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.

 

[northernbill]

I’ve had the most success with rattling. Make as much noise as you can, from a location where you have a good view of your down wind side. Or hunt with a partner, have him positioned about 100 yards down wind from the calling location.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

What general region of the US are you calling "Mountain Bucks"?

 

[tuffcrk14]

What general region of the US are you calling "Mountain Bucks"?

North Idaho, Eastern Washington, Northwest Montana


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[northernbill]

The Adirondack Mountains.

 

[JCMCUBIC]

What everyone has said about being somewhere they can't see/have to come to, and you can see a distance downwind is correct.

One place that's been a perfect setup for me is the edge of the top of a mountain/ridge, near a gap that's a funnel/corridor. The mountains I hunt usually have a "bluff" section right before the top that's very steep. There will be commonly used gaps on the bluff deer use to move between the tops and the flat/bench below the top. At the top of these gaps, with the wind direction from the top over the lower is a great place to rattle. You can see far enough down the mountain that you can catch the buck before he catches your wind. You are scent protected from any on top that sneak in with the wind direction...some will come in without the wind to their advantage.

I should mention that I don't do this often. Several locations I hunt have a poor buck/doe ratio so there's less competition. Bucks find does rather easy so it's less effective.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Tuff-

Nowhere near a pro. But I hunt the same stuff. A YT dude from western WA rattles and calls deer and has some videos. Looks like a fair amount of success. Looks like he's up in Yaak.

I hunt Yaak. I've rattled and called quite a bit. Zero hunting pressure back in some of those holes. Never had a bite.

I've rattled at several bucks I could see in cuts in northern Idaho. (90% dont even lift an ear)

I've had success with the stupid Can bleet and flipping it in e WA on a few occassions. And I rattled in a very nice buck in e WA a few years ago. I was so defeated that I simply wasn't focuses and paying attention. Simply saw the tail and antlers outside the ears of an outbound buck.

I've pretty much given up

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

And I would say these are what I would call "Mountain Bucks" I don't many other places in the US are quite the same.

 

[tuffcrk14]

I’ve called in whitetails with enough success to have felt confident about applying those techniques from hayfield/cottonwood river bottom whitetails to mountain whitetails. I’ve rattled in bucks that came in to bow range with zero regard for the wind and I’ve brought bucks in with a snort wheeze or aggressive “roar” if rattling didn’t work. The more aggressive calling strategy doesn’t seem to translate… for the most part. I would guess that it’s due to their over cautious nature of living and surviving in the mountains where deer is always on the menu for a predator.

The way you guys describe setting up for calling deer is almost exactly how I set up for calling coyotes and it has crossed my mind that I need to look at it more like that. Getting a decent vantage and calling into edge habitat (clear cuts) so a curious buck has to at least poke his head out.

The area I’ve been hunting is on a south face and has been logged, but not clear cut and there isn’t as much brush on that face. I think my furthest shot I’d be able to have in the clearest part is like 150ish, which is pretty open considering that there’s free standing timber dotted all around.

I bought the DOA doe bleat call that Phelps makes to try and change it up a bit and only use tending grunts if I grunt at all. I think I’m going to change my rattling to be my grand finale before I call the stand a bust, much like I do with using a coyote death cry at the end of a predator hunting set. If they don’t come in to that, then someone smelled a rat. I’m already excited for next year and this season isn’t even over yet.


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[mtluckydan]

Most success in Montana with rattling but less in recent years. Depends on the population & age structure on any given year or location. Haven't had nearly the success grunting in Montana...the bucks don't sound like most commercial grunt tubes and are very sporadic in coming in. I've definitely called in a few over 20+ years but not consistently. I've had more success in Idaho with a grunt tube... maybe because it's thicker woods in general where I've hunted. Timing is everything...pre-rut has been best for rattling but also after the main breeding phase but less numbers of responses although some very big bucks. Can't say a doe bleat can call has worked for me but haven't spent as much time trying as grunt tube or rattling. Closest buck rattled in was last season...2-3 year old...was less than 5 feet...his eyes got really big when he figured out he was fooled... kinda got nervous with him that close.

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[mtnbound]

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


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Rattling has been the most successful for me.