DOE/FAWN CALL BY KNIGHT & HALE

The opening day of the 2011 Illinois archery deer season was off to a slow start. With warm temperatures and most of the corn still standing, the deer weren’t moving. So decided to make my own luck with some new calls by Knight & Hale. I broke out the EZ Gravity Bleat call that simulates a doe bleat simply by turning the call upside down. I did that three times. After about 5 minutes, I followed up with a 10 second blast on the Single Reed Fawn Bleat. This is a simple to use mouth call that imitates a high-pitched bawl of a lost fawn. 20 minutes later a deer appeared about 50 yards down a ravine behind my stand. The deer worked it’s way toward me, but I lost sight of it in some thick brush. I gave a couple more “doe bleats” on the EZ call. And within minutes the deer appeared again, in front of me and walking along the edge of a hay field from my left to right. The deer passed me at about 40 yards. With nothing between us but air, I decided to take the shot. My arrow found it’s mark, and the deer ran about 60 feet and dropped. The button buck wasn’t very big, but I was happy to start my opening day with a deer on the ground, and some meat in the freezer. Although he didn’t come directly to my stand, I’m confident the doe/fawn combo brought him within range. Both of these calls are simple to use, and best of all can be used anytime during the season. They are designed to appeal to the natural parent/offspring instincts of all whitetails. I plan to use them again to see how a buck will respond.

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