I'm interested in peoples technique for roe calling in the rut.

I use a Buttalo squeezable and start with a couple of bouts of fawn distress call, if nothing occurs I move on to a doe in oestrus call and finaly the doe being pursued by the buck call.

Weather seems very important, good hot days are dynamite - for muntjac. I have never had a roe buck 'spring' on me (ie gallop in) but I have with muntjac who answer to the same calls. Some bucks have gently investigated.

It never ceases to amaze me how a deer can appear at your feet having moverd through a forest of twigs and leaves without a sound!

[ 07-26-2002, 18:07: Message edited by: 1894 ]

1894,

As of last weekend, the rut has not started on our ground in Scotland yet. I tend to use a Hubertus Cherry wood call and go from fawn to doe like yourself. I have had some remarkable results with beastss being seen coming in from a good half mile away in one instance.
I have been almost trampled by bucks and does on several occasions. Although I stil try to watch the wind, it is not so important during the rut. One time, I got caught on the middle of an open ride and had two bucks chasing a doe in figure of eights around me at a range of twenty yards or so....After a couple of minutes of this (talk about buck fever!) I managed to take the smaller buck..

Another time my mate and I had completed our mornings stalk and were walking back to the cabin. For no real reason my mate gave a fawn sqeak on his Hubertus call, not expecting any results as we were retracing our steps over ground we had covered earlier. Low and behold a doe came in like a steam train with a buck hot on her heels. As she got close to us (several feet) she realised she was stuck, and I distinctly head her make the terror call as she dived into cover. I actually have a somewhat poor quality photo looking over my mates shoulder of him sighting on the doe and the doe in the background.
The buck was another that got away on that occassion.

I think that to get good results, there must be high density's of deer on the ground and the buck to doe ratio must also be favourable. Of course it also helps if you catch the rut in full swing!
Other than that, from painful expirience I would say don't call untill you are ready and in a good position to shoot...that also holds good for Charlie too! So often I have been caught wrong footed when a beast has responded to an exploritory squeak!

regards,

Pete

PS there is a vacancy for a spot on a sydicate near Aberdeen...About 1700 acres of mature Sitka spruce and some open moor. Mostly roe and some red. Stalker retains the carcass and a cabin and the use of a quad or sometimes an argo is included. Price for the balance of the year is �480 with it being �600 for a full season...let me know if your interested. You would be one of 6 or 7 on the ground...

[ 07-26-2002, 18:34: Message edited by: Pete E ]

How do you produce the different calls? I got one of those little "bladders" a couple of years ago but can't seem to get the hang of it.

Wachel,

The Hubertus cherry wood call is very easy to tune. It has a small thumb crew you adust..the tighter the screw the higher the pitch ie that produces a fawn squeak...release the tension on the screw and you get a doe squeak...it really is that asy and does not take any "musical" skill as with an open reed call.

Hubertus also make a set of calls which are very good. They are all pretuned and just need blowing.
The set is fairly expensive but well worth it.
It comes with a fawn squeak, a young doe squeak, and old doe squeak and a terror call.

The call you tried was probably a Buttalo? (sp?)
and has a very good repuation of here. However I tried it and had no real luck; I much prefer the Hubertus calls.

Regards,

Peter