The snort-wheeze call

The snort-wheeze call, although less commonly used, can be kryptonite to a mature whitetail in the right situation, even if it does carry the risk in frightening some deer. The snort-wheeze (not to be confused with the snort of an alarmed whitetail — do not do that!) is an aggressive calling tactic typically used during the rut by a buck expressing his displeasure at another buck. If you’ve got a buck that’s just not doing what you want, it might be time to break out the snort-wheeze. If he’s moving but not stopping or coming in, this call will at least get his attention and, hopefully, challenge his dominance. In the right scenario, the snort-wheeze is a deer’s version of “Them’s fighting words!” Watch the video in OFAH Stream The snort-wheeze callMany grunt calls incorporate a snort-wheeze horn above the grunt tube itself. The snort-wheeze is not hard to replicate and can be done without a store-bought call, with some practice. Why deer snort-wheeze Deer snort-wheeze when challenged by, or when interacting with, another buck. It’s a nasal, three-tone call, with the last tone drawn out — usually a “pfft, pfft, pfffffffffft.” This call can spook smaller or younger bucks, but deer might also investigate out of curiosity. It’s not a friendly call and can scare off subordinate deer. Story time: A (white) tale of failure and redemption I watched a buck creep into the field edge. It was inside 200 yards, though not clearly visible for a shot. Between the trees and the sloping field edge, he was tucked away, cruising along, barely in view, and seemingly indifferent to my pleading doe bleat. I moved on to a rattling sequence but, it was looking like he was going to leave without fully showing himself. I broke out my snort-wheeze call, and let out the classic three-tone sequence. The buck clearly heard it, as he stopped and looked in my direction. As he stared, I let out another snort-wheeze. Instead of seeing an adrenaline-fueled buck walking my way, I saw the white flag as he turned tail and bounded into the timber. While this snort-wheeze attempt ended in disaster, it hasn’t always been that way for me. Not long after that failed attempt, in another field on the same farm, I found myself in a similar situation. A buck was hidden in the timber off a field edge. I had