TUBE TIPS

GRUNT LIKE THE REAL DEAL TO TRICK WARY WHITE-TAILED BUCKS

BY MIKE HUNGLE

CALLS CAN BE productive when you’re hunting white-tailed deer, and one of the best options is the grunt tube. With its deep guttural sounds, it can be used to both attract bucks and stop them in their tracks. Here’s how to make the most out of this versatile call.

MIND THE WIND When choosing a location to call from, the wind direction is key. Incoming bucks will be on the alert looking for other deer, and they’ll almost always circle around downwind. With that in mind, find an area that offers an adequate downwind shooting lane. When hunting with a partner, have the shooter set up 50 metres downwind from the caller.

GET THEIR ATTENTION Start calling by making two or three short grunts every 15 to 20 minutes, which serves to announce your presence. If any bucks are within earshot, the chances are good they’ll come to investigate. Stop calling once you know a buck is coming in, as you’ve already got his attention and he wants to find you. If he loses interest or starts to move away, however, call again. This time, make only one or two soft grunts, with the tube pointing away from the buck. That way, it will seem like you’re moving away from him.

MAKE THEM PAUSE During the rut, bucks will quickly trot along with their nose to the ground following the trail of a doe. They’ll generally be moving too fast for a good shooting opportunity, however, so you need to make them briefly stop. To get a buck to pause, place your grunt tube in your mouth and raise your gun or bow. Then once the buck is in range and you have a clear shot, give the tube a quick toot. That will often make him freeze, giving you a chance at a stationary target. Just be quick, though, since the buck won’t stand still for long.

BRING THEM IN If you see a distant buck, but he’s not coming your way, try hailing him down with a single, two- or three-second-long grunt to get his attention. Often, that will bring the buck straight toward you. If he doesn’t come, try again, making your hail call louder and longer. Once the buck decides to head your way, stay quiet and don’t call unless he stops.

AVOID FREEZING UP One last tip: If you’re hunting and it drops below 0°C, you’ll quickly find that your grunt tube will freeze up. To avoid that, turn the call around and inhale through it instead to make grunts. OC

In Season

BLACK BEARS

Hunters often overlook fall black bears in favour of ungulates, but bear meat and hides are at their best late in the year. Since they’ll be in a feeding frenzy of sorts fattening up for winter, bears near agricultural lands will feed heavily on grains, especially oats, as well as fruits where available. Forest bears, meanwhile, will focus on berries and nuts. Find where they’re feeding—scat is good evidence— then set up with a favourable wind, wait and let them come to you. When hunting in big country, glass for bears in burns and clearcuts with nearby heavy timber, or on the north-facing slopes of drainages where you have good sight lines. Throughout early fall, daytime temperatures can be warm, so hunt the shoulder hours. As temperatures cool, however, bears will become more active throughout the day. Since these predators are opportunistic feeders, calling can also produce in the fall.

BAILEY

Walleye

My good friend and professional angler Derek Strub is widely acclaimed for his bass-fishing prowess using a drop-shot rig, so it’s probably no surprise he uses the same rig to catch walleye in the fall. Unlike most drop-shot anglers, however, Strub never spools his spinning reel with braided line. Instead, he opts for fluorocarbon—and for a truly fascinating reason. Since super-lines are so sensitive and don’t stretch, he says, it’s easy to overwork your baits, which turns off neutral and negative walleye. Fluorocarbon, on the other hand, provides just the right amount of elasticity and absorbs the tiniest amount of perceptiveness to help you land more and bigger fall walleye. And when you drop-shot with fluorocarbon, adds Strub, you tend to give the walleye an extra second or two to get the bait well inside their mouth. —GORD

PYZER

TROPHY WALL