Don’t get in a rut over a hot date with deer
Jon Snowdon urges stalkers against fixed habits when it comes to the rut
Iam writing this just as the rut is about to kick off. We now have another permission to carry out deer management on, though the current restrictions mean that the Greenlee team is not on the land as much as we would like. It wouldn’t surprise me if the rut hasn’t already been simmering away for a while. I have often been questioned when I have said this in the past. Many stalkers talk about not calling until a certain date – the said date often being around 20 July.
Many are focused on this, what is considered to be the most common time that the rut becomes visible. Just because we haven’t witnessed it, however, doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been happening. I have witnessed rutting behaviour as early as 27 June, and before you say it, yes, they were rutting; the action wasn’t just a one-off pair, and the estate was in full rut by 3 July. The
latest I remember bringing a buck into the call was 28 August.
Timing
Getting the timing right for the rut can be a gamble and I have witnessed it fizzling out before the last week of July, so that virtually all of it happened without us. There are also years, especially in poor weather, when we have hardly seen any of it. So don’t judge the timing of the rut by going with the date ascribed to it by Uncle Tom Cobley and all but by being on the ground observing what is going on well before that much-discussed last week of July. You could be surprised.
Many readers will buy or receive their next edition (September) of Sporting Gun on 1 August. I would advise that you don’t miss getting out with your caller that week, as it is generally a hot one for the roe rut. Then again...
Calling
I have written about this often in the past but it does bear repeating: good calling takes practice, whatever caller you use. To imitate the doe as she calls for a buck is not just a matter of giving the odd squeak or squeal; she is quite specific in the sound she gives. That sound also varies in pitch and regularity for each female.
The best way for any deer manager to learn and understand the pace and pitch of a call is actually to hear a doe in the woodland. You may be surprised by the urgent piercing call that bounces off the trees and echoes around the woodland. At other moments a soft, appealing whisper arrives through the foliage, a rising and falling sound so soft that you tilt your head slightly in its direction, unsure that you heard anything at all. The best tuition is always time spent out on the ground (without the distraction of a rifle) and cultivating awareness of what can be seen or heard.
Callers
There are many callers on the market but my favourite is the Nordik Roe. It has a reed that is held in position by rubber rings, which can be adjusted if necessary. The variety of sound, volume and pitch that can be produced from it is remarkable. Clarinet players will no doubt understand exactly how it is done. It is not difficult to use but does take time to master. You would be well advised to practise and make your mistakes at home rather than frightening the life out of your deer population, never to see them again.
My fallback caller is the Buttolo Deer Call, which works by squeezing the rubber, with the reed inside producing the sound. It is easy enough to use and the sound can be changed slightly, though the pitch is more or less fixed.
“Practise with your caller and make your mistakes at home”