I was watching a hunting program on OLN, or TNN. Archers from a tree stand, and a rifle shooter in a blind, were shown making kill shots on deer. Right before they took the shot, the hunters would utter a grunt or noise of some sort. This would cause the deer to raise it's head bolt-upright in alert and face the hunter. I'd like to know what the purpose of this is.

These deer were already perpendicular, broadside shots, so it didn't appear like it provided any better/larger target to hit. The deer were already seen to have been worthy trophy specimens, so I don't think it was to verify their racks. Is it to take an animal from it's relaxed state, and get it's adrenaling pumping in 'alert mode' so as to increase it's blood-flow when hit? That's the best reasoning I could come up with on my own. Thanks.

When bow hunting, most archers I know want the animal to be standing still. The noise you hear them make is a buck grunt and it will make a relaxed walking deer come to a stop and look for the source of the sound. It's just easier to make a perfect shot on an animal without having to factor movement into the equation.

Mac

Deer are, by nature, curious animals. The sound you make is something to make them stop, and check out what that noise was. This generally gives you enough time to make a quality shot. This technique has helped me on more than one occasion. I just let out a "bah" sound, but never too loud. I have even done it as many as four times, each time louder, until the deer hears you and stops. Try it sometime, you'll be amazed!

I have seen a shrill whistle frequetly stop a varmit in headlong flight. They will often skid to a stop and look back for just a second to see the meaning of the new noise, thus giving the hunter time for a quick standing shot.

Thanks guys.

In the movie business it is called visual format of the segment. They are demonstrating the use of a grunt call to stop a deer for a standing shot. It is always to the hunters advantage to shoot at a target standing still than one walking or running. The visual format of the segment on film it achieved by editing. Some film makers are much better than others at editing film segments for TV. You will notice most all animals taken on camera are never filmed so the killing wound shows. That is just not politically correct and helps keeps the animal rights activists at bay. The killing shot in any hunting film only takes a split second in time. In a half hour hunting segment all the rest is called fill material to surround that kill sequence. That fill footage must be intersting and relate to the hunt in some way. Each filmed hunt must look different regarding the segment not pertaining to the kill sequence. Many hours of film must be taken then edited to fill a half hour TV hunting segment. It is certain old hunts are kept on file and some times footage from those past hunts may be cut in the new film to give the segmnet visual continuaty. Stephen Spielburg has proven that in film making anything is possible.