Spencer NeuharthSpencer Neuharth is the director of web content at MeatEater, producer of Wired to Hunt, and founder of Rut Fresh. His writing has been featured in over a dozen magazines, including Field & Stream, Petersen's Hunting, and Men's Journal. His work is a reflection of his roots as a whitetail hunter and training as a biologist.
Most hunters probably learned how to make deer vocalizations from fellow hunters—and that’s a damn shame. To truly mimic a rutting whitetail, you want to listen to the real thing.
“What I’m hearing is a series of vocalizations that are typically produced by bucks during the rut—that being a snort wheeze and tending grunt,” Mark Kenyon said. “I’ve heard both in the field and it’s always a treat. The snort wheeze is an aggressive sound made by bucks to challenge other bucks. The long drawn out guttural clicks is a tending grunt, signaling that he’s likely locked on to a doe in heat.”
So next time you’re about torattleor throw a snort wheeze, remember just how unrealistic this deer sounded. It goes to show that there isn’t really such thing as too loud, too aggressive, or too frequent when bucks are in the right mood.
“If you hear any of these sounds, you’re in for a show,” Kenyon said.
Wondering if bucks are in the “right mood” yet? Check out our latestRut Fresh Reportwith whitetail rut updates from across the country.
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