Well i tryed the fawn distress call this evening to see if i could get a doe to come in. all i got was a coyote, but it spotted me about 50 yards out. my question is why do you think a doe never came in? not one in the area? just didnt care? obviously you guys dont know the for sure answer but maybe someone has experience with it before and knows, either if there is a doe close she is going to come running, or maybe they sometimes just dont care, or maybe they know its not real? im kinda scared there werent any does within hearing distance, as i have heard of several occasions that this call makes the does come running in immediately. if there werent any does in range i think i need a new hunting spot.
I wouldnt worry about it too much. Deer are gonna do whatever they wanna do. I wouldnt change spots unless you repeatedly see deer in other areas from where your at now. Id hold out and if you continue to see nothing then try plan b.
There could have been a Doe headed in your direction immediately !!!! But caught wind/sight of the coyote, and changed directions... Maybe the yote is what stopped the Doe's from headed into your set up...
I have never tried this at all so this is just me thinking aloud, but if a doe in your area has fawns with her and she has them on lock down, maybe she wouldnt want to put them at risk? any second opinions on this?
I agree Hitchcock, BUT... This fawn in distress call is supposedly meant to draw ANY adult Doe.. Meaning, if there is a fawn tangled in a fence, and the fawn is screaming, then ANY adult Doe would have their motherly instincts kick in and run to the aid of the fawn.. Have seen where a Doe will leave their own fawns when she hears that distress.. Kinda like playing on her subconcious to motherly actions... I have used this when a Doe was a 100 yards away on a field, and she popped up, and freaked out.. running in circles, running to the call, then back to her fawns, then back to running at me again.. Kinda wierd to watch.. but that call really does play games with an adult Doe's head...
Sounds like something neat to try in late season if you aint having any luck or on a one sit stand or something like that. At least for me.
I agree with the yote possibly changing the way does in the area respond. Back in the spring me and a buddy were in a blind turkey hunting. Got a few to gobble then they went quite. Couldn't figure out why until about 20 minutes later a yote walked by our blind at about 60 yards. Didn't see or hear anything the rest of the day. Give it a second try on another sit and see what happens. if the yote comes running maybe this time you can thin the heard and if not maybe you will get that doe you are hoping for.
I've experimented a lot with calling in does. Many of the "rules" are not all that different than calling in bucks. Here's what I have learned... I'm not sure what call you are specifically using, but don't just blow in the thing. Try to sound hurt, scared, panicked. You need help, and you need it now. Do not call if you can't see a doe, or family group, that you want to call in. Blind calling can lead to a doe(s) coming in down wind, or she snuck in close enough to investigate and you never saw her. Always good to see the deer and play their reaction. If the doe, or group, is heading your way, keep quiet. Do not call again until you are sure they are leaving the area. If you get their attention, again, keep quiet even if they don't start heading your way until it appears they are heading away from you. Or if they stay in the same area and seem to have lost interest. Call to them just enough to get their attention again. Deer are all different. Some does will come right in while others will look, and go back about their business. Calling in doe groups is easier than calling a single doe. This is probably true because the group with have a matriarch. If you see a single doe, its probably not the decision maker and may be unable to decide what to do in that situation. Back to the matriarch, she hears a fawn in distress in her area. She will many times investigate. I've learned that she won't always come right away. I've called to doe groups before that were feeding in fields over a 100 yards away. They will often continue to feed, but always look intently when I would call. This has sometimes gone on for over an hour before the matriarch leads them right to my location. Calling always works best if the doe can't see where the noise is coming from. If the doe has a clear sight to your location, try facing away from the deer. This will some times fool the dumb ones. It doesn't matter if the doe has fawns with her. Many times, this helps. Fawns will often come to investigate and some times the doe will follow. Especially if the fawns walk past your location. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work. Its not going to work every time. But any time you do call to a deer, or group, be aware that they might come back to investigate. Some times they will circle out of sight before coming in.
