Fawn Bleat Call Deadly In Early Season Hunting
Bob McNally 10.25.16
Although the buck grunt is the most popular deer call used by whitetail hunters, there are other types of calls on the market, and some sportsmen swear by them.
“It has become apparent to me that when does are ready to breed and there’s no buck around, they make a concerted effort to attract one,” says well-known hunter Ernie Calandrelli of Quaker Boy Calls. “They don’t just hang around in the woods and hope a buck walks by. Does actually take the initiative in finding a buck, and they do this by calling and through body language.
“This means when it comes to calling deer during fall, it makes more sense to sound like a doe than a buck. Bucks are seeking does, not other bucks. This is nature’s way, and by copying nature, hunters can be a lot more effective in attracting bucks. It works in the same way, and for the same reasons, that turkey hunters attempt to sound like hens instead of gobblers.”
Calandrelli says doe grunts have a high pitch, and there are well-defined types of doe grunts–such as “contact” calls, “aggravated” calls, and “maternal” grunts. His company manufactures calls to mimic such doe sounds and bleats.
Almost all deer call manufacturers also market fawn bleat calls that can be remarkably effective at bringing does running to hunters. These calls are high, shrill-sounding calls.
Fawn bleat calls are most effective when young, yearling deer are still in the hunting area, usually early in autumn during the archery season.
“The fawn bleat call is one of the most sure ways of getting a doe within bow range of an archer,” he says. “It’s a very simple call, something even youngsters can do. The call imitates a fawn in trouble, and it will bring does running from long distances.”
