|
|
When To Use Can Calls?
By Bob Humphrey
Q: I’ve been told that can calls are very effective at calling in deer. I’m wondering when the best time to use it would be and how often.
A: Biologists have identified approximately 12 distinct whitetail calls, including vocalizations and variations of the snort. Can calls are designed to imitate a bleat. The bleat is most often made by a fawn, and can be quite emphatic when the young deer gets separated from its mother. Imitating this call can be effective at attracting does, particularly early in the hunting season when their maternal instinct is stronger. It is less seldom used by adult deer, though I did witness a yearling doe bleating nearly non-stop as she strolled by my stand with her tail held up horizontally. While it’s not a common adult vocalization, and certainly not used by a doe to attract a buck, it does seem work sometimes for that purpose. There are no hard and fast rules as to how much or how often to use any deer call but it’s always best to err on the conservative side.