Snort wheez?

[philepe]

Im not sure what to call the noise I heard today but I'll try to describe it.  It was about 4:30 today I was walking at the edge of a clear cut, not real quietly either.  I sat down on a stump and decided to glass for awhile.  I heard a noise in the thick reprod that I would describe as a BIG exhale, 2 times in about 10 seconds.  I sat and glassed more then it happened again a few minutes later but three or four times, then it sounded like a spooked deer jumping and running through the brush.  All the noise stopped for about 5-10 minutes then it happened all over again, snort wheeze/ BIG exhale sound, crash thump thump thump.  It sounded like the animal was going in circles because I could definitely tell when it was facing me or facing away by the noise.  From the sounds of the thumping and crashing sounds I would say it was about 100 yards away maybe 150 yards away from me, just to give you an idea of the volume.  Is this what I have heard people call a "snort wheeze"??

[Boss .300 winmag]

I have observed mule deer bucks do this after being pushed out of there beds, then make these noises and bed down again.

[PlateauNDN]

Bigfoot for sure (sounds like a buck caught off-guard to me )

[Tacbeav]

I hear this fairly often. Twice that I can remember this year. Every time I have seen the animal it has been a doe. I think it is a warning for other deer when they smell something they don't like.

[lagnar]

Blacktail make a noise like someone stabbing car tire and letting the air out at at the end...

[mdbuck5x5]

From what you're describing, to me it sounds like it was wheezing and stomping its hoofs. Its very common for them to do this when they can't smell and see you! Whitetails are notorious for this.

[boneaddict]

Deer make two sounds that are often confused.  One is called a snort wheeze, and it is for rutting purposes ONLY.   Its a final straw of a dominant buck running off a subordinate prior to a fight.   Its not the most common sound as they have to pretty much be undisturbed and you have to be near or observing rutting behavior. 

Then there is the sound that deer make when they are trying to smell you.  Its actually an inhale not an exhale.  Both does and bucks make this sound.  They are trying to wind you.  Generally they will circle around making this noise.   They know something is wrong but cant figure it out either because of noise, or sight.  Happens a lot if you are wearing camo.   MANY people call this a buck snort.  HAS NOTHING to do with being a buck.   They are inhaling a ton of air through those glands right under their eyes. They do this over an over again until they catch a whiff or give up.  They stomp often while doing it trying to provoke a response from the intruder and also as a warning. 

[gonehuntin68]

Deer make two sounds that are often confused.  One is called a snort wheeze, and it is for rutting purposes ONLY.   Its a final straw of a dominant buck running off a subordinate prior to a fight.   Its not the most common sound as they have to pretty much be undisturbed and you have to be near or observing rutting behavior. 

Then there is the sound that deer make when they are trying to smell you.  Its actually an inhale not an exhale.  Both does and bucks make this sound.  They are trying to wind you.  Generally they will circle around making this noise.   They know something is wrong but cant figure it out either because of noise, or sight.  Happens a lot if you are wearing camo.   MANY people call this a buck snort.  HAS NOTHING to do with being a buck.   They are inhaling a ton of air through those glands right under their eyes. They do this over an over again until they catch a whiff or give up.  They stomp often while doing it trying to provoke a response from the intruder and also as a warning.

Yep right on the money. ive heard this quite a few times.

[PA BEN]

Deer snort when spooked. They will stomp, jump and snort especially if they don't know what you are and have not seen you clearly or smell you. 

[MIKEXRAY]

I've heard it when in a tree stand and a deer up on the ridge has winded me,  I have heard it when a deer has seen me moving but not winded me and even walking in the dark spooking deer in all ways. Definitely a warning sound to other deer as to somethings wrong, they do a foot stomp to get more info from you at the same time. I personally have only seen does do this, never a buck. All the bucks I see just exit the area, I've never had one stand around and make this noise .

[Jonathan_S]

Exactly what Bone said.  The snort wheeze is not an alarm sound.  The snort wheeze is quieter than the alarm sound too.

The snort wheeze sounds like, ''tsssk, tsssk...whissssssssssss!" it really sounds more like a loud hissing sound than anything.  I haven't heard it in the wild more than a few times.

[rickomatic]

I've heard, and seen this several times. I've heard that dogs and bears can smell on both the inhale as well as the exhale. I wonder if deer do the same?

[turkeyfeather]

Deer make two sounds that are often confused.  One is called a snort wheeze, and it is for rutting purposes ONLY.   Its a final straw of a dominant buck running off a subordinate prior to a fight.   Its not the most common sound as they have to pretty much be undisturbed and you have to be near or observing rutting behavior. 

Then there is the sound that deer make when they are trying to smell you.  Its actually an inhale not an exhale.  Both does and bucks make this sound.  They are trying to wind you.  Generally they will circle around making this noise.   They know something is wrong but cant figure it out either because of noise, or sight.  Happens a lot if you are wearing camo.   MANY people call this a buck snort.  HAS NOTHING to do with being a buck.   They are inhaling a ton of air through those glands right under their eyes. They do this over an over again until they catch a whiff or give up.  They stomp often while doing it trying to provoke a response from the intruder and also as a warning.

We call this blowing. Is that what everyone else calls it too?

[boneaddict]

Yes, more reasons than one.  It usually means your cover has been blown.

[turkeyfeather]

Yes, more reasons than one.  It usually means your cover has been blown.

True dat!  I had a doe blow at me late modern season. I heard the "blowing" behind me, slowly turned around to see. I finally saw her thru binos 125 yrds away uphill, and I was downwind of her. I was sitting in a clump of bushes. Still not quite sure how she picked me out but she did.