During pre rut. Anyone here had any success using a grunt call before the rut is in full swing?

Never had any success with it in Alabama. Ive had it work well in IL, but it's a different ball game up there. Sit quiet, watch as much area as possible, and find the does. Where the does are the bros are. Just my two cents.

Bucks like to hang out and bed in areas where multiple trails meet coming from different directions…….kinda like stripe waiting off the edge of some current waiting for bait fish to pass by. These are good areas to give it a toot.

Don't waste your breath in Alabama.

Had great success in the Midwest. I’ve had very little response from anything in AL. Most of the time deer never even look up at the sound of a grunt here, much less come to it. The ONLY place in AL I’ve had any type of calling work was at Oak Mountain SP. I’ve called in several bucks rattling/grunting there but all were 1 year old spikes.

The only deer I've had actually come to a grunt was the 8 pt I killed at Oak Mountain. It was going the opposite direction and I was desperate. Glad I tried it.

Pre rut NO. I have used a can call and grunt with some success during the rut here. At least 7 bucks that I can remember over the years. Most of AL is so thick that you may very well get bucks to come in down wind and never see them or know they are there.

Never had any luck pre rut but I have turned some shooters around with one during the rut. One was one of my most exciting hunts I have ever had. Heard him grunting right at daylitght. He was about 200 yards behind me in a select cut but was about to cross into cover. I grunted a few times and stopped him but he wasn't interested. I hit him with a tending grunt and he came in on a rope. I watched him hook limbs and tend a scrape on the trail to me. He walked out at 60 yards and I blew the shot (knicked a vine between us) . He was a 5 year old 130 plus inch 8 point that I had been after since the year before. Found white hair and blood but never had the deer on camera again. Another time I was blind grunting (sporadically) on a hillside. I caught the attention of an 11 point and he charged straight through the brush bowed up and ready to fight. I connected on that one. I think it is all about the mood of the buck at the time. In my opinion, it can't hurt to try it. I wouldn't have had a shot at either of those two without a grunt call. My advice, don't overdo it and keep it soft unless you have to get loud to turn him.

Just curious, have you hunted north Jackson county? I’ve had some luck there but I’ve learned to grunt once and let it be

Grunt call is so 90s. You gotta get you a lickin branch

Once. Got a nice 7pt doing it.

I do it as a last resort. Basically only if I won’t get a shot either way. Figure it won’t hurt to try atleast try in those instances.

I have not.

Mine didn’t work so I played it like a kazoo and a 5 pointer came charging me and I shot it

I only use it when I see one that isn't on a path to offer a shot . And, yes they will work as will rattling. I've killed nice bucks using both.

Killed 2 gooduns out of 3 that came to a can call. They were coyotes though.

This. I’ve called just a few in blind calling, but have turned several back close enough for a shot that definitely would have gotten away otherwise. I’ve had the best success with either the most dominant buck in the area or very young ones. I’ve not seen much response out of 2 to 4 yr olds.

Me and my daughter whent up there in choccolocco on the Youth hunt( Momma hd to work) when she was 9 and killed a broke up 5 pointer after she blew that grunt 20 or 30 times at least.... She said daddy, Im gonna blow it at that squirrel....I said Hell go ahead.... ..bout that time that ol squirrel jumped up on a tree and I heard foot steps coming around the side of that mountain.....Kshish...kshis kishshsh.....BOOM...... She got him too....I got water in my eyes hang on....Her first kill... Shame we had to lie to the man when we checked out... My tip is...if they are rutting blow on that joker every now and then at least if their mind is right they coming...maybe it will work...Did for us...She was supposed to be 10 yrs old but her Bday was in March....But thats ok cause I met a feller up there named Randy Lyles....He took care of us and made it so special for us and I thank him for it....sure do...

It may work more than we know. I don’t know this for sure but heard some say that bucks will circle and wind check before coming in to investigate what’s there. If this is true I’d just take my chances without using one. Dang sure don’t need that kinda help getting busted.

Don't

I was sitting on a power line in Randolph co. one morning looking straight downhill 300yds and straight up hill in front of me 500 yds or so....I heard a chase and grunting thru the pines on the mountain to my right and all I could only see was legs, and bits and pieces of their bodies, running and chasing around the side of that thick hill, well...the third time they came by they kept on going and I never did get to see what they was before they got gone... 2 or 3 min had went by and I heard a single deer walking up there on that same trail in behind where those deer had been chasing earlier, I had to do something because he wasnt gonna come down that hill and into the power line on his own, so, I grunted at him several times but he kept on walking along the side of the hill away from me, I was desperate to get him to stop and turn and walk out to the powerline, so I grabbed the can and flipped it over 1 time and that joker stopped... I thought, dang... he heard that... so, I turned it over again and bingo...here he comes...( Kchish Kchish Kchish) he started walking down the mountain and was heading right straight to the power line I was on so he could see what had made that noise... about the time he (a 14 inch wide 7 pointer) stepped out he was around a 100 yds or so straight across from me and BOOOM!!!....missed him... sure as the world, but, he still stood there looking around trying to figure out what happened. Well...he shouldn't have done that, cause it gave me enough time to get another shot off after I composed myself...Lol...I put that 7 mag on him again and BOOM!!!.. it was all over but the crying... I had my Buck... .....One thumbs up for the can on that hunt....