First and foremost, be sure you know the rut is on. The weather is warm, make sure you don’t go out too early, from past experience between 8am and 11am normally works best.
Make sure you do your reconnaissance prior to calling! Maybe try an area where you have already seen a mature buck, or where you have seen fresh scrapes and fraying activity.
Choose a call you are familiar with using and have practised a little with. Simple calls to practise before the rut are short kid fieps and the longer ‘fieeeep’ call of a mature doe.
After you have made your initial call (preferably a single doe call), repeat calls in groups of three to six ‘fieps’, leaving a few minutes between each set.
Remember:
Do not give up if you don;t get an immediate result. After a few sets, leave it 5-10 minutes and resume. Mature master bucks may be wary and come and take a look. They also may have to come a long distance a way, so be patient.
Be fully alert and ready with your rifle and position when starting to call. With nature working its magic, roebucks are often seen crashing out of bushes no more than 10-15m away. So, in the midst of the adrenaline-fuelled scenario, be sure to listen out for the snap of branches and twigs under hoof – your hearing could be the key to success or failure!
Quick Essential: Staying as camouflaged as possible is essential, covering up bare skin with our Browning Face Veil is a great way to achieve maximum concealment.
Final Reminder:
Patience really is a virtue when it comes to successful results in the roebuck rut, especially calling in old mature bucks. Even though at times it can get frustratingly unreliable, do not give up if you don’t get your results straight away and don’t be scared to change it up; location, calls etc.