Madison Deer Calls Custom Made Grunts

Gear Review

In late August or early September of 2009, I was approached about the Southern Bowhunting staff and asked to do some field testing with a deer grunt for a new and small deer call company. As I was somewhat dissatisfied with the grunts I used during the 2008-09 deer season, I was anxious to give these grunts a try. A short time later, I recieved two grunts in the mail. Upon opening the box and looking at these calls, still in their package, I was immediately impressed. Just looking at the finish on them, it was obvious that these calls were handmade, one at a time, and not the typical off the shelf/hanger deer grunt I had been buying over the last several years. Opening the package and handling the grunts only impressed me further. The quality and craftmanship that went into building these calls was exceptional.  The pic below shows the grunts that were sent to us.

As I sat and checked out the calls, I gave each of them a blow to check out how they sound. Now I'll admit that I was sitting in my recliner in my den, not in the woods, but the tone and sound emitted by these calls were nothing but impressive. The calls have an adjustable reed and each setting was checked on both calls. Still, nothing but impressive. At this point, i'm confident that I've found the call that will be in my backpack for years to come.

I sent the call to the left in the picture to staff member Zachary "deerman101" Quibodeaux for testing and a second opinion. It wasn't long after he recieved it, that he was instant messaging me about how impressed he was with the call.

When bowseason opened, it didn't take long to realize that these grunts were the real deal. Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera rolling, but it wasn't long that I had deer around the stand and within bow range. The other unfortunate was that they were young and not what I was looking for in an animal to harvest. Later in the season, I guided a couple of lottery youth hunts on the Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge. Many of the fathers on the hunt that saw and listened to this grunt were nearly as impressed as I was. While on the stand with the young ones and there fathers, they were able to see what the grunt would do. Part of the fun in guiding these hunts, is that the kids are not always ready to shoot when the bucks come in.

When the rifle season opened, deerman101 made a hunt with one of his buddies. Deerman101 had the grunt in his pack for this hunt. While using the grunt, he was able to call in a young buck that his buddy was able to harvest. See picture of deermans buddy with his deer, proudly showing off the grunt, below right. You can see the story of this hunt in deermans Hunting Journal on the Southern Bowhunting Forum.

Deerman and I had only half of the 2009 season behind us and we were convinced that these are the best deer grunts on the market. When Rodd Madison, owner and maker of Madison Deer Calls, asked us what we thought of the calls, we didn't hesitate to send our testimonials to him for posting on his website. Of course, there was nothing but good things to say.

Now to the meat and potatoes of this review.

Quality of Product: 5.0 out of 5

I'm expect quality from the products that I use and rarely feel that they have met my expectations when it comes to quality. I have used other wooden grunt calls over the years, but none can compare with the product that is produced by Madison Deer Calls. The craftsmanship that goes into the turning of and the assembly of these grunt calls is unmatched. The finish is smooth and durable. I've even commented that it's too pretty to take into the woods. Long story short, if I was ever tempted to give a score that is off the top of the scale, this would be it. In my opinion, you will not find better quality in any other grunt.

Ease of Use/Praticality: 5.0 out of 5

These calls are very easy to use. The tremendous volume and tone produced by these grunts are second to none.

Service by Staff: 5.0 out of 5

Rodd is very easy to work with and stands behinds his products.

Affordability: 4.9 out of 5

If you haven't realized it by the material written above, this is not your typical deer grunt. The craftmanship, quality, and tone of this grunt can not be found in any grunt that you pick up at your local hunting store. As such, the Madison Grunts made of Maple are in the neighborhood of $25.00 which is a little more than most grunts on the market. I lowered the Affordability rating because of this. However, unless you loose it, this will be the last grunt that you buy to carry in your pack on your future hunts.

Overall: 5.0 out of 5

Madison Deer Calls are custom made and turned one at a time. Rodd has several different types of wood available to produce his calls. Visit their site to see what he has to offer and I will give my word that you will not be disappointed in the service, your new call, or on your next hunt.

You can check out our, and others testimonials on the Madison Deer Call website by clicking here.

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Update On Madison Deer Calls

In the past, I've had several successful hunts while using a wooden doe bleat to call does within bow range. Unfortunately, I lost that bleat call several years ago and could not find another one that matched it. I tried the bleat cans, but had very limited success with them. Long story short, during the season, while testing and using the Madison Deer Grunt, I emailed Rodd Madison telling him that when he came out with a doe/fawn bleat call, that I would be more than interested in trying it out. Well, I must have been lucky because he responded that he was prototyping a bleat call at the time and he would send me one. I recieved the bleat a few weeks ago........All I can say right now is, IMPRESSIVE!!!!. Everything about this call is impressive and high quality. Bow season won't open soon enough for me as I'm anxiously awaiting to see how this bleat in combonation with the grunt will perform. I may need extra batteries for the video cam...... Rodd also added the ability to engrave your name, logo, or hunting club name into his calls. Check out the pics below to see the quality craftsmanship and the engraved artwork that can come with these calls......