Fawn Bleat

[cumberlandcat]

I am sure this has been asked before, but what is everyone's opinion on a fawn bleat to get some does to come in. I have been trying for years to get a deer with my bow and just never seem to get the right shot. I have seen some guys using them on TV and the deer pretty much attacked them. But thats TV, whats your opinion? Or what would you suggest to get in deer in range when it comes to calls.

Thanks

[john catfish young]

I have had some success with fawn bleats early in the season when young fawns get seperated from their mothers, they get rather vocal....especially if endangered or they feel frightened. This fawn bleat usually brings in a momma doe looking for all the bleats. I have seen a good buck or two come into the bleats as well. Good opportunities for early season bow-hunters.:wink:

[psychomekanik]

Honestly I would suggest not using them at all. I've used calls successfully for at least a decade. But, I'm finding my luck with them is becoming more negative year after year. 10 years ago not many people used calls. now everyone with deer tags uses them. Most of which are using them wrong, or too frequent making the deer (especially the smart bucks) very call shy. I see more bucks running away from peoples calls than are drawing them in. I use my calls still. but not very much. Mostly during the rut. If you use it a lot. You might be making a trophy deer aware of your presence and not even know it. Causing him to steer around you next time he comes into an area. This is why I use a climber and move around a lot! Keep them guessing where you're at. Don't advertise your position.

[lance]

Does will come in sometimes no garanties. Scent control is important . Remember that if there are coyotes or wild dogs they may be coming in to I don't know how that may affect the does in that case . If they are headed your way at the same time . Year before last I did kill a doe and waited to get out of my stand in hopes the remaining does would head to my buddy which they did n't and killed a coyote about half an hour later .Try it if your not worried about alarming a mature buck that may be in your area .

[Poppa]

Honestly I would suggest not using them at all. I've used calls successfully for at least a decade. But, I'm finding my luck with them is becoming more negative year after year. 10 years ago not many people used calls. now everyone with deer tags uses them. Most of which are using them wrong, or too frequent making the deer (especially the smart bucks) very call shy. I see more bucks running away from peoples calls than are drawing them in. I use my calls still. but not very much. Mostly during the rut. If you use it a lot. You might be making a trophy deer aware of your presence and not even know it. Causing him to steer around you next time he comes into an area. This is why I use a climber and move around a lot! Keep them guessing where you're at. Don't advertise your position.
I agree 100%. Even if they worked every time, I would not use a fawn
bleet. I have never used a fawn bleet. To me I do not think its right to
use a mothers instinct to protect her young against her. I am not that
hungry.

[Kip Brandel]

Honestly I would suggest not using them at all. I've used calls successfully for at least a decade. But, I'm finding my luck with them is becoming more negative year after year. 10 years ago not many people used calls. now everyone with deer tags uses them. Most of which are using them wrong, or too frequent making the deer (especially the smart bucks) very call shy. I see more bucks running away from peoples calls than are drawing them in. I use my calls still. but not very much. Mostly during the rut. If you use it a lot. You might be making a trophy deer aware of your presence and not even know it. Causing him to steer around you next time he comes into an area. This is why I use a climber and move around a lot! Keep them guessing where you're at. Don't advertise your position.
I agree with the calls being over used. I have NEVER used a deer call, BUT, I have killed many deer using a turkey call! If deer are easily spooked in an over hunted area I pull out a turkey call. If Turkeys are talking deer seem more at ease. I have personally been in the woods and watched deer hide while some 4 wheelers went by on an adjacent trail. After about 15-20 minutes some toms came through and were talking away, the minute they were in the area the deer came out and started eating, not looking around, as soon as the turkeys moved on he went back to being very cautious. It gave me the Idea and I have used it on spooky deer 6-10 times with success. Seems to work best though as I said earlier, when deer are pressured and on guard.

[petersoutcats]

I use calls, and have pretty good success with this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJMGYuEdVmM&feature=related
As long as you do it correct. That call along with a grunt tube/and horn rattling gets them coming in close with a frothy mouth. Just dont over do it.

[DIESELkat]

I agree with Psycho, when I started bowhunting calls could work throughout archery season. My thoughts were during the heavy chase phase, if I could call in some does then my chances at a buck coming through my area would be greater. It has seemed like in the past 5 or 6 years they have really started to work less and less frequently. Im not sure exactly if its due to more hunters using the calls at the wrong time of year or what. I do believe that as far as the doe bleat goes, it is actually more harm than good. Ive seen a coyote chasing a fawn through a cut cornfield and a hayfield and the fawn was bleatin away the whole time. Also one the best calls that Ive used lately when coyote hunting was a fawn distress call followed by a coyote howl. How can you hope to call deer in when most of the time that they are hearing the calls naturally are when they associate it with predators (man or coyote). IMHO

[bnorth]

Sure they work, but when I have used them the deer the fawn bleats bring in are on full alert. Makes it difficult to get a shot when they show up edgy and nervous.

[flathead willie]

Honestly I would suggest not using them at all. I've used calls successfully for at least a decade. But, I'm finding my luck with them is becoming more negative year after year. 10 years ago not many people used calls. now everyone with deer tags uses them. Most of which are using them wrong, or too frequent making the deer (especially the smart bucks) very call shy. I see more bucks running away from peoples calls than are drawing them in. I use my calls still. but not very much. Mostly during the rut. If you use it a lot. You might be making a trophy deer aware of your presence and not even know it. Causing him to steer around you next time he comes into an area. This is why I use a climber and move around a lot! Keep them guessing where you're at. Don't advertise your position.

I agree! I think most hunters use calls too much and just educate the deer. Especially if hunting for "The Big Boy", I'd never use a call unless it is to stop the deer once it was in range. If you just want to play with some deer for awhile, a bleat can be fun, but, unless you hunt different places all the time or on a huge piece of land, it won't take long for local deer to ignore it, or bust YOU..

[CountryHart]

Honestly I would suggest not using them at all. I've used calls successfully for at least a decade. But, I'm finding my luck with them is becoming more negative year after year. 10 years ago not many people used calls. now everyone with deer tags uses them. Most of which are using them wrong, or too frequent making the deer (especially the smart bucks) very call shy. I see more bucks running away from peoples calls than are drawing them in. I use my calls still. but not very much. Mostly during the rut. If you use it a lot. You might be making a trophy deer aware of your presence and not even know it. Causing him to steer around you next time he comes into an area. This is why I use a climber and move around a lot! Keep them guessing where you're at. Don't advertise your position.

VERY well said and i agree 110%. I use a primos can, but don't use anything but knowing i'm in a good spot very much.

[john catfish young]

I agree on the over use of a call. It does just educate some of the more mature deer and I usually dont use one much at all. However, I hunt deer for the meat. I usually try to harvest 3 or 4 mature does every year. What I have noticed by the harvesting of mature does is that the sightings of mature bucks has gone way "UP". I hunt a herd of deer that seem to spend most of their time in very thick cover....not venturing out into open feilds and early season archery is a very good time to put the meat in the freezer. When the rut kicks in, I switch to the 30-06 and hunt for the Mature Bucks which trot through the woods in search of does. They are on the move more when you can successfully get the Buck to does ratio a little better. It also gives the young bucks a little better chance of not getting run off by the mother. The fawn bleat is just another tool made available to the Hunter which will put meat in the freezer. If your the trophy hunter only....a fawn bleat may not be for you. I have used rattling in early season archery to rattle in 4 different bucks in 1 season. I managed a good clear shot on 1. I hunted an area which had a bachelor group running it all summer and they came into the rattling pretty good in early season. The big one however new excactly what was going on Because I seen him circle in down wind and scent check me....moments later he was gone. He avoided that area the rest of the year. I seen him several times, but he stayed out of bow range at about 125 yrds. He had me pegged and knew when I was hunting and when I was not. Talk about educating some deer. Lots of good different calls and techniques available but your right it dont take long to educate the deer in a local herd if you continue to use and over use calls in the same locations time and time again. So I think the less you use a call in deer hunting, the better your odds of having success when you do. Sorry to ramble on so.

[flathead willie]

VERY well said and i agree 110%. I use a primos can, but don't use anything but knowing i'm in a good spot very much.

Yea, I think it is usually better to find out where the deer will be, and get there first, rather then to try to get them to come to you. When hunting a mature buck, I find out where he is bedding and get there 2-3 hours before the sun comes up and then wait him out. I sure don't want to make any noise that will tell him where I am. I use a "Can" when I rattle, or if I see a family group passing and want to try to get them closer. Most of the time, I just move my stand closer to where they are traveling, and try to get them the next time. A fawn bleat is a form of distress call. They usually don't bleat unless seperated from their mother, and the main thing that separates them is a nearby predator.

[psychomekanik]

[quote=Kip Brandel;1222787]I agree with the calls being over used. I have NEVER used a deer call, BUT, I have killed many deer using a turkey call! If deer are easily spooked in an over hunted area I pull out a turkey call. If Turkeys are talking deer seem more at ease. I have personally been in the woods and watched deer hide while some 4 wheelers went by on an adjacent trail. After about 15-20 minutes some toms came through and were talking away, the minute they were in the area the deer came out and started eating, not looking around, as soon as the turkeys moved on he went back to being very cautious. It gave me the Idea and I have used it on spooky deer 6-10 times with success. Seems to work best though as I said earlier, when deer are pressured and on guard...
..
[/quote I sometimes carry a turkey call with me for the same reason. If there are turkey in his area, there aint any humans. the deer know just how keen a turkeys eyesight is, and they take advantage of it. a couple of putts is all it takes to calm down a really edgy buck.

[psychomekanik]

I agree on the over use of a call. It does just educate some of the more mature deer and I usually dont use one much at all. However, I hunt deer for the meat. I usually try to harvest 3 or 4 mature does every year. What I have noticed by the harvesting of mature does is that the sightings of mature bucks has gone way "UP". I hunt a herd of deer that seem to spend most of their time in very thick cover....not venturing out into open feilds and early season archery is a very good time to put the meat in the freezer. When the rut kicks in, I switch to the 30-06 and hunt for the Mature Bucks which trot through the woods in search of does. They are on the move more when you can successfully get the Buck to does ratio a little better. It also gives the young bucks a little better chance of not getting run off by the mother. The fawn bleat is just another tool made available to the Hunter which will put meat in the freezer. If your the trophy hunter only....a fawn bleat may not be for you. I have used rattling in early season archery to rattle in 4 different bucks in 1 season. I managed a good clear shot on 1. I hunted an area which had a bachelor group running it all summer and they came into the rattling pretty good in early season. The big one however new excactly what was going on Because I seen him circle in down wind and scent check me....moments later he was gone. He avoided that area the rest of the year. I seen him several times, but he stayed out of bow range at about 125 yrds. He had me pegged and knew when I was hunting and when I was not. Talk about educating some deer. Lots of good different calls and techniques available but your right it dont take long to educate the deer in a local herd if you continue to use and over use calls in the same locations time and time again. So I think the less you use a call in deer hunting, the better your odds of having success when you do. Sorry to ramble on so.

This is a situation where I would put someone in my stand and walk a couple of ridges over downwind with my climber and stick him as he walks the ridge with his attention focused on your treestand. I use the hunting pressure of other people in public parks to my advantage as much as possible too. If you know where a people are hunting, Imagine escape routes they would take trying to get around these people, and set up on them.

[doug300wsm]

Take his advice, he is right on the money.