noisy deer!

[Guest robert]

These deer are noisy! You have seen all of the hunting shows with people hunting the eastern whitetails and when they grunt they rarely get a response from the deer. Coes are a little different, in my 10 years of hunting the little couse I have learnd that you can locate them as easily as elk. But there is a trick, it is knowing what to listen for and how to call. There is only one noise they make while bedded and it is a locating call when they are going to move to a new area or water or feed. I will get to that later. First is a grunt, all deer grunt. It there main form of vocal communication. I was sitting on an old dirt tank and I heard a grunt, this was wierd because it was august in the middle of the day. Then a doe popped out of the brush, sniffed the air, looked around, then gave a short grunt. As she drank, 3 does and 2 fawns came right from where she was and joined her. At this time of year the bucks will grunt a short higher pitch grunt than in the rut. They grunt like this most of the year, with rut the only exception. Second they, the does, will make a baa noise like little goats, they are short and quiet, but get louder and longer during rut. I was out scouting where I hunt and was sitting between the bed area and water on the side of a hill, it was June, and it was hot, in the middle of the day. Then I heard something walking on the rocks above me, turned and looked, it was 3 does. They started walking down the hill next to me and I heard them making goatlike noises. I could only hear them for a short distance because of how quiet the noise is. During rut the does sound like pigmy goats, and the call lasts about 3 to 5 seconds each. This noise in non rut time, I think is what they use when they are not spooked for any reason and are just on the move. During the rut the goat noise drives bucks wild. I know all of you have seen the outdoors shows and the eastern whitetails do a snort wheize, dont try this, it makes the coues run away, I have tried it all times of the year, even rut on the biggest buck and he has ran. I am going to keep experimenting with it untill it is right, because last time out I did it softly and it was about 10 seconds before the buck ran, and he wasnt too excited about the noise, he just trotted off. Deer in distress, they scream! I have seen it twice well heard it. First time, I walked up on a doe and a young fawn and the doe ran about 50 yards away and just watched me. I wanted a closer look at the fawn so I walked towards it. I stood looking at 5 yards untill it got up and screamed, at that time the doe ran straight at me screaming, and I got a little excited. I was only scouting so I had my 357 on me and shot it into the air. The doe stopped about 5 yards from me and stared at me. When I shot the fawn must have ran off because it was no longer next to me. Second time was I was sitting at a spring and fell asleep and heard something in the water, it was a doe not 10 yards from me. When I turned my head to get a better look, I didnt realize there was a deer just to my right checking me out. It screamed, I yelled, we both jumped and it ran off. It is a very startling noise when you are groggy from your nap, I almost had to change my pants! Another I have only heard during rut, and the bucks are the only ones that do it. It is a gurgle like elk make during rut, it is a throaty popping noise kind of like a swallowing sound. I have not experimented with this noise yet.

The last noise is a wierd one, anyone that has been in coues country has heard it. It kind of sounds like a mourning dove or an owl. I never would have believed that deer make this noise untill 4 years ago. I had heard it plenty of times but did not know what it was. It sounds like hoo hooo hoooo hoooo, wierd but true, and it is always the same amount of times, four. I think they use it for location. Me and my buddies were hunting at doz cabezas and spotted a nice 4x4 coues. One of my friends got within 20 yards, pulled and shot, but missed because of the uphill angle. It ran over the little rise and out of site. Then a fork stood up and ran to the top of the hill and made the hoo hooo hoooo hoooo noise. At that point me and my buddy looked at eachother and said what the @#$&! was that?. Then we looked up at the little buck and he did it again. So we just sat down and watched him for the couple of minutes he stood there. I think it has to do with being separated from eachother. It was just wierd. Also I have noticed when they get up from bedding down to go to water they will do it to.

 

NOw then, you are probably thinking ok this is good info but how do I use it.

 

there is a certain way to do it.

 

 

1. grunt. Walk a trail to where you are going to hunt and do very quiet light grunts while moving and only once every minute or so. I have had deer answer me all year, and on occasion come to me. During rut use a little deeper grunt at a longer interval, 3 to 5 seconds long. With a minute or two inbetween.

 

2. Bleat or goat noise. Use this one while walking a little faster, most of the time when they do this they are walking a little faster, and not graising. The other bleat is when they are in estrus (does) it is like the grunt a little longer and louder during rut. I havent yet got a whitetail to answer it, but mulies will talk right back.

 

3. Scream- DISTRESS CALL DO NOT USE

 

4. snort whieze- Experiment when not hunting. It hasnt worked for me yet, but it will eventually. It is a rut noise for intimidation, and challenge for bucks. So if you dont have a late hunt or archery tag for Dec. or Jan. Give it a try, then post results on the site, cause I would like to figure it out.

 

5. owl or dove noise. It worked twice for me in Aug this year. As I was walking into the spring where the deer screamed at me I heard it. So I answered with my mouth. It answered back and I hurried to the spring (the deer was on the hill above the spring) within 5 minutes of sitting at the spring a couple of does came in. The other time I used it I was sitting on an edge of a canyon and did it with my mouth again, one answered. So I glassed where I heard it and there was a herd of 3 does and 1 yearling buck. I would have neve seen them if I had not tried that call.

 

I hope this helps someone bag a great buck this year, or next. Good luck.

[CouesWhitetail]

Robert,

 

Thanks for taking the time to post all this info. I know several of the calls you are talking about, but I don't think I know the dove-like call you mentioned. I will have to listen for it.

 

We should make you walk around with a tape recorder! Then we would all be able to hear it.

 

Here is a link to a site that I mentioned in a hunt story I wrote. It is a link to Phantom calls and you can play the calls that Robert is talking about (the different grunts, the doe bleat). It doesn't have the scream, although I have heard that one and you are right, it's very disturbing (and I heard it from far away, I can imagine how unnerving it would be right next to me!).

 

Phantom calls

 

Anyone else heard that dove-like call he is talking about?

 

Thanks again for sharing your advice and experience Robert.

 

Amanda

[newcoueshunter5]

Amanda I just had a question. does the phantom calls work on coues deer.

 

thanks

jesus

[galiuro mountain man]

In my experience any mouth blown call will work if used properly, coues are small so use a higher pitched setting on your grunt tubes, and make them a little quieter.

 

Also there was a website that had some of the noises coues make on it, and the dove noise or cooing noise was on it. I wish I could remember what it was. Any ways it is a wierd noise to hear.

[Rembrant]

Robert,

Thanks for all of the information. This is cool stuff.

I've done all my scouting, picked the best spot, hung the blind, bought the calls. Now I gotta put in the time.

I will be listening anxiously.

I wish everyone that is going afield next week the very best.

Mike

[CouesWhitetail]

Jesus,

 

I don't know if the Phantom caller will work on Coues Deer, but it sounds pretty similar. I imagine that it would. Maybe it's not perfectly like Coues deer, but they are WT and those are WT calls, so I think it's probably close enough. I haven't tried it because the thing is expensive. But I have been dying to!

 

Anyone out there ever used it for Coues???

 

Amanda

[az4life]

VERY interesting stuff! I will hopefully have occasion to use some of it this weekend! Hopefully... since my daughter has been sick for a full week. I hope I don't catch it and have to bag the hunt! Sounds like rain is likely for the state Friday! Fine by me if it is a light rain. I have always had good luck in light rain!

Keep the guns dry and eyes wide open! Hope to get some good pictures and a good buck also!

Edited January 1, 1970 by az4life

[hawkeye]

I JUST ORDERED A PRIMOS DEER CALL THAT HAS A COUSE DEER SETTING. AND ALSO A WHITETAIL BLEAT THAT WORKS WHEN YOU TURN THE CAN OVER. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WILL WORK BUT I'LL TRY THEM ON MY 24A HUNT THIS WEEK.

 

DAVE

[galiuro mountain man]

Dave, the grunt you have is the same one I have and it seems to work pretty good. The can you have I have seen but have not used, it seems a little lower pitched than the deer I have heard in the field, but who knows, it may work great. Give it a try and see what happens.

GOOD LUCK

[hawkeye]

Thanks for the info. My son works in a sporting goods store in Mesa and I had him buy them for me. He just called and told me they sound pretty good. I hope they still work when he brings them to me on Thursday.

 

Dave

[CouesFanatic]

Dave,

I have that can also. I don't know how it works in the field but i'm gunna try it this weekend. It is a very reliable call. It has a hole in the bottom so it won't call if you keep it in your pocket. You tip it over and cover the hole and it makes a bleat sound. It sounds pretty good to me. Let me know how it works for you this weekend. I'll let everyone know as well.

[CouesWhitetail]

You guys talking about the Primos "easy estrus bleat" or the Primos "hyper estrus bleat" can. The "hyper estrus" bleat can is smaller and higher pitched, so I was wondering if that was better for Coues deer.

 

Anyone know a good place to get one of those calls in PHX/Mesa area?

 

Amanda

Edited January 1, 1970 by CouesWhitetail

[az4life]

While hunting last weekend, I did my best vocal impression of the social grunt and bleat calls from the "phantom call" site noted above. I was impressed with the deer reactions. I have tried calls in the past, but usually as a last effort when the deer are on the move away from me. I usually try to stay quiet instead of making cover noise.

 

This time I tried grunts while Hiking and periodically while sitting in my observation post. At one point I had been grunting, and there was not much hapeining in the snow covered hills. I turned to watch another hunter about a mile away, near my vehicle, and as I pulled the binos down, I heard a loud "SHwoosh Shwoosh" from my left side. 2 does had moved up from the side of the hill toward me and were wide open about 25 yards from me. My movement startled them and boy did they let me know it.

 

Other times Deer seemed to be calmed and not so worried about me moving around if they heard the grunts.

 

Very cool new method for me in getting around those rugged hiking hunting areas. Thanks for the tips.

[Guest robert]

you are welcome, glad someone tried it, and very glad it worked for you. I went out and saw no deer, but I know where I will lion hunt.

[Kevin]

Hawkeye, or anyone else, which Primos call has the Coues deer setting?