.
They often cause does to move away from you, not always, but frequently. Bucks may or may not respond.

Crossbow hunting lets you visibly see animals you can't shoot. So I have watched buck's reactions to calls. Bigger bucks IMO tend to come in with the buck call, smaller ones may, or may not. Nothing is guaranteed in deer hunting.
Ten years or so back I had a really big buck snap his head up and come right in. He stayed in cover so I still didn't get him. Last year I watched a big buck sniffing tracks at end of legal light. He totally ignored both buck and doe calls. Maybe he was just preoccupied?

In the end, it's just another tool in your box. Using it can make or break your hunt.
I have always been one that avoids movement, so I use calls primarily in a blind or tree stand.
 
When still hunting for whitetail, I will slowly walk along and frequently call using a buck grunt and then occasionally do a doe bleat. (Two separate calls).
This works well on calm days when deer hear your footsteps and would normally spook. Also, works best during the rut.
Another tactic I use is a cow elk call. Elk are big noisy animals. The wind has to be favorable but it is often possible to walk up to moose, deer and elk using this tactic. It is not dependent on the rut. You are simply trying to sound like and elk and so are not threatening to other animals.
I have no idea what a Sambar sounds like, but I hope this helps.
Like John Y Cannuck stated, it's just another tool in your box.
 
Calling has only worked a handful of times for myself once a whitetail hears the call it generally know exactly where the call came from and ither winds me or ignores me but i have had luck only using a doe bleat followed by 2 soft buck grunts during the rut.
 
I drew in a very nice buck to fill my tag in 2019. It was a simple bleat can call that I did 2-3 times every 15 min or so. First time it's ever worked for me.
 
Just like a good Elk caller studies the language of the Elk if calling sambar is something you want to do you need to learn what sounds they make and why they make them and use that to your advantage. Try to find sound clips of actual sambar or spend time in the bush listening and learning. Develop the skills to replicate the sounds and understand the reactions they have when hearing those sounds. Different times of year might produce different results. Learn to speak the language and exploit their " weakness" based on their language.
I am mostly and Elk and coyote hunter both species rely heavily on knowing and understanding their language and using their sounds to draw them in for a shot. I have no experience with aussi deer, but have called in many WT does using a fawn distress and many bucks using both grunts, bleats, and rattling...study your intended game practice your calling skills and develop your craft learning something every time you head out in pursuit to fill your tag.
 
Only ever had White Tail Deer respond to calls.

Had one buck come right in after I blew on the call like it was a party horn at New years. Can't really say if he was curious or coming to kick someones arse...

Have had several does that I called back out from cover, one repeatedly, just by vocalising without a call. As low and quiet a call sort of like a sheep bleat, but slower and lower. Very similar to the sound they make amongst themselves to communicate.

Do the Hinds spar with their antlers? Rattling worked for me for a couple bucks. Not beating the antlers together like a car crash, but more like tapping them together. Think like a couple teenagers walking down the sidewalk poking at each other with their elbows, play sparring. I called one buck back to my position six or seven times after watching him trying to find the other deer, and then giving up. It was an eye opener!

I would double down on the advice to be listening to the noises they make, and trying to duplicate them.

A friend used to go to a local (to him at the time) Wild Animal Zoo, and practice his Elk Calling. Found out later that the keepers were baffled, as the elk had been getting along famously, then started just kicking the living hells out of each other... :)
 
Killed two wt bucks on two separate occasions/years that went by my stand so fast chasing a hot doe I didn't have time to get the safety off.I had a doe bleat in a can from Primos and made 30 seconds worth of calls and was run over practically by the doe returning to see what I was with the buck close behind.Took the heart out of the last one with a 130gr /.270 win coming head on at 50ft.If the mood is right they work.The previous years buck came back after chasing a doe for a 1/4 section then when she would have nothing to do with him responded to the call and got a 286gr/ 9.3x62 for his trouble.
https://www.primos.com/dw/image/v2/...The_Original_Can-new.jpg?sw=800&sh=800&sm=fit
 
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the fawn in distress or whatever you would call the noise this thing makes is going to be a game changer for the vast majority of hunters in Victoria, australia , due to the fires over the past few decades, the bush in places is crazy thick, so alot of spook an shoot if lucky, or mostly spook-ed.. This enables the hunters to stalk along still hunting as typical method used, glassing ahead, across the gulley and basically face to face hunting..when the hunter hears some noise or one spook mildly, not scented, they may be able to holt the deers great escape peaked by its 'nature' , the vulnerability of the matriarch hinds instinct to protect the young, by often putting itself in harms way-

im not going to say too much about it too soon, ill use it for 12 months and see if the youtube videos keep popping up now that winter is on the way, an covid in the clouds more people will be out an about, no doubt whistle in hand :)
 
Speaking specifically about mule deer, and predominantly blacktail and sitka subspecies..... I have had them respond well to calls.
I have one I have used for over 20 years which is a simple reed call consisting of a wooden bowl with a reed inserted and the call has a plastic tube about 4 inches long that is removeable.
With the tube removed forceful short blow will produce a higher squeak noise similar to a fawn bleat.
with the tube removed short soft rapid blows produce a doe bleat
with the tube installed and the hand cupped over the end and short medium strength blows, regulated with the cupped hand, produce buck grunts.

I use the calls when I know I am in deer territory and I want to mask my movements. I will use the doe bleats , softly as I move to my hide to mimic a doe urging her fawn to keep up.
Otherwise I don't often use the calls unless I know an animal is close and it has hung up from sensing something is off. I;ll use it to calm down approaching does or to pull in a curious but wary buck.
A very loud fawn bleat or even just a really loud whistle has stopped several bucks that were just about to hit flight mode and they stop dead in thier tracks .

All that said, calls don't make up a huge part of my hunting style for mulies but they do have thier place. I prefer hunting them ambush style from a hide or stand over fresh feeding sign, buck territory markings or travel routes with fresh sign.

edit to add: The coastal first nations peoples and notably the Haida , made simple bleat calls with blades of beach grass held between the thumbs of both hands. Many of us probably made similar squeaking "calls" with blades of grass as kids. Well this was the traditional call of the haida hunters.
When thick wide elastic bands became common in society , like the blue ones often found of broccoli bundles at the grocery store, calls were made with short pieces of stick, split down the middle and the rubber band placed end to end over one piece of the split stick. Then the two halves of the stick were fastened together by binding the ends. Blowing thru this device creates the perfect fawn bleat. Blowing softly for calling mom when she's close and blow sharply for fawn in distress.
I have one, made by a Haida hunter who used to be a member here. It is a cherished gift and goes with me on every hunt as it can also be useful for drawing in coyote, wolf and bear.
I'll find a picture of it and add it to my post.
 
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hey this thing is a good fox stopper! in the headlights ive got two this week an been able to pull the trigger on them as they paused at the blow of the whistle :)

i am smiliarly expecting to lure in the odd dog with the distress call method 45acp talking of! keen!
 
nowarningshot said:
Somewhere I have some plastic calls like a couple of credit cards joined with a elastic. Made a great.bleat and would stop a buck just long enough. Never considered actual calling, but then I'm not whitetail hunting from tree stands.
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This?
 
hey i seen our Bro Steve Rinella usin one of them in Alaska!

makes a high pitches weird noise yeh? is that a distress fawn call?? an is how he blows it, how ya blow em?

vvvfffiiiiiissssssszzzzzzwww sorta blow?


with my flexmark one, ive been lately just meep meep-ing it rather than swinging off it like a extended squeel? im yet to really try pull one in with distress, rather get one just curious at the moment without getin noticed either
 
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