Deer question

[Richard]

If you take a deep breath and do a forced exhale, you might create a wheeze. I've heard deer make this 'sound' before and have been told it's done during mating season.

Some questions.

Is it done during mating season?
If so, is it done ONLY during mating season?
Is mating season going on "NOW", as in literally, today?

I was outside, walking the dogs and heard a repeated wheeze from a deer. Up in woods behind my house. something about it struck me as strange so I put the dogs back inside and went to look.

I was getting VERY near where the animal was but could never see it. When I moved through the (thick) underbrush, I couldn't hear anything for the noise I myself was making. (I'd been a terrible indian )

Since the deer was making the sounds during the day, since the deer wasn't (evidently moving), I was actually thinking perhaps it was a wounded deer.

If it WAS a wounded deer, I was hoping on putting it out of any misery.

By the time I got to the general vicinity, it was quiet as a mouse so either there was no deer WOUNDED (and semi mobile), or if it was, it was holding its breath and playing mouse (or had passed?)

There ARE hunters out here so I can't rule out anything yet. I've only heard a deer make this sound a couple times ever, and don't remember if it was done during this season or another.

Thoughts??

 

[DieselPower]

I know I have had alot of very vocal deer this year. I have one doe that goes past the house every morning about 2-3 am that makes one heck of a racket. The doe is on the way to my orchard to munch on pears and apples (which were planted for the deer). It's kind of a grunty/wheezy type sound which is kind of hard to describe.

 

[Tanberry]

They make that noise to alert other deer in the area or when their nervous . They aren't hurt . They will make that noise when they see a bobcat or dog or human. In my part of the country if you walk the fields at night you can hear them make this noise as they run off .

 

[dougj7]

maybe this site will help you identify the sound:

http://www.kerrlake.com/deer/sounds.htm

 

[EddieWalker]

It's a warning call to other deer that danger is close by. THey do this year round and it's very common in whitetails.

They will also stomp there front feet. The stomping is usually before the snort, but much harder to hear. It's a warning that something isn't right, but they don't know if it's a danger situation or just something new.

When one stomps it's front feet, the others will all stop what they are doing and look in the same direction the one who gave the warning. Than it's anybodies guess who will give the danger snort alarm. As soon as it's sounded, they will all run off with there tails up in the air.

Mule deer and blacktails have the same warnings except for the tail. I've never seen them lift there tials like the whitetail does.

There is also a grunt noise that the males make during mateing season. I'm not very knowledgable on that sound as I've never actually seen it in person, just read about it and seen it on TV.

There's also a sort of cry they make when the doe is looking for the fawn. It's a very spooky sound that will make the hair stand on your neck. I've only herd it a few times and that was with mule deer. I'm assuming whitetail make the same sound.

Eddie

 

[Willl]

I'm hoping you were wearing bright orange busting around in that brush

 

[Richard]

I'm hoping you were wearing bright orange busting around in that brush

I'd just come home from work and I admit, your comments were fairly top of my concern list.

I was wearing khaki pants, brown suede jacket, a nice male pattern bald spot on the back of my head (white deer tail?)

I can vouch it's white, someone else will have to say if it's mistakable for a deer tail

Then I figured, since I'm only maybe 200' away from my house in MY back yard, on 250 acres... I SHOULD be unconcerned.....

however, I could still never shake those heebee geebies of "is someone putting the crosshairs on me"

I told myself I should shout out "human alert, human alert"

 

[CDsdad]

Down here in the woods we call the wheeze sound "blowing" or "snorting" as Eddie said. If you here that sound and you are hunting, she probably just smelled you and you should probably just go home, cause every deer for a mile knows you're there. A doe calling a fawn we call "blating", fawns also do it to call their momma. A wounded doe will also blate if she's down and can't get up. Like Eddie, I've also never heard a grunt except on TV.

 

[scesnick]

That is the dreaded " I just busted you standing in that treestand" sound. I hate when that happens.
I have heard the grunt quite a few times. almost always while bow hunting and the rut is on and the buck is hot on a doe. That is just one of the crazy sounds they make when their hormones take over.

CDsdad,

the sound you guys call "Blating" we call a doe "Bleat" or Bleating" either,or.

I think the most deadly deer call I have ever used is the fawn in distress call. It sounds almost like a human infant crying very loud. If you want to take a doe, just start wailing on one of those and they will literally come running to the sound. It doesn't matter if its their fawn or not, they will come. I blew one about 3 weeks ago and I had 3 different does ( at various ranges ) come running to see what was going on.
But like all calls, there has to be a deer somewhere in the area for them to hear it.

I only use the grunt call to stop a deer that is walking in order to get a shot with the bow of course. it works well for that but for calling them in I think they are a waste of time.

 

[DUMBDOG]

Had a young dear caught in my garden fence this summer, it let out such a wail like I had never heard before. Now that raised the hairs on my neck. However while I was cutting it out of the wire, it did not make a sound.