November is synonymous with whitetail hunting and visits to deer camps for Maine sportsmen. Deer hunting and the pride of bagging a big buck are as much a part of Pine Tree heritage as lobstering and logging, and often a family tradition passed on from one generation to the next. Tactics and technique, “secret” prime whitetail locations, favorite deer rifles, and plenty of proven sage advice is passed on to younger sportsmen from veteran deer stalkers. The only problem is, hunting styles have changed in the last half-century and some new skills can increase the odds of putting venison on the table.

Getting into the woods and still hunting, or tracking if there was snow cover, were the methods of deer hunting my dad taught me while I was growing up. Each approach required sharp eyes, slow, careful movement and, above all, silence. A good woodsman understands the wind, and can even use it in his favor, but noise will give your location away even quicker than a keen whitetail nose. Over the last decade or so, the “silence is golden” rule of deer hunting suddenly has a few addenda. In fact, specific noises at certain times during an outing can be very beneficial.

Deer dialogue

Some years ago I was invited to deer hunt at Rice Hope Plantation in South Carolina as a thank-you for introducing its owner to the exciting sport of sea duck gunning. The woods, the style of hunting, and tactics of talking to the quarry really opened my eyes. Mornings were reserved for casting to feisty, red fish and afternoons for sitting in a tree stand among the open oaks along a hardwood ridge.

As if the excitement of a deer hunt in a new state under conditions very contrasting to Maine weren’t enough, two circumstances truly earmarked the excursion. First, I was on the highest tree stand with the smallest seat I’ve ever been in before or since. It was 30 feet up if it was an inch, and ascending and descending via random spikes pounded into the tree most certainly shortened my expected life span. Deviation No. 2 was that I was hunting with a crossbow.

My companion and makeshift guide was the plantation manager’s 17-year-old son. He went up and down the high oak like a squirrel and perched beside me on a seat as small as my own with nary a safety belt. I, on the other hand, even added a second harness when the wind began swaying our lofty roost in 6- and 8-foot arcs.

An hour into the hunt, just when my breathing and heart rate were settling back below frenzy, a sleek six-pointer came ambling through the tree trunks and ground brush. One specific space on the ground had been cleared to offer an open shooting lane, but this whitetail was angling the wrong way for any dependable overhead arrow shot.

I followed the deer’s path with my 20-yard pin, but no shot presented itself and the buck was almost to the trees. Suddenly a soft mellow doe grunt sounded and the deer turned broadside to look back in our direction. My tree partner, Tim, made the sound, I made the shot, and we dragged out a fine, fat whitetail. That buck would have been lost to silent hunters.

That same night my host, Dr. Wright Skinner, took two does with his bow thanks to calling. He alternated a fawn bleat call with a low doe grunt call and called both does within 15 yards of his stand. On night two, Tim coaxed a three-pointer into range for my crossbow by using a yearling grunt and a doe-in- heat grunt. Noise in the woods doesn’t always scare deer away, the right sounds under the right circumstances will often bring them closer.

Sound selection

A language lesson in deer talk is fairly brief, as only four sounds are truly important to hunting success. Bleats may remind you of sheep, but this sound is used by bucks, does, and particularly fawns during the fall. The only major difference is the tone, which is high-pitched in juveniles and lowers in timbre with age. Bucks associate a bleat call with a group of does and will always investigate during the rut. A couple of loud bleat calls are also particularly effective before and after a sequence of rattling antlers.

Grunts make up the other three prominent deer calls used by bucks and does. Yearling bucks and does emit a soft grunt most frequently as a locator call. Sounding somewhat like a short- or medium-length human burp, the yearling grunt sound is also issued during a confrontation over food. It’s easy to see how both of these instances can benefit a hunter trying to draw a deer closer.

A dominant buck grunt is the same as the yearling grunt only much deeper and with more aggressive nature. During the height of the rut, using the dominant grunt will often bring a challenger running to investigate and do battle. During the end of the breeding season, the best call is a tending grunt. When a buck is with a doe in full heat, he will utter a low moaning grunt for a minute or more. It’s actually a long series of short grunts with almost no hesitation between, and any other buck nearby will know an estrous doe is in the area and come to try and intervene. It’s a nearly foolproof call.

Tube calls that function just like a duck call are light, inexpensive, easy to carry, and simple to use. There are dozens of styles by several well-known manufacturers, and a few upper-end models are adjustable and able to produce various calls and tones. The True Talker from Hunters Specialties, Primo’s Power Buck and Doe, and M.A.D. calls Grunt-Snort-Wheeze all offer a series of sounds and come with either an audio or video instructional.

Another foolproof type of call is what I call the tip-and-talk unit. A small, enclosed canister that issues a sound when inverted or when a button or plunger is pushed always produces just the right bleat or grunt. These calling cans dependably produce the same sound, never malfunction due to dirt or moisture, and offer one-handed sounds for even novice or youth hunters.

Technology comes into play with high-end units that digitally produce calls, mimic rattling antler sounds, and even issue foot-stomping and tree- scraping sounds with the push of a button. Most units have an amplifying speaker attached and offer up to 12 varied calls and sounds to attract a whitetail. Prices range from $100 to $300 and units are a bit cumbersome, but perfection always comes with a few drawbacks.

Other options

If you’re going to make noise while hunting your favorite deer cover, consider a set of rattling horns. Often considered a Texas tactic, this fake fight between rutting bucks has caught on and proven productive throughout Maine for certain buck hunters. Fake antlers can be purchased or sports can use a set of real headwear to rattle, beat the brush, and scrape the ground in hopes of enticing a feisty whitetail to investigate the fray.

Rattling up a buck is most effective during the last two weeks of November and the first week of December. This style of calling is fairly simple to learn, and practice makes perfect. Rattle from the ground, rather than a tree stand and work from a well-camouflaged site among fairly open woods so approaching deer can be spotted. Wind direction is crucial. Wear gloves or fingers will eventually suffer. Then, shake, rattle, and roll!

When all else fails, try whistling up a whitetail. Over the years I’ve seen jumped and spooked deer stopped dead in their tracks with a shrill whistle. It works in open fields or heavy timber when a buck is running full tilt, and my rough estimate is that a sharp whistle will stop an escaping deer two out of three times. Shoot quickly and accurately; the delay is usually short.

Another verbal sound that will also stop a running whitetail at closer range is a drawn-out blat or bleat. I’ve seen it and I’ve done it. Just imitate a lamb and be ready to aim and fire. As smart as deer are, they respond to some dumb sounds sometimes. When you’re out and about this month in search of deer, remember, sometimes it’s sound, not silence, that’s golden.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com