Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Grunt calls?

Ive hunted in Alabama for 35 years and have only grunted ONE buck in. I don’t even waste my time anymore. When i lived in Oklahoma it was a totally different story. In places with a determined rut where breeding must occur at a certain time for fawns to make it through the winter months grunting/calling can be very effective. In places where the rut can be long and drawn out because weather is not a direct factor in fawn survival, not so much.

I've grunted up numerous bucks here in Alabama over the years. It flat out works, but I doesn't if they don't hear it. My sequences are 7 to 10 minutes apart.

Hit or miss for me. I will say you need to toot on that thing louder than you think. Most people’s “soft” grunts couldn’t be heard further than 20 yards away.

Sounds about right mid-late dec,theyre usually wide open on us

You’re likely right on the edge of that Dec rut too…….I used to hunt land that’s 5 miles south of y’alls camp that had a late January rut……However, there was always a few strays that would be seen from time to time getting chased around Christmas……There’s some complex dynamics at play in the Alabama deer herd…..I say complex but the concept is actually very simple….its the manner in which the herd is mixed together that gets complex…..I’m pretty sure those Dec does are descendants of native deer that were still in the area at restocking…..If I had to guess I bet y’all have a mixture of Dec does and Jan does with a few possible Nov thrown into the mix…..Its a very interesting area to say the least

Less is more and the louder the better. Don't bellow on that thing like Michael Waddell does on TV, there's a reason most of you have never heard a buck roar and the ones who have heard it have only heard it once or twice. Short grunts increasing in volume (by opening your hand) and get on it. Refrain from grunting in shooting houses or blinds if you can. Most productive times are between daylight and 8 am and late in the evening, but it can and will work at any time of the day. Integrate it with a snort wheeze when the rut is in full swing.

The main reason most folks have never heard many vocalizations or had calling work is due to lack of competition between older bucks.....Let that occur and you can call them in grunting with your mouth.....It really doesnt have to be perfect or a certain sequence, etc

The times it has worked best for me is when the doe was in the greenfield and I could tell she was watching something in the woods. A grunt will oftentimes cause a buck to peek in the field to take a look. Been the death of a few.

Accurate assessment. I attributed those Jan does that were hot as their 2nd time coming into estrous from not getting bred the 1st go around,but I guess it could be a totally different genetic strain of deer causing it.

It could be that but I would bet its more likely to be the Jan strain of does……Think about it like this……Lets compare two situations that both have 100 does……The first situation has 100 Jan does and the second situation has 50 Dec and 50 Jan…….That second scenario just cut the buck to doe ratio way down on that Dec rut in comparison…..With the amount of competition occurring I doubt you have very many not getting bred……If you’re seeing a lot of Jan chasing then its highly likely to be the Jan strain

This could be a thread of its own but I would also argue that the second scenario above ^^^^ is likely better for the health of the buck population than the first……Just about everyone is gonna have two cycles regardless…..In the second scenario you’ve created a situation where less young bucks are likely to breed….especially on that first cycle in Dec