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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 hosting Deer Calling Tactics by Keith Wahlig, a free program on Thursday, Aug. 26 from 6-8 p.m. This free event will be held at the Jay Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center and is open to all ages. Hunters can become more successful by adding calling to their skillsets and learning how and when to best make use of the technique.
Wahlig has been a professional caller and hunter for over 30 years. He will demonstrate the ways in which calls can communicate with deer, and how their effectiveness varies by the situation.
Whitetails employ a large variety of vocalizations in communicating with one another. They use them to convey alarm, distress, social status, and aggression. Wahlig’s presentation will explore the language of whitetails, the sounds they make, and what they communicate to other deer. Hunters can decode and learn to “speak” the language of deer to draw their quarry closer. This can benefit hunters who use methods ranging from archery to firearms, atlatl, or muzzleloader.
Deer Calling Tactics by Keith Wahlig is a free program, but advanced online registration is required by going to https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZjE.
The Jay Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center is located at 1100 Antire Road, just off I-44, exit 269 in Eureka.
As this is an in-person activity, MDC asks all participants to observe current local social distancing and masking guidelines. Bringing and wearing face coverings is encouraged when appropriate.
Program registrants should note that families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own which will streamline the program registration process. Once a group account is set up, parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each person. This allows parents to register an entire family or select family members to an event at the same time.
Stay informed of MDC latest programs by going to the MDC St. Louis regional events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.
