The biggest buck I\u2019ve ever had the opportunity to kill strolled right into range after a simple sequence on my grunt tube. I hadn\u2019t seen the buck, but tried blind calling during a break in the 20 mph gusts ripping through the Midwestern timber. One of the many things I learned from that hunt<\/a> is that I\u2019d been wasting a lot of time by packing my grunt tube but never actually using it until that hunt. That encounter gave me the confidence to grunt in and shoot two nice bucks in Missouri in the following two years, and I managed to call in a half a dozen other bucks \u2014 both out-of-range shooters and younger bucks alike \u2014 along the way. And I did it by following the tips below, and breaking some of those rules, too.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong>The Best Deer Calls of 2024<\/a><\/p>\n While there are plenty of ways to call deer, in this story we\u2019re primarily going to cover when and how to use a grunt call for bucks. That\u2019s why we pulled together advice from some of our best whitetail contributors over the years, plus fresh tips from other diehard deer hunters. Learning how to use a grunt tube effectively isn\u2019t difficult as long as you keep in mind that it\u2019s like any other tool or tactic in the whitetail woods. Deploying a grunt tube might not work, and it can actually screw you up when it would\u2019ve been best to keep your mouth shut. But occasionally, it will help you grunt in and shoot a nice buck you\u2019d never have seen otherwise. Here\u2019s how to do it. \u2014Natalie Krebs<\/em><\/p>\n By Charlie Alsheimer<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The following bit of information may astound you, or it may just convince you that some wildlife biologists are working too many late hours trying to justify their grants. Either way, here it is: In a massive study at the University of Georgia, approximately 400 different whitetail vocalizations were identified and recorded in a captive deer herd and categorized into 12 different types of calls. A few members of my hunting club don\u2019t have that rich a vocabulary.<\/p>\n That 1988 study<\/a> remains the biggest piece of published research ever conducted on whitetail vocalizations. Grunts, bleats and other calls are now considered essential tactics. Making them, however, is not as simple as blowing on a tube. For example, a hunter must know the difference between a \u201ctending grunt\u201d and a \u201cdominant grunt\u201d to learn how to use a grunt tube, or he might chase off the buck he\u2019s attempting to call. So how do you make sense of it all? Start here. These four sounds rank among the most important in the whitetail\u2019s vocabulary. Master them and you\u2019ll gain the upper hand in the deer woods.<\/p>\n Photo by Michael Tatman \/ Adobe Stock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Fawns, does and bucks all use bleats during fall, but fawns make the sound more frequently than adult deer do. In the first four months of a fawn\u2019s life, its bleat is best described as a high-pitched neeeah<\/em> sound. By October, however, the fawn\u2019s vocal cords have begun to mature and its bleat begins to resemble that of a doe or a young buck, which sounds like naaah.<\/em> I\u2019ve watched does and fawns spontaneously bleat while grazing and walking in the woods. On other occasions I\u2019ve witnessed what appeared to be a doe or fawn using the bleat to communicate with other deer from a distance. When a buck hears this sound, he\u2019ll often associate it with a doe group and come to check out its source.<\/p>\n I use the bleat in several different ways. If the action is slow while I\u2019m set up over a doe decoy and there\u2019s no sign of deer in the area, I\u2019ll give off a couple of bleats to see if I can attract a buck that might be within earshot. Or I might use the bleat when I\u2019m on watch and haven\u2019t seen any deer for some time. I\u2019ll bleat two or three times in an attempt to get a buck\u2019s attention. When I bleat in this way, I do it loudly so that the sound will project at least 100 yards in every direction. I\u2019ve also successfully incorporated a bleat call into my rattling sequence<\/a>. Two or three bleats just before and after the rattling sequence often will be exactly what it takes to bring a buck to the antlers.<\/p>\n On the whole, the bleat is one of the most versatile calls a hunter can use. It works well from September through January and in nearly every kind of situation you\u2019ll encounter.<\/p>\n Bucks that are one and a half years old haven\u2019t matured enough to make deep, guttural vocalizations, so their grunts sound very much like those made by adult does. Because of their similar tone, I group yearling buck grunts and doe grunts together. These grunts sound like someone burping (grrrunt) <\/em>and are generally short or medium in length and soft to moderate in volume.<\/p>\n Does and yearling bucks use a soft grunt for a variety of purposes, but most frequently it is used as a locator call. In addition, they might give off a grunt during a confrontation with another deer over food. When this happens, the grunting deer\u2019s body language can range from ears pulled back to standing on its hind legs to fight off the intruder. When used as a locator call, this grunt is made as the deer walks through the woods or responds to the vocalization of another deer. Does and especially bucks often give off grunts as they travel during the autumn months.<\/p>\n If I see a buck moving through the woods at a distance, I\u2019ll grunt to get his attention. If he starts toward me I won\u2019t call again unless he stops. When this happens, I\u2019ll call again to try to get him to come back. If I hear a buck grunt (and I haven\u2019t initiated his grunt), I\u2019ll grunt right back at him. If a buck is in the mood to vocalize, you need to try to call him to your location. As with the bleat, incorporating this grunt into a rattling sequence is also a great tactic.<\/p>\n \tUnderstanding 4 Key Deer Vocalizations<\/h2>\n
Bleats<\/h3>\n
Yearling Grunt <\/h3>\n
Dominant Grunt<\/h3>\n
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