deerhunter1224

The other nightI needed to get down from my stand sort of early. It was just starting to get dark. I was hunting along alfalfa field. I took it slow walking out of the woods I figured there could be deer out feeding.I did seethree butwere to far to shoot with my bow. One of them saw me ran back into the woods. Started snorting and hitting her feet on the ground. They other two stayed out in the woods. They started walking closer to me and snorting. This whole thing of snorting and walking closer lasted like 15 mintues. Then they finally ran back into the woods. I am thinking they werent to sure what I was but knew something wasnt right. What do you think?

cardeer

Snorting coke maybe ?????????

treblig

i saw an interesting show on this yesterday on oln - guy talking about the 4 different types of deer snorts. Alarm/Distress is 2 or 3 blows followed by short wheezing snorts as the deer get out of the area. Alarm is 2 or 3 snorts without running. It's just knowing something isn't right, but not too scared yet. Often they will move on in after this. The guy on the show was explaining the snort as a communication call, that can effectively call deer if done correctly. Also, his theory on stamping of foot was instinctive - they have a gland between hooves that secretes alarm scent when stomping the ground...for fawns etc to smell i guess.

the other 2 snorts were social snorts, also effective for luring deer in - wish i could remember the guys name.

PABowhntr

They probably didn't know what you were and were trying to get you to reveal more of yourself so that they knew what to do.

hallie4a

I agree, they probably didn't now what you were and they couldn't smell you. Thats why scent control is very important, deer depend on there nose more than there eyesight and if they see something but can't smell it they won't high tail it out of there.

GRIZZLYMAN

It's funny. On Saturday I was hunting with my brother in law and heard a lot of snorting. I knew it wasn't me because I was down wind and there were a lot of trees between me and the snorting. I thought maybe it was my brother in law, but he said that the snorting was upwind from him. The biggest doe that I've ever seen walked out under my brother in law's stand right after that and he shot her. Apparently, she wasn't spooked.

Yesterday, I watched a small buck for about thirty minutes in front of my stand. He walked away and I heard a couple of snorts. He wasn't spooked. I saw him on and off walking through the area for the next two hours. I think some of the snorting is communicating or being startled at something... and it may not be you.

Champlain Islander

You got it right. Deer can hear the snort for a long distance and they do put out an alarm scent.

Dampland

I had a doe snort near me this weekend. At first, I was totally baffled, because I was downwind of the doe, and I was high up in a treestand NOT moving.

After watching the doe for a minute, I realized that she was trying to figure out what was making the noise near my stand. (It happened to be two porcupines either fighting or mating, as they were chasing each other around, and jumping on each other.)

The doe finally walked closer to my stand, totally tense. I had no chance at moving, so I sat still and watched. When she finally got into a spot where she could see the porkies, she seemed to relax, put her head down, and tarted feeding again. However, she never offered me anything but a head on shot, which I refuse to make with a bow.

greatwhithunter

I have never heard a deer snort, so i dont know.

max the dog

I've had dozens of deer snort at me. During Bow season I'm pretty camo'd up, very scent conscious and have the dicipline to keep still for hours. Despite all that some deer still figure out that I'm there but just can pin down what or where I am. It's always been does and never a buck. They snort for different reasons. Does snort as a warning to other deer that danger is about and to flush out what's making them nervous. Once they start if you don't move they'll keep up the stomping and snorting for a while. I've had one continue on for nearly a half hour until she just got bored or figured that nothing was there after all. I've heard bucks snort twice but not at me. Once to a smaller buck who ran off and another time to a life size archery deer target that we left out in the woods. In my experience, if a buck sences that something is up but just can't figure out what it is he'll sneak off silently while a doe will snort and stomp. I believe the reson for the difference is the does have to worry about fawns while a buck has to worry only about his own self.