Calling in mountain/timber bucks

[tuffcrk14]

What’s your best technique for calling in mountain whitetails during the rut? What terrain do you like to target?


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[RC_]

In my limited experience, I’ve had success grunting bucks in once they’re within sight. This has usually been set up over some form of rut funnel. I generally assume calling to be less effective in mountain areas due to lower densities and worse buck to doe ratios so don’t typically blind call. That at least is the experience I’ve had in other low density areas and it seems to have held true the past few years I’ve been hunting the big woods.

 

[tuffcrk14]

I have heard that mountain whitetail are more vocal due to the lower population density. I thought that was interesting and gave me hope, but I haven’t had a call-in yet.


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[Headwaters]

Try a doe bleat every 15-20 minutes. You want to attract bucks, not scare them off with grunt calls.

 

[tuffcrk14]

Try a doe bleat every 15-20 minutes. You want to attract bucks, not scare them off with grunt calls.

It’s funny you mention using a doe bleat. I’ve never had any success using one and have just stuck with grunting and/or rattling because of it. Granted, most of it has been with “the can.” I need to find a better doe bleat call and give it a whirl.


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[brancher147]

Need to be somewhere it’s thick enough they have to come investigate. Preferably somewhere it’s tough for them to circle downwind. Light grunts and doe bleats together or separate can work. I don’t mess around with rattling or any deep grunts or growls. I know snort wheeze can work but it’s not yet in my playbook

 

[Long Cut]

To successfully call in mature bucks, it’s all about how you’re setup.

You need to utilize the topography and/or foliage to your advantage. Think of it like turkey hunting for sight and also consider your wind direction. A mature buck will try to swing in down wind of you, so be looking down wind after you call.

-I’ve had success putting ridges between me and the bucks suspected bedding area, so he has to crest the ridge and look down. This was in an open mature hardwood forest adjacent to thick bedding. My scent was also coming from him and down to me.
- I’ve had success hunting the edges of pine thickets and clear cuts/CRP fields, with my scent blowing from thicket into CRP. I setup looking downwind in a non-traditional setup.

The most important factor is being able to watch your downwind scent stream and setting up in a location where the buck has to step out to see where the grunts/bleats are coming from.
I’ve had success using just grunts, just bleats and combinations of doe bleats and tending grunts.

Images are of bucks I bleated and/or grunted in and killed. These bucks are approximately 6 & 7 years old.