Is whistling to get the attention of the deer right before the shot considered a better idea than shooting it as it stands eating? I can see that if the deer is about to move out of your shooting lane it would be a good idea to stop him somehow but if he's already standing in range and in your lane should you just shoot and not bother getting his attention first? Silly question but seems like a debatable issue.

This isn't rifle hunting where you can pull the trigger and the bullet moves faster than sound. You whistle at a whitetail and he'll lock onto you and see you shoot the arrow. You'd be surprise how quick they can react to that. I would advise against it unless your deer are a lot more laid back and stupid than the ones up here.

I agree with Vermonster, getting the attention of the deer when none is needed is just asking to shoot over it.  Watch the outdoor channel a few times and all the guys make a sound to stop the deer.  In slow motion it is nothing for the deer to drop 6" before the arrow gets there.  I prefer to wack them when they are least expecting it.

That's what I was thinking. Never made sense to me to see folks whistling and grunting at the deer just before the shot, ensuring that they would key in on you. Just thought I might have been missing some key fundamental about the behavior of deer. Thanks.

I snort at them to stop them if they're on a trot. They tend to stop and look around to see what deer is trying to get their attention. If they are walking, I just hope they stop at some point. I prefer not to alert them whenever possible. Either way, I prefer they're not looking my direction when I shoot.