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St. LOUIS, Mo.—Communication is key to many things in life, including hunting. Learning to speak the language of deer can contribute significantly to a hunter’s success in the field.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is holding an online Deer Calling 101 class on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 6-7 p.m. This is a free program open to ages six and up.
Hunters will learn how to make the right calls at the right time to draw deer closer in to their hunting positions. Whitetails employ a large variety of vocalizations in communicating with one another. They use them to convey everything from alarm, distress, social status, and aggression. Yet deer calling can be surprisingly easy to master compared to other game species like turkey and waterfowl.
The class will explore the language of whitetails, the sounds they make, and what they communicate to other deer. For example, it will consider the techniques of both contact calling and blind calling, and when each method is likely to be most effective. Hunters will be able to decode and learn to “speak” the language of deer, giving them that extra edge in the field.
Finally, the program will finish by examining specific calling scenarios Missouri hunters are most likely to encounter. These situations will include pre-rut on through to post-rut, covering hunters who use methods ranging from archery to firearms, atlatl or muzzleloader. There will also be a Q&A session where participants can interact with the instructor via chat.
Deer Calling 101 is a free online program, but advanced online registration is required at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zum. Attendees will receive an invitation by email from the MDC Event Management System with a WebEx program link the morning of the program.
MDC offers many free educational programs in the St. Louis region to help people discover nature, fishing, hunting, and the outdoors. Stay informed by going to the MDC St. Louis reginal events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.
