oldmanbowhunter

Hello fellow hunters,

I have seen a couple of unusual things regarding deer and wonder if any of you hunters have seen these things.

First, I have heard a doe whiny like horse three separate times. The first time I was watching a doe lead two fawns. She turned and whinned. I think to call them. I heard deer whiny two more times over the next few years. I'm very sure a doe is calling the fawns.

Secondly, I shot a big doe with my .270. It was a good hit, she mule kicked and ran into the thick woods. It was too dark to go after her then. In the morning I picked up the blood trail and tracked her down. She had burrowed under some leaves. I could not see her at all!!! The blood trail led me to her. She was completely covered with leaves. Just recently, I wondered if a deer would burrow under the leaves to hide, even if not wounded. I know this sounds strange but I am only a little bit crazy
If anybody has seen either of these activities, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks and happy hunting.

Oldtimr

Deer have a pretty good number of sounds that they can make. I heard a buck make some noises that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck in the dark, until it got light enough to see what it was. I have seen and heard doe call to their fawns. I have seen deer lay down with their front legs extended out n front of them and their head between the front legs while hiding in a high grass field trying not to be noticed. While it is good policy never to say never about wildlife, I wouldn't know how the deer could have completely covered herself with leaves unless the leaves were three feet deep. Perhaps someone else found it and was planning to come back and get it for themselves and tried to hide it.

oldmanbowhunter

As for another hunter covering the deer, not likely. It is my private property and I found the deer in the morning. I also don't know how the deer covered itself, I only know what I saw. I wish I had taken a picture of it. I was in such a hurry to get it gutted I didn't go back to get a camera. I stood 15 feet from the deer for 10 minutes before I saw it, and then it was only a speck of hair. Someone told me a cougar may have covered it. That''s possible but not likely. I really don't know.how she did it.

Ridge Runner

its possible she kicked enough to fluff the leaves up and partialy covered herself in her death throes then the breeze finished the job, or a bear or cat with a full belly found her and cached her for a future meal, without pics its a coin toss.
RR

Champlain Islander

I never saw one bury themselves in leaves. A hard hit deer will often jump into a thicket or blowdown and die. I picked a few out of a brook too.

Topgun 3006

I'd go with one or more of the scenarios that RR mentioned. Even a bobcat will cover a carcass just like a cougar, as one did that on an archery kill that somebody had shot and not found on my place up in northern MI.

Ridge Runner

the only 2 deer I left overnight that I have shot were covered the next morn, but both had a bit eaten from them, will never leave another overnight.
RR

alleyyooper

Never seen them covered with leaves but many times have seen them wiggle under a blow down or top left from a logging operation.


Does have many different vocals they use on their fawns from what sounds like a whine to several different bleats.


Al

mounting man

Here in Pa. i would have to say Coyote ,Bobcat or a Bear did it.

Bocajnala

Deer can make some interesting sounds.

As for covering itself my guess would be it kicked around and buried itself, then maybe wind piled some more on it. I've seen them kick allot of junk up onto themselves, so if there was enough leaves on the ground it could happed. They'll definitely crawl into blown down trees, or super thick brush as well. I walked passed a doe I shot in archery once probably a dozen times before I essentially stepped on her front leg and realized she was tucked in underneath a brush pile. Even once I knew she was there I couldn't see her in that brush. Thankfully her leg was sticking out far enough that I saw it as I stepped over her.
-Jake