Calling in Mule deer in the rut

I've always wondered how effective calling in mule deer is in the rut. I tried it a couple times last year for about an hour each time. I rattled and called using a bleat and a grunt and i had some smoke sticks that are supposed to work. Both times i did this i was in semi open timber but never saw any deer but both times i heard movement and and some crashing. Now i know whitetails can be called in but can mule deer be lured in the same way and is it a worth while technigue to use? I called in a young doe once to about 20 yards using a grunt but it was more curious than anything. Please share your stories and beleifs on calling and what calls and techniques to use.
thanks M.M.
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I have (I hesitate to use the phrase "Called In") mulies with a predator call on occasion. Usually the animals are more curious than anything. I will say though, when your glassing the desert and nothing is showing for 45 minutes or so, try "calling", it'll get the deer up and moving especially if a coyote comes in and turns and leaves post haste! :roll:
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I have a one of those electric predator calls and one of the sounds it makes is a `fawn in distress`. While coyote hunting once we spotted three does upwind of us about 350 yards. I decided to use the fawn call just to see what would happen. It was cold and snowing a little and the does where facing away. When they heard it there heads came up, then they turned sideways, waited, and began a steady trot right for us. We were so perplexed by this that we didnt even notice the coyote until he barked, 40 yards away!! We dropped our binoculars and started shooting, I dont know how I missed but I emptied my 10-22 with no results. My friends 7mm mag also missed as the dog had the afterburner on. The does would have came all the way in were it not for the shooting. Later, we watched a nice draw and saw no movement, so we again played the hurt fawn and the whole place erupted with deer, over 40! But this time they were all heading away from us. So I guess that I am no help to you. But from your story I would think that it isnt your calling that spooked the deer away from you. If anything, try a fawn call to make deer move. good luck.
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Your state allows you to hunt mule deer during the rut?? Are they mad?? It is no wonder why you guys don't have any big deer!!!! :cry:
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Just shows you've got no clue there buddy. It's not a state it is a province. British Columbia to be exact. And we do have big bucks here. I think by far some of the biggest bucks taken in the West this past year were taken in BC. We hunt our muleys for 3 months and can take 3 a year. Probably one of the only places in the world where mule deer are on the increase and thriving very well. The one thing we are lacking, a large number of hunters. I hunted for 3 months straight and never saw another set of boot tracks. Too bad your little assumptions and do-gooder attitude doesn't fit the bill here. Nice try though. Maybe you can now crawl back in that little hole of your's. LOL!
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AGCHAWK
..."Better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt". I love it when people post and have no idea what their talking about!
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BOHNTR
Wish I could visit our Northern brothers and bowhunt those "dinky" bucks they have roaming around up there. :D

BOHNTR )))------------------>
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My apoligies about calling BC a state...PROVINCE...and a beautiful one I may add.
Well, you guys must be some awesome hunters then...all the rutting mule deer we have around here you can kill with a slingshot. Nothing like killin' em with their noses up a doe's behind! Get em on that winter range and let em have it!!!
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One thing about BC is that we don't have much for open winter range. Steep heavily timbered mountainsides is where the muleys winter. Fact is, that not many bucks would be killed at all in this province if we didn't hunt during the rut. I hunted for almost 3 months straight and barely even saw an ass of a deer before the rut kicked in. And then I saw less than a dozen deer a day for 3 days before the rut was over. But in that 3 day period I saw 3 bruisers and I nailed one. Ain't very easy hunting here even during the rut. Sure, some of the little dink 4 points are out chasing does in cutblocks, but the big boys usually aren't dumb enough to step out in the open during daylight hours even when they have sex on their minds.
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Hey i havent replied for a while, ive been away from this site and everything mule deer for a while, this is the guy that made that first post. Thanks bcboy lol that guy didnt know what he was talking about at the time. You seem to have mule deer hunting down pretty good, and yea it aint easy hunting here, other than the rut, its hard to bag anything decent. The Only success ive had is october and being in position before dawn in cutblocks, and hunting the first couple hours of light, but as you said you only get younger bucks and small 4 points hunting the clearcuts. I've been raised on this type of hunting, because its the only really efficient way of hunting mule deer in B.C. This year im tryin to start gettin into som bigger bucks, me n bushman brown are going to be doing alot of scouting and hopeing to hit the alpine to maybe stir up some more mature bucks. BcBoy i've seen a bunch of your posts, you definately know your stuff it seems. Just wondering if you do any bow hunting, and wondering how you've gotten some of your Bucks over the years, lots of hiking and scouting? Any tips for a young hunter would be much appreciated. :)
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sorry i wanted to ask again if anyone does know anything about rattling and calling in bucks and if it works. Oh and the comment about clear cuts being the only efficient way i meant for weekend warriors such as myself who only get about 4-6 weekends of deer hunting in a year. Hopefully going to change this year with no college, just a job.
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Tracker J,
In the early season, I'm addicted to hunting the high country. Scouting is essential to be successful on the Big Boys in the alpine. So many basins to look in and chances of finding the Bruiser's hidey hole are slim if you don't put a lot of time scouting in the summer. I normally start scouting early July. Being up on the mountain at first light glassing them in the Reds is the best way to find them. They'll be bedding really high in the rocks to avoid the bugs. Come Sept, they'll be a tad lower than where they'll be in July.
In Oct, I normally hunt the timber and the cutblocks just below the alpine. Normally snow is hitting the high country by then and I use Tracking as my main method of knowing where the big bucks are hanging out.
In Nov, I hit the timber in the lower ground and use grunting, rubbing and rattling a lot. I still hunt the thick stuff and do small scale spot and stalk if there are small openings in the area.
Most of my bucks have been taken still hunting the timber up close and personal at less than 50 yards with a rifle.
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I have never herd of anyone calling in a mulie with calls or rattling one in. I my self haven't tried it though. All the stuff that I have herd on it, is that mule deer dont respond to rattling. I have seen a movie where a mulie came in to two whitetails fighting, but if ya have any luck at it this year, let us know!
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Rattling works well for Muleys but mainly during the prerut. Grunting and Rubbing have worked amazingly well for me from late Oct on through the first week of Dec. If I jump a buck in the heavy timber, and grunt, most times he'll turn around and start beating brush. I will do the same, which will really get him pissed and coming back to check me out. I've had this work of big mature bucks more than the younger bucks. The younger bucks think they are going to get a butt whopping so they bail for Dodge. I've had bucks come in to really close range by doing this. So close, I've felt uncomfortable. LOL! Easily within Bow range. If I don't have an antler to beat brush with, I'll use the barrel of my rifle. Works just as well, but can get a little on the pitchy side. LOL! In noisy walking conditions, I grunt all the time. If you have ever listened to a buck searching for does, he's very noisy. I have jumped does, grunted, and had them stop and relax which then allowed me to walk past them without them spooking other deer beyond them. I have used the reed based calls and don't like them. The reeds can freeze up in cold conditions. I use my voice instead. I basically swallow air and burp. Sounds just like a buck. Can give ya heartburn by the end of the day, but nothing Tums can't fix. LOL!
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BCBoy,
thanks, that was my plan for scouting this summer, i want to bring up some float tubes and some fly fishing gear, and try and maybe find a lake to fish, and then wake up early and use binoculars and spotting scope in the mornings to find some bruisers, and then mid day when the deer arent moving as much and gets hot, just head out fishing. Spend a couple days doing this, and hopefully find somethin. I've heard that that alpine muley's can have almost clocked out routines for their day, where they visit the same watering hole at w/e time and feed their way up to their usual bedding area and so on, is this true? If so will this continue into the hunting season, or will they break up theyre routine.

Once into the rut in heavy rutting grounds, ive noticed huge amounts of scrapes and scrape lines, this is why i thought that calling and scraping/rattling might work in an area like this. Muleys scrape pre-rut i know, a 4 point I shot late season like last weekend of nov. or fisrt week of dec. he was with 5 does, and he has small shavings on just his browtines and hair around the base of his antlers, Is this from him still continuing to make rubs this late, or is he just rubbing scent glands on the top of his head leaving his scent or something? I never looked hard, but i didnt notice any rubs in the cutblock. About using your voice, thats a good idea, if you can get it down cus i've got a reed based grunt, and it can be kinda tweaky, and in the winter on really cold days it doesnt work at all, ill try a little practice on using my own voice, and ill try using it this year.
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The only pattening I've been able to lock down in the high country is long term patterning. I have several bucks that I have seen in the same piece of alpine (within 500 yards) 4 years straight. But there just seems to be too many factors in BC that cause the Big bucks to change what they are doing to really count on them being at the same place at the same time every day. Bugs, Wind, Frost, Wolves, Snow and Heat. These are all factors that I've found have changed things drastically. One thing that can be counted on is that if you saw him once, and you didn't expose yourself to him, he should be living in that same basin, or a basin close by. If you put enough time in glassin, you should be able to find him again. The biggest pattern buster I think is Frost. When it hits the alpine veg, the bucks will drop a tad in elevation and be feeding more in the sub alpine where the frost hasn't toasted out the veg. Early season can get snow and that only will affect bucks that have a large migration like some areas of the Chilcotin. In those areas, the bucks will bail after the first couple snow falls. But where the bucks only have a couple hours travel to get to the winter range (straight down hill), they will stay up high at the timberline really late, even through Dec some years. Tracking in the snow in the subalpine is your best bet at locating that big buck you may have glimpsed in the summer.
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Yea i sorta figured so on the patterning, i've just read it before in a hunting magazine and I've never noticed this hunting before but i havent done much alpine hunting so i was wondering if you had noticed it before. I prefer hunting in snow as it is, and its nicer hiking in B.C. country on snow, unless its krusted up, and theres nothing nicer than a fresh snow fall to hunt on. When you say subalpine your talking about the lower reaches of alpine and into the timber line? And in your earlier post you said your best chance of scopping was early morning in the "Reds" I've never heard this term before could you explain? Thanks a lot B.C.Boy I love learning more and new things about mule deer and hunting them. Much apreciated, I hope to have some success stories or atleast some stories for you this fall.
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I can't speak on hunting the rut but I can speak on calling deer. Quite often when I'm out hunting coyote and I use the doe or fawn distress call a herd of doe will show up. The closest a herd has come is 20 yards and I'm positive they knew I was there (mainly cuz I stood up and asked them what they thought they were doing) and would not leave. They had to know where that call was coming from. So I would guess if the does come in the buck will follow during the rut.

-Dan
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TrackerJ,
When I say sub-alpine, I mean the timberline edge. Normally scattered spruce/subalpine fir with lots of alpine flowers and good muley eats.
When I refer to the "reds" I mean the muley's summer coat. Their red coat sticks out like sore thumbs when the sun hits it. Really easy to pick out in the alpine compared to the fall "grey".

Heelerdog,
Those distress calls can really work but sometimes you can get other critters coming in that you may not have counted on. A couple years ago, my buddy jumped some deer in some thick timber, he blew on his fawn distress call and a huge cougar came leaping towards him in a matter of seconds after blowing it.
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Sometimes the hunter sometimes the hunted.
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haha wow, not a good situation. I just watched this video, on hunting bc rockies and area in the states and they used the distress call alot and a commmon doe call and just variations on it. Great results stopping bucks and gettin time for shots and such, calling them right in sometimes too. Yea i never thought about another predator coming in, Gotta keep a weary eye and be ready for anything i quess.
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Hey BC boy and muleymaster, Should i break the news about how we can hunt right to the mid December in region 3. I'm sure glad they think are deer are tiny, my father shot a nice four point last fall and it was on the down hill slide probably 9 or 10 years old, it still scored 169 points and it weighed just a mere 308 pounds field dressed. I know my brothers to the south that it is just a tiny specimen compared to the ones that run the hill in colorado or utah maybe montana, these are all places that I have dreamed of going to and pursuing my trophy of a lifetime!!! In the rut as far as calls go I would try the eastman deer talk, the one that worked for me last year and they were in the peak of the rut was Quaker boys doe in heat bleat the can one. In the central interior we had yet another mild winter and I have already seen buck with a foot a bone sticking out of their head. Lots of deer again this year!
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haha, yea longbow we sure got a great hunting season here, september opener all the way to december tenth, get to hunt both ends and all the way through the rut. That eastmans "deer talk" call, i think its called the deer stopper too, is the call i got along with a grunt and a "k'meer deer" call. I was thinking about gettin the video about deer talk by eastmans, (done with the use of that call) and on how to use the call and what not, just to learn more about deer, and get good at using the call.
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Last post was me, forgot to log in there. Just so you didnt think it was some random. Yea, i was just out 2 days ago, for just an hour and a half bear hunt, saw over 14 deer, didnt get a chance to make any of em for bucks cus the master cylinder went on our clutch and we had no working clutch, so basically start the truck in first and the started got us moving the grind the gears lol, so we didnt bother slowing down for nothing lol. But looks like should be a good year for deer, despite the ravaging burns we faced last year, i was finding deer feeding on the new growth in burn areas and deer werent fat, but still looked in good health.
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That was one thing I wanted to mention to you TRACKER, Do you guys think they are going to shut the north thompson down this year? That was one hell of a fire!! I really felt for all of the people that is affected and to all that fought it. I'm guessing you were up in around say the Jameison creek area?I spent a few years in Logan Lake so I kind of know alittle of the area. I still try to get down there every year for a little more deer action. I like the Indian gardens and Barnes Lake produced for me also in behind Red Lake. Back to the call, the Eastman deer stopper works great for getting bedded deer up and moving, the video is well worth it!! I watch it a couple times every summer berore the 1st of september. :P
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AGCHAWK
This is a great topic 'cause in all my years of hunting, I have NEVER heard of calling mulies! Of course, I was well aware of the different ways to call whitetails but I guess my feable mind didn't bother to think that because it works with one species it MAY work with others.
In the past, I have used nothing more than a loud whistle to stop a nervous buck and have even screamed once to stop one (I used the "scream" to nearly stop my heart once too.....of course the rattlesnake that struck the top of my boot had a lot to do with that too!! I'm sure I peaked the curiousity of every buck within a 10 miles radius that day.). Anyway, you all have given me some new tricks to try this coming season.
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Acghawk, I would really consider the eastman deer stopper, it has the common doe sound on one end and a total fawn in distress on the other. I used the common end first to stop a buck if he shows no sign then the other end goes in my mouth and I use a half distress call that usually does it. Get the video How to talk to deer by Gordon Eastman if your going to use that call it is well worth it. Like I stated earlier, It was the last day in my region that I hunt, Nov 30 to be exact. We seen a buck with two doe's the day before and we figured he would go 190 gross typical. The next morning Just as shooting light was breaking I seen a big buck with 2 girlfriends heading out the back of the opening where we saw the big one the previous day. The does where spooked and where in a trot the buck following close. He was four hundred on moving fast, I pulled the Quaker boys can, "doe in heat" I was using for whitetail earlier. 1 tip of the can and that muley put the brakes on and turned and came striding back. Let him come back to 225 yards and sent a swift A-frame on it's way. Wasn't the 190 buck, but was still a 168 gross for the last day.
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ya me and tracker have the eastman deer stopper and it is quite unique its kinda good that burn went through the area though eh lots of nice ruffage appearing in the hills where we have been out lookign around and its gona make for a good season this year we've seen alot of deer in the last 3 days so you know its gona be a good year
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mule man, I can't help but wonder if the game branch will do the same as they did with Greenstone mtn. Either shut down totally or no vehicle and bow only??? I also agree that we need to see more prescribed fires on are deer ranges!
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Yea i dont think that they'll shut it down but it wouldnt surprise me if it did happen for the fact that the governement is a piece but hopfully not theres alot of nice deer roaming around so we'll see
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Yea we were out around barrier area, just scouting new roads that were goin in and out of areas of burn, and we were seeing good green up and good territory for deer habitat for the future. As for the shutting down of areas, i dont think they'd be able to do it, theres too much damage and areas all over the place, and they'll be logging throughout the areas trying to salvage some timber from the wildfires, and so i think it'll be open to hunting. The greenstone fire has produced some great country, was going to do some bow hunting last year in ther but never got around to it, and we didnt have a game hauler or anything to bring an animal out, but i think its good that they've got the vehicle restriction and hunting restriction there, cus it'll make for great animal habitat with no pressure. I think that prescribed burns are a great idea, why wait for beetle kill to ruin our forests and habitat, I'm not an expert here, but why not do some prescribed burns in beetle kill areas, and surrounding areas and maybe kill the some of the beetle population while making some great areas for deer and moose. Anyways, it"ll be interesting how the burns do affect the animals, seems like the deer moved back fast and got good food in some areas. I wonder if any deer will be pushed into non burned areas, or will deer even move into these areas due to the new growth. haha well gotten off track here a bit, back to the call, looks like I should be gettin this video and watchin before next season. I was thinking it'd probably be pretty good, so im sold now longbow if you think its worth it, and your hunting similar areas to me, so similar results should be suspected.
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Living in the North Thompson, I'm quite confident that once they pull as much of the burned timber out of the area that they can, you'll see road closures. That will be freakin' awesome. Barriere already had some monster bucks living in that country. Give it 3 years and it's going to boom. Skull Mtn had the restrictions prior to the fire, now, it will just have some more. Given how dry this spring has been, it will probably be a worse fire year than last year. Sucks when you live in the country like I do but can't help think about all the great habitat being created. Coupled with the mild winters, we are going to slam the BOOKS again and again with Record Bucks.
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I used Eastman's deerstopper to great success in the sagebrush country around Savona. If I can figure out how to upload pictures off my digital, iwould post the proof of the call.
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Forgot to log in, that is my guest post about Savona. MattB, I'm thinking your my neighbor.??? :D :D
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Yea, im pretty sure who you are. I posted it on huntshoot?? I stopped by your place one day when there were 2 big bucks in the garage??
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sorry that was my post above. I hate this enter your username stuff....
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Tracker, The more I use the huntshoot site the more i like it. Hopefully I will see ya on there. I'll keep in sync with ya regardless.
Longbow264
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Yea, i just saw a couple of pics of deer. Way to go. I just loaded some bear pics on and im slowly learning to use the site, lots of friendly ppl there and people happy to give help to other hunters.
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MuleyMadness
I thought the title of this post was "calling mule deer in the rut" not advertising for other sites? thanks guys!
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AGCHAWK
Ya beat me to the punch MuleyMadness!
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Yes you can call in Mulie's!!! I have been doing it for a couple of years!!! Last year I was calling and Rattling towards the end of November and a 28 inch Plus Buck walked over the far ridge heading strait for me!!! An Archery Hunter was walking down the same ridge as the Buck and spooked him!!! After that I found a 150 class 4 Point (3 Point or better area)and offered to drive him to a Bow Hunter that I met that mouning. I drove the Buck and a Doe (the Buck could see me most of the time fairly open country) uphill within about 25 Yards of the Archer.He shot and the Deer Blew out of there!!! I had a Grunt Tube around my neck,I grunted once and the Buck SLAMMED on the brakes and turned broadside giving the Archer a 45 Yard shot!!! He missed him twice!!! I can't imagine going Hunting and NOT taking along calls!!! Good Luck
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Awsome slider, yea i always pack around a grunt and bleat, and have used them on many occasions. Very usefull, and now with this info i hope to do more calling and rattleing this year. Seems like fun hunting to me. Im buying the eastmans deer stopper call too, i used my buddies in the off season to great affect, able to call in does nice and close as well as a few young bucks.
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