When it comes to hunting mule deer, everyone is looking for an advantage. I’m no different. I scoured the internet looking for an edge. Then I came across the subject of calling in mule deer.

What I found out was that by correctly using a call, you could increase your chances of bagging a mule deer buck.

You can call a mule deer in with a variety of calls. Whether it is a grunt, distress, bleat, or rattling antlers, mule deer can and do respond to calls. It’s important to keep in mind that the time of year does greatly influence how the deer respond to these calls in different environments.

You tend to not hear too much about calling mule deer because of the landscape in which they live. Contrary to white-tailed deer, mule deer occupy vast open areas with pockets of forests and steep hills.

This means the deer are more spread out over a larger area. So your calling efforts may be in vain if you are not in the immediate vicinity of some mule deer.

But when you are close to those deer, they can really be responsive using a couple of different calls and techniques.

Calls and techniques

Distress call

A deer distress call can be very effective in calling in mule deer both in the rutting season and otherwise. Using a deer distress sound on your call, similar to a predator call, will spark curiosity in mule deer and has been used to make them come in running to investigate.

With the fawn distress call, the bucks are investigating for does during the rut season. Outside of the rut, both bucks and does alike are coming to investigate what is going on out of curiosity.

Either way, they are coming in.

The key here is not to be too aggressive because it can also have the reverse effect and push the deer further away.

E.L.K. Inc out of Montana makes a call that is great for this technique. They also sell a DVD showcasing how the call works in real hunting cases.

Check out the below video for an excerpt. It’s a bit dated but listen and watch how those deer react.

Grunt Calls

Grunt calls are also most effective during the mule deer rut when you are trying to get a buck to come into your position.

The grunts are the sound the buck makes to communicate territory dominance and to push away other bucks from the does he is trying to mate with.

Just a short, blunt snort every so often should do the trick. You do not want to be too aggressive with snorting. You will be able to hear a good grunt on the video below this paragraph.

Earlier in the fall, a grunt call may be used to get a buck to stand up or move out of a bedded position.

Rattling Antlers

As shown in the above video, using antlers is another tool in the toolbox to help you engage the curiosity of the mule deer in the area.

Based on talking to other people and what I have dug up, I believe this technique is only useful during the rut.

The bucks are listening in for other males in the area and are in turn motivated to back them off their does. The same motivation as the grunt calls.

Decoys and estrus

Another complementary tool to use when trying to call mule deer in is the use of a decoy or scent. Since mule deer have evolved to develop sharp eyesight, they are quite often looking for visual cues to make sense of their environment.

Having a decoy can help seal the deal when trying to convince the buck that there is a legitimate deer close by that he needs to come and check out.

Similarly, a scent, such as estrus, can help push the buck’s curiosity over the edge, and get them to come in. Primos brand hunting calls makes an interesting product in this arena.

Not a stand-alone technique

Between my research and personal experience, I would venture to say that calling in many cases, is not a stand-alone technique for western mule deer hunting.

It may be best to heavily rely on the spot-and-stalk method of hunting and use calling when there appears to be no other alternative or to supplement your spotting efforts. Of course, you, know your territory best.

Unless you are absolutely sure the rutting has begun, and the bucks are in a frenzy, it will be best not to take the risk of spooking the deer.

What’s with the rut?

When the deer are full-blown into the rutting season, that is when there is a green light for calling activity.

The hope of the rut being that a hunter can take advantage of a buck that has let his guard down in hopes of finding a suitable mate.

Bucks respond to all kinds of calls during this season and can be easily lured into close range by a hunter.

So when is the rut?

The prime mating season (rut), for mule deer is about 3-4 weeks. For us in the western states usually mid-November to early December is the rut. That changes to mid-December into January if you are in the southwest region of the U.S.

Whether it is early November or late November into December depends on the doe’s yearly estrous cycle and daylight hours. It is rather hard to time perfectly so make sure you spend as much time in the field as possible.

If you are thinking of going out for a rutting buck this season, it may be worth your time to visit your state’s game management department’s website or give them a call. You can usually read great reports on the wildlife for the year prior and even speak with a biologist that studies the animal.

If you enjoyed this article, here are some more helpful articles from Pinetrees And Solitude.

(This article was originally published on Pintreesandsolitude.com. If it is now published on any other site, it was done without permission from the copyright owner.)

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