Deer calling - All
How the Grunt Call Came to Be
Realtree pro staffer Brad Harris was grunting up whitetails long before deer calling was cool
Brad Harris was high in a tree in Mingo Swamp in southeast Missouri when a 6-point buck walked by at about 80 yards. Harris doesn’t remember the exact year, but it was in the ’70s. He was working in the mines back in those days, and he was among several in a group who loved to bowhunt and spent about every free minute of a break talking about bows, arrows, broadheads, and whitetails. This was back in the day, Harris says, when top-of-the-line hunting equipment was a 45-pound Shakespeare recurve with cedar arrows, and just getting a deer — anything with legal antlers — was a huge accomplishment.
One of those buddies at the mine had told Harris that his brother had been hunting and listened as a little buck, standing right under his tree, had made a curious grunting sound. The guy pinched his nose and re-created the grunt himself. Harris had never heard a whitetail make such a noise, and he says few others had either — but he trusted this particular buddy not to pull his leg. He began practicing the sound himself.
As the little swamp buck passed well out of range, Harris figured he had nothing to lose, and so he pinched his nose and gave it a grunt. The buck stopped, and so the hunter repeated the noise. The buck looked his way that time, and a third grunt brought it on a steady walk right to his tree. The deer stopped broadside at 20 yards. “I shot 6 inches under his belly, I was shaking so hard, but it was the best hunt of my life,” Harris says with a laugh. “I’d made a deer do something it wasn’t going to do, and I knew if I practiced my shooting, it could be deadly.”
Brad Harris eventually went on to work for the Lohman Calls company, where he started out focusing on turkey calls but soon began making deer calls, too. Lohman introduced the first commercial grunt call in the ’80s. In those days, Harris says, hunters were pretty skeptical of the idea of deer calling. Most had never heard a deer grunt in the wild, partly because they didn’t recognize the subtle sound when they did hear it, and also because there just weren’t all that many deer around. Harris recalled speaking at a seminar shortly after going to work for Lohman, and a grizzled group of some 200 bowhunters all but laughed him off stage when he made the pitch for using a grunt call. Two years later, though, Harris gave the same seminar in the same location, and many of those same bowhunters were by then grunt-call converts. Other brands like Knight & Hale and Haydel’s Game Calls soon followed up with deer grunters of their own, and Harris says that competition actually solidified the Lohman grunt call’s credibility.
Grunt calls of today haven’t changed much, and in many ways, the calls themselves have helped educate a generation of deer hunters who now know whitetails are pretty vocal critters, if you know what you’re listening for. Harris himself, a longtime member of the Realtree pro staff and one of the pioneers of filming hunts, is still an aggressive game caller to this day who has seen a grunt call work over and again. You’ll hear his game-calling tips and more behind-the-scenes on how the grunt call came to be in this episode of Realtree’s Outpost Podcast.
Hunting Deer by Calling — A Tactical and Seasonal Art Now in Full Swing Across Russia
Calling deer — or “hunting by lure” — is a highly skilled and strategic method in which the hunter mimics the vocalizations of either a rival male (buck) or a receptive female (doe) to provoke a response from a wild deer. This technique is especially effective during the rut — the annual mating season — when bucks are driven by hormones, territorial instincts, and competition to seek out rivals or mates. A well-executed call can trigger curiosity, aggression, or desire in a stag, drawing it within range of the hunter’s position. Hunters use specialized tools such as grunt tubes, bleat calls, or even handmade wooden or plastic callers to replicate the nuanced sounds of deer — from deep, guttural challenge grunts to soft, alluring doe bleats.
This method requires not only technical skill in sound imitation but also deep knowledge of deer behavior, wind direction, terrain, and patience. A single misplaced step or poorly timed call can alert the animal and ruin the entire setup. Success often depends on the hunter’s ability to read the landscape and anticipate deer movement — turning the hunt into a psychological game as much as a physical one.
Deer Calling in Russia: Tradition Meets Modern Tactics
In Russia, deer calling is a widely practiced and respected hunting technique, particularly for species such as the red deer (благородный олень), roe deer (косуля), and Siberian wapiti (марал). Across the vast expanses of Russia — from the forests of the Urals and Siberia to the woodlands of Central Russia and the Far East — hunters have long relied on calling as a core method during the rutting season.
The rut for most deer species in Russia typically begins in late September and peaks through October and early November, depending on the region and local climate. As autumn deepens and temperatures drop, stags become increasingly vocal and combative, making them more responsive to calls. In many regions — including Krasnoyarsk Krai, Altai, Tver, Yaroslavl, and the Republic of Buryatia — the official hunting season for deer via calling methods has already begun, with regional hunting authorities issuing permits and setting strict quotas to ensure sustainable populations.
Russian hunters often combine traditional knowledge — passed down through generations — with modern equipment. While some still use hand-carved wooden calls or simply their own voice to mimic deer sounds, others now employ electronic callers or high-fidelity mouth-blown devices imported from Europe or North America. However, regulations in many Russian regions prohibit the use of electronic callers to preserve the “fair chase” principle and prevent overharvesting.
Season Is Now Open — But Rules Apply
Across numerous federal subjects of Russia, the 2024 deer calling season is officially underway. Hunters must possess valid licenses, adhere to regional bag limits, and hunt only during designated hours and zones. Many regions require hunters to report their harvest within 24–48 hours and may restrict calling to certain dates within the broader hunting season to avoid disturbing deer outside peak rutting activity.
Local hunting societies and wildlife departments often organize guided calling hunts or educational seminars to teach newcomers the art of deer vocalization and ethical hunting practices. In recent years, there’s also been a growing emphasis on conservation — ensuring that while the thrill of calling a majestic stag out of the forest remains alive, it doesn’t come at the cost of ecological balance.
In Summary:
Deer calling is more than just a hunting tactic — it’s an immersive experience that connects the hunter with the rhythms of nature, the behavior of wild animals, and the ancient traditions of the chase. As the rut intensifies across Russia’s forests and fields, hunters are heading into the woods, calls in hand, ready to test their skill against some of the country’s most iconic game animals. Whether you’re a seasoned caller or a curious beginner, now is the time — but always remember: respect the animal, respect the law, and respect the wild.
The season has begun. The forest is listening.
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