DOUBLE CALL TO BAG BIG BUCKS
Introduction to Double-Calling
Editor’s Note: I went to Texas to learn the double-calling
technique for calling deer, which could involve two
or three hunters. From what I saw and learned, I believe
double-calling deer is much more effective than if a
single person tries to call deer alone. With this tactic,
I believe two or three hunters can see and take twice
as many bucks in a day of hunting as one hunter can.
In the early days of professional football, one athlete
might play both offense and defense and be required
to play several different positions on both the offensive
and defensive teams. However, as the game developed,
teams soon learned that having specialized players at
each position on both offense and defense helped them
perform more effectively, score more touchdowns on offense
and stop more touchdowns being scored on defense than
if one man tried to play two or three positions. From
what I saw of double-calling, this philosophy also could
be incorporated successfully into deer huntin g.
Finally the 9-point buck we had watched for some time
moved away from the herd of other bucks and does. He
had heard the rattling of antlers produced by Steve
Warner, wildlife biologist, and the grunt calls of Rod
Haydel, president of Haydel's Game Calls. "We've
got him hooked now. All we have to do is reel him in,"
Warner said as he continued to lightly click the large
antlers together. When the rattling stopped, Haydel
gave short calls on his grunt tube. The buck listened
and continued to circle to our right. "The buck
will circle downwind of us before he comes in,"
Warner said. "Get ready John! When you have an
open shot, prepare to make it. The next time Rod grunts
and the buck stops, make the shot." Warner and
Haydel were double calling bucks. The buck was in the
clear now. The crosshairs of my scope were on the buck's
shoulder. When I heard Haydel grunt, I saw the deer's
ears go up. The animal froze like a statue. Gently I
squeezed the trigger until the rifle reported. But inste ad
of the buck's piling up in a heap as I expected, he
began to trot up the hill. I was dumbfounded. I knew
I had shot accurately and that the shot I delivered
should have put the buck down instantly. But the animal
still walked off as though he never had been hit. "Take
the second shot," Warner instructed.
At that moment, Haydel grunted. The buck stopped again,
and I fired a second time. This time I aimed square
in the middle of the deer's back as he went away from
me and up the mountain. The second shot, unlike the
first, dropped the buck in his tracks. I still was puzzled,
however, about why I had missed the first shot. My aim
was steady. I'd squeezed the trigger, not jerked it.
The shot felt right. But the buck didn't go down. At
first I wanted to blame the rifle or the scope. However,
then I remembered I had just sighted the rifle in two
days before and I had taken all precautions to make
sure my scope wasn't bumped. When
I got close to the buck, I saw that my rifle nor the
scope was to blame. The surprising good news was that
neither was I. Although the bullet had landed exactly
where I had aimed, apparently the 7mm Magnum had gone
through the deer so quickly the energy from the bullet
had not caused the damage at that close range I had
hoped it would. But I was proud of my trophy-racked
buck, the hunt we had made, and the opportunity I had
had to learn how, where, when and why double-calling
bucks is so effective.
TOMORROW: DUET CALLING
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