>>1145911>>1145854Calling is highly variable. For rattling, I like using the rattling paddles because they are high-pitched, and carry a long ways. Rattle bags are good too. During the pre-rut (in Iowa that's About Oct 25-31), I like to rattle shortly after first light in the morning, or about 30 mins before closing up at night. If you rattle right at last light, you risk a deer moving into the rattle as you are leaving the stand. Often forgotten is the need to make additional noise while rattling, like breaking branches or if you're on the ground, raking leaves with your foot to simulate two actual deer fighting, which is always very noisy. One trick I want to try out from a trad-bow legend named Mike Mitten is to tie 2-4 shed antlers together with some paracord, hang it from your treestand, and pull the string up and down and disturb the leaves on the ground while also creating the rattle noise. This would be highly effective I believe. Remember that a mature buck will almost always come in down-wind of your rattle, so you better be in a good location to fool his nose.
For grunting, I like the Hunter's Specialties True Talker. It's very natural and relatively inexpensive. Personally, I haven't had a great deal of success grunting bucks in - a lot of people use the grunt and mature bucks seem to have heard a grunt or two and will be skeptical. I've seen it work a lot of times on YouTube though so I'm sure it works many times. I just wouldn't expect to work like a charm every time.
I haven't had much luck with doe bleats, so can't comment. Deer tend to sort of look at the source of sound but not react to it.
Overall, calling should be a secondary or desperation strategy. Your primary strategy should always be a pure ambush if you're hunting from a tree stand. A secondary strategy is a decoy. Then the calling. The calling is just not as effective consistently.
