While we often catch ourselves wondering, "Did I really see or hear what I thought I did?" there can be little question about what we witnessed or heard if it was captured on videotape. Not only can we rewind it and study it over and over again, we can also share it with our friends. In short, the deer growl probably has been around as long as other deer vocalizations, but we just never recognized it for what it was.

Once this call gets out on the market, I believe that a lot more hunters will begin to recognize the sound as a distinct deer vocalization. Also as more and more hunters get exposed to the growling sound, their ears will become more attuned to listen for it out in the woods. The same thing happened when the first grunt calls were introduced in the 1980s and when the first snort-wheeze calls came out in the late '90s.

Another important factor may be responsible for the reason that this important vocalization has just recently come to light. That is, the more we manage deer populations for mature bucks and the closer the buck:doe ratio gets, the more likely we are to see bucks make this sound. The buck growl is definitely made by bucks in a high state of arousal, and the call is definitely an aggressive sound tied closely to breeding and rutting activities.

Dr. Grant Woods echoes this idea. He believes bucks have always had the capability of making this sound and probably have made it to a lesser degree in the past, but they haven't had as much of a reason to make it in years past as they do now because the whitetail population is much more intensely managed today.

The answers to the next two questions can only be conjecture on my part. From the several recorded instances in which bucks were observed standing over dead estrous does, it's easy to see that the growl call was made at a time when the buck was at a very high state of agitation and excitement. These bucks were definitely at the height of emotional frustration, trying to get the does to stand for them while trying to keep other bucks at bay. When you listen to a full-fledged buck growl even on tape, it's obvious that the buck making the sound has put all of his emotional energy into the vocalization.

Do does also make this vocalization? None have yet been recorded. A highly agitated doe would probably make a more high-pitched sound anyway. So with this in mind, anytime I hear a forceful deep growl in the deer woods I will assume it has been made by a buck.

What does this sound mean to today's deer hunter? When it's imitated correctly, I believe the buck growl can be a very successful call to lure in bucks, particularly mature bucks. Rich Baugh's videotape clearly shows that other bucks are highly attracted to the sound. While one or two of the bucks that Rich videoed may have been trailing the hot doe, several others came in from different directions after the 11-pointer began making the sound. Mark Drury says it best in his instructional DVD: "During that time just before, during or just after peak rutting dates, this call can be a great tool in the hunter's arsenal, especially when combined with other calling techniques like rattling and grunting."

It is apparent that the bucks recorded on video making this sound were not trying to call in other bucks. However, other bucks were certainly attracted to the call, probably because they knew that it involved an estrous doe. And unlike the snort-wheeze call that is an aggressive buck vocalization intended to intimidate other bucks (and also works unbelievably well in calling in mature bucks), the buck growl seems to be used when a buck is operating at a much higher emotional level, as mentioned.

Because it is more of a rutting call, the buck growl may well be more effective at luring in mature bucks at certain times of the year than a grunt call. While the buck grunt is often associated with a hot doe, that's not always the case. Young bucks sometimes use this vocalization because they have been run out of their home territory after their mothers began to cycle. I think some of these young outcasts are simply walking around in the woods grunting in an effort to contact other deer.

Since the buck growl has not yet been exploited by hunters to any real degree, it should prove to be very effective, at least for a few years to come. During the past 15 to 20 years, countless bucks have been fooled by hunters using grunt calls, only to sneak in and get a nose full of human scent or get shot at. As a result, they've become suspicious of this call. Many of the mature bucks I call to these days scarcely look my way.

What does this vocalization mean in the grand scheme of things? What new and exciting aspect of the whitetail's life is waiting for us to discover it just around the corner? I cannot answer these questions, and in a way, I'm glad. For now, when I enter the deer woods this season I'll be content to simply tune my ears to a different sound -- the mighty buck growl!

(Editor's Note: The M.A.D. Buck Growler is available for purchase. An instructional DVD is included with the call, along with Rich Baugh's dramatic footage taken on Nov. 14, 2005, and other great footage taken by Drury Outdoors cameras. To order an autographed copy of Bobby Worthington's great book, Bowhunting Trophy Whitetails -- An Advanced Approach To Taking Mature Bucks, visit the author's Web site at www.bobbyworthington.com.)

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