7 top tips for calling Roe bucks in the rut

7 top tips for calling Roe bucks in the rut

How quick a year it's been. Summer has crept up on us and we are over halfway through. But, yet, we're not complaining as our busiest time of year is now approaching, and the start of the shooting season. The weather can still be a bit hit or miss, yet still the enjoyment of being outdoors, and the adrenaline of a hunt, proves greater.

During this time of year you will start to hear the woods full of anxious questions from avid roe stalkers; "Has it started?" "Is it in full swing?" "Have you seen anything?" "Have I missed it?'' Yes, it can only mean one thing... the Roe rut. We eagerly look forward to it, predict when it will be, search for the signs, and fret when we think we've missed it.

Although as stalkers we are probably not half as anxious about the rut as the roe. For them it is a major annual event, one which holds the key to the long term health and survival of the species.

For those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to stalk, the rut gives us a chance to take account of what is on our ground. It can help confirm what we thought we knew, and may throw up more than the odd surprise with what we didn't. Rutting behaviour gives us an insight into the parts of our territory that the deer favour. But for those who stalk roe like me, it also provides us with the great yearly chance to prove our ability with a roe call.

Now I've often thought that using a roe call is a bit like learning to play the bagpipes. Difficult to master, confusing for the audience, and mysterious to those who lack the skills. But fear not. For no longer do we have to struggle with badly translated Germanic texts and baffling instructions as we squeeze and blow. We can now take advantage of one of the great gizmos (and essentials) in the modern stalkers armoury... the Buttolo.

While it has yet to make us all experts, our small rubber friend has helped level the playing field. This now gives us a fighting chance; using its charms to entice the unwary and hormonally charged towards us. It has increased our collective confidence so don't leave home without it!

Maximize your chances with our 7 top tips;

  1.  Remember the deer know more about this rutting business than you do. Make it your business to learn from them, regular observation is key.

  2. Deer use a variety of calls and their hearing is a lot better than ours. Often it pays to muffle the call by keeping it in your pocket. Also try using it at different times of the day.

  3. A call is more likely to work if you can see the animal you are calling to.

  4. You are more likely to succeed in calling an animal to a wood from open ground than from a wood to open ground, try to target.

  5. Be patient! If you are calling inside a wood you must give the deer a chance to locate you by sound. The call is not a magic bullet: it's an inducement and mature animals in particular tend to be smarter and more wary.

  6. Don't be too over enthusiastic with its use as it will alert the deer to your presence. Persistent calling is as likely to clear the wood as draw the deer to you.

  7. Remember to make good use of the call. It gives you the chance to be selective:  It's as much about what to leave as what to take.

Good luck over the next coming weeks! Leave your comments below and let us know your success stories with the little black call.