Tips & Tactics

Whistle While You . . . Hunt?

Whistle While You . . . Hunt?

By Oren Haney

I’d like to share a tip with Buckmasters readers that my dad taught me decades ago when I was only 10 years old.

It happened when my father came to me and said he wanted me to go into the woods and collect some meat for the dinner table.

Dad told me to take my .22 and try to get a rabbit or two. I had never stalked for rabbits with anything other than a shotgun before, so I asked him how I was supposed to hit a running rabbit with a rimfire rifle.

He told me to ease along in the forest until I saw one. If I couldn’t get a shot before it started to hop away, I was to whistle with my lips.

Dad said rabbits and other animals often stop when they hear the whistle, which gives the hunter a chance to take a shot at a stationary target.

I was up to the task, but here’s the kicker: We only had two .22 bullets remaining, so I had to really focus on making my shots count with our precious ammo. No pressure!

Sure enough, Dad was right. I stalked the first rabbit, which ran at my approach but stopped when I whistled and raised its ears straight in the air to determine what the noise was.

I made the first shot count, then continued on. Soon, I kicked up another rabbit, stopped it with a whistle and collected it with my last bullet. I was back home within an hour.

That night, we had two rabbits for supper, and I learned a valuable tip for making running game stop long enough to give me a shot.

Over the years, I’ve used Dad’s whistle tip to stop other game much bigger than rabbits: mule deer, elk and white-tailed deer.

Of course, it does not work in every single instance, such as when an animal spots you outright and has nothing on its mind other than high-tailing it away from a human intruder. It’s too late for a whistle if an animal is highly spooked.

I would like to thank my father, Oren Haney, for that tip and all the others he taught me. They have helped me put meat on the table for many years.

– Editor’s Note by Tim H. Martin

To stop a moving deer, typically, I make a soft grunt or “mehhhh” sound with my voice. I’ve used this on countless whitetails, elk and even a variety of antelope species in Africa.

One animal that will not stop when you grunt is a bobcat.

I learned this in Texas after three failed attempts to stop bobcats as they crossed senderos (open strips in the brush) long enough for a rifle shot.

Each time, my grunting only caused them to bolt as if a snake had struck at them.

The owner of the ranch told me to always whistle, not grunt, at bobcats. The next afternoon a bobcat walked into an opening and I whistled. It stopped to look my way, and I folded it up with an easy, stationary shot.

Here are some more thoughts on stopping moving game.
Stop that Deer!

If you have a unique or special tip you’d like to share with Buckmasters fans, please email it to huntingtips@buckmasters.com and, if chosen, we will send you a cap signed by Jackie Bushman, along with a knife!

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