Dave,

A grunt call and rattling antlers/bag are always in my possession no matter when I hunt.  I have found that grunt calling and to an extent rattling are both neutrals-to-positives in the deer woods.  I rarely see a deer act negatively to the grunt call.  Deer are curious critters and respond well to calling in the right situation.  One situation where I don’t use either a grunt or rattle call is if a buck is close enough to see the source of the call.  Bucks that hear a call but don’t see a deer where they think one should be often leave the area.

I have gads of Reconyx images of mature bucks actively fighting a month after the peak of the rut.  This late activity is often due to fawns reaching sexual maturity (at approximately 70 lbs).  One estrous doe in the middle of several bucks without a date can create some tremendous activity.  As you can imagine, this kind of ruckus can keep bringing in bucks just like you can by rattling and grunting.

After the peak of the rut is over I tend to change my hunting strategy to focus on food sources.  The temperatures are dropping and deer are in need of energy.  Anywhere I can find food and a good number of does there is a greater chance a mature buck is going to be traveling through the area.

Growing Deer together,

Grant