THE INDIVIDUAL CACKLE GRUNTS Carlton makes are more abbreviated than those in the traditional three-grunt series. Staccato in delivery, the cackling call would resemble in Morse code a series of 20 to 30 dots instead of three long dashes. "The grunt a buck makes when he's running is short and broken, rather than a long, steady grunt like most hunters use to grunt in deer," Carlton says. "Many hunters use the [phrase] 'tending grunt' to describe the three slow grunt calls they give during the breeding season to attempt to call in bucks. [Male deer] do make this sound when they're standing or walking slowly behind does. But when bucks are chasing does, the grunts they give are short and choppy because of the bouncing of their internal organs as they run."
    At the same time he makes these choppy cackling grunts, Carlton takes the tube end of the grunt call, points it left toward the ground and as he grunts moves the tube end slowly to the right. "I'm throwing the call like a turkey hunter cups his hand over his mouth when he's using a diaphragm call," Carlton says. "By throwing the call toward the ground when I'm in a tree stand, the buck hears the sound coming from the ground instead of the tree, which is more natural. By moving the call [from left to right] around the tree, the call sounds like a buck walking or running around a tree chasing a doe."
    Carlton also extends and collapses the tube as he projects the call around the tree. "Bucks and does both grunt," Carlton says. "When I extend the tube, I get a deep grunt like that given by a buck. When I collapse the tube, I make a higher pitched grunt, like the sound made by a doe.