Fawn Bleats For Early Season Does

Looking to fill an antlerless tag early in the season? Anytime between opening day and about October 20, you have an excellent chance of bringing a doe or two to you by using a fawn bleat call. Don't be shy when you do use a fawn bleat. You want to put some emotion into it, because you are trying to sound like a fawn in trouble, like maybe caught up in a fence or being grabbed by a coyote.

A doe's maternal instincts are so strong, that even if she knows that the fawn in trouble is not one of her own, she will often rush in to try to save the day. You want to be ready for fast action when you use a fawn bleat, because most of the does I have called in with a fawn bleat have come on the run and looking for trouble. After messing up a few opportunities as I reached for my bow, I now call with my right hand and hold the bow with my left, with an arrow nocked. This is a super-exciting way to fill those antler-less tags and put some of the best meat you will ever eat in the freezer.

Hunt Water

Besides a fawn bleat, another good tactic is using water to your advantage. There are two periods each season when hunting over water is a good bet. Those two times are early season when the weather is still hot and then a couple of months later when the bucks are chasing does. When a buck is all decked out in his winter coat and sporting an inch or two of fat across his rump and back, he will get overheated if he does not drink.

The best waterholes are those in cover and the heavier the better. Quality of the water is not as important as its location. Whitetail deer will drink out of any muddy seep if they can stay in cover as they drink.

Water is so important, that if I owned hunting land, the first thing I would do is to put in a couple of waterholes.