Author Topic: blowing, snorting, exhaling (Read 8601 times)

snowninja · « **on:** October 18, 2011, 11:44:57 PM »

i think i may have missed a good opportunity opening morning. i got to my spot about 6:50am, it was dead calm and no road noise (a few miles from any road) and about 50-100 yards out in the thick reprod i hear 2 short loud short exhales. at first it startled me and all i could think was bear, it happened again several times over the next 5 minutes then no more. i glassed out but never could see anything. after doing some reading it seems this was possibly a buck and it was telling me to get the heck out of his territory, that or warning the others.. has anyone experienced this? will the females do this as well? i did spot a few of them the first hour of daylight..

kramman · « **Reply #1 on:** October 19, 2011, 02:17:03 AM »

I've heard this a few times as well; I'm interested to hear what everyone thinks on this subject. Had a whitey doe stomp her feet before to alert other deer

sirfunkeybut · « **Reply #2 on:** October 19, 2011, 02:59:45 AM »

In my expierence it's always been mostly doe that snort at me but have had lone bucks snort at me. I think that is mainly because the doe's usually come in first and are the first to be alerted.

PolarBear · « **Reply #3 on:** October 19, 2011, 03:03:37 AM »

Quote from: sirfunkeybut on October 19, 2011, 02:59:45 AM

In my expierence it's always been mostly doe that snort at me but have had lone bucks snort at me. I think that is mainly because the doe's usually come in first and are the first to be alerted.

HntnFsh · « **Reply #4 on:** October 19, 2011, 05:24:47 AM »

Usually a doe.

sixty4nhalf · « **Reply #5 on:** October 19, 2011, 05:49:40 AM »

I had a buck do that to me, Well at least I thought it was a buck cause 20-30 minutes later I had him down.

Button Nubbs · « **Reply #6 on:** October 19, 2011, 05:52:37 AM »

You got busted. I've had it happen to me many times, almost always a doe. I hate those bitches!

h20hunter · « **Reply #7 on:** October 19, 2011, 06:17:29 AM »

I'm thinking doe or even small bear. Ive had does come right in ready to fight blowing and stomping when working the distress calls.

ELKBURGER · « **Reply #8 on:** October 19, 2011, 06:42:06 AM »

My thought is that it is usually does and they are trying to smell you. They have seen or heard something they dont like but want to confirm with scent. So they're getting a good whiff and will usually bail shortly there after.

dreamunelk · « **Reply #9 on:** October 19, 2011, 06:44:45 AM »

Quote from: ELKBURGER on October 19, 2011, 06:42:06 AM

My thought is that it is usually does and they are trying to smell you. They have seen or heard something they dont like but want to confirm with scent. So they're getting a good whiff and will usually bail shortly there after.

dirty24d · « **Reply #10 on:** October 19, 2011, 06:47:32 AM »

Quote from: Button Nubbs on October 19, 2011, 05:52:37 AM

You got busted. I've had it happen to me many times, almost always a doe. I hate those bitches!

Happened to me yesterday! Went and hit my treestand yesterday and decided ehh i'm not even gonna put any camo on well a doe popped out just before dark and kept eyeballing me for me like 10 minutes she knew something didnt look right but i didnt move a muscle and had the wind in my favor she browsed a bit but kept looking up at me and finally gave the loud exhale.

sirmissalot · « **Reply #11 on:** October 19, 2011, 07:30:07 AM »

I've only had does do this to me. On the hunting channel they call it a "snort wheeze". She probably winded you, but not quite enough to tell exactly what you were.

Arteman · « **Reply #12 on:** October 19, 2011, 07:55:53 AM »

Growing up hearing this my dad taught this was always a buck snort, always thought they were bucks. As I got a lot more experience under my belt I found the only deer I have ever visually seen snort at me like that have been does, they usually stomp their feet too, and run off waving that big white warning flag attached to their a$$. I think the big bucks like to sneak out that back door undetected or hold tight if they feel hidden.

pianoman9701 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 19, 2011, 07:59:07 AM »

I've had both do this, and combined with stomping a front hoof very hard, enough to hear it at 60 or 70 yards. More times, it was a doe.

Huntbear · « **Reply #14 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:01:03 AM »

Well, if you hunt a certain area of the Coweeman, that blowing and snorting would be feral horses, and they can be aggressive.

Thought I was gonna have to tag a palomino Sunday morning.

Arteman · « **Reply #15 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:20:55 AM »

Quote from: Huntbear on October 19, 2011, 08:01:03 AM

Well, if you hunt a certain area of the Coweeman, that blowing and snorting would be feral horses, and they can be aggressive.

Thought I was gonna have to tag a palomino Sunday morning.

Haha you must must be back on the 13 or 47 road systems, that's saying enough without saying enough. My grandpa and his buddies caught one when my dad was young and tamed it. I take my girls to see them every year, they get a kick out of it. Tried to get close to take a pic once and one chased me onto a big oldgrowth stump. They are pretty easy to find though, with all the evidence they leave in the middle of the roads. Lol

Huntbear · « **Reply #16 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:28:24 AM »

Quote from: Arteman on October 19, 2011, 08:20:55 AM

Quote from: Huntbear on October 19, 2011, 08:01:03 AM
Well, if you hunt a certain area of the Coweeman, that blowing and snorting would be feral horses, and they can be aggressive.

Thought I was gonna have to tag a palomino Sunday morning.
Haha you must must be back on the 13 or 47 road systems, that's saying enough without saying enough. My grandpa and his buddies caught one when my dad was young and tamed it. I take my girls to see them every year, they get a kick out of it. Tried to get close to take a pic once and one chased me onto a big oldgrowth stump. They are pretty easy to find though, with all the evidence they leave in the middle of the roads. Lol

Yea, in that area. I ended up with a hunters truck between us. Stupid horses... maybe this should be in the horse meat thread....

deerhunter_98520 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:35:38 AM »

im pretty sure you heard a doe...ive seen them do this...u startled it or it caught a little bit of ur scent...if a big old smart bucks is supprised he'll bound away a couple times making noise then it will go silent cause hes sneaking away

romaknows · « **Reply #18 on:** October 19, 2011, 09:11:38 AM »

i just got back from my high country hunt and was lucky enough to harvest a nice buck (biggest body i have ever seen), he snorted at me before i could see him.

longknife · « **Reply #19 on:** October 19, 2011, 09:56:52 AM »

I have had a buck and a doe do this before.
I have had a doe use both her front leggs to get me to move. Seems like they might not be able to smell you well enough,then they try to make you move. I had them timmed every morning, and i was tucked inbetween 2 trees. She had a small buck with her and 2 other does. But this was at 7 feet away. When she snort wheezed,(snotted me as well) then stompped at me with both leggs, i thought she was going to bum rush me! I didnt move, and they walked away slowly.

link · « **Reply #20 on:** October 19, 2011, 07:01:26 PM »

A few years ago I had a whitetail doe come by while I was set up turkey hunting. She got about 10yds away and knew something was there, but I was well hidden, stone still, and all camo'd up. She stood there snorting, headbobbing, stomping her foot for at least twenty minutes. It was pretty entertaining, she'd turn her head like she was about to take a step to leave, then turn back quick to see if I was going to give my self up. Finally I had enough entertainment, and moved and she blew out of there.

kglacken · « **Reply #21 on:** October 19, 2011, 07:17:21 PM »

I have had this happen to me twice now. Once we were in an area calling coyotes with a fawn distress call and a doe came in snorting loud and walked to within 5 yards of me before she actually saw me. Another time was early archery this year. sitting along a trail and 3 does came in and the lead doe new something wasn't right but couldn't exactly figure out what I was. I stayed still and she kept snorting at me. Pretty cool. never heard a buck do it before but I'm sure they probably do...

patton1 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 19, 2011, 07:38:36 PM »

Bucks and does will do it. I was beginning to think only WT's did it but I had a BT doe do it to me while I was out on my front porch the other night. My son shot a buck the other night and a little forky that was also in front of us followed the other buck's trail (about 20 yards and he was dead). He stopped at the dead buck, smelled around a little, then took off snorting like crazy. It's never a good sound to hear.

WildBear · « **Reply #23 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:02:55 PM »

Personally I'be experienced this last few years. Buck did it this year as I pushed him out of his area before I shot him. I think It's them being territorial.

boneaddict · « **Reply #24 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:08:17 PM »

There is a BIG difference between a buck snort wheeze and what most percieve as that, which is often times just a deer trying to smell you. It has nothing to do even with being a buck. The blow out those cute littleglands under their eyes and inhale. THey have heard you, or seen you, but haven't smelled you

bobcat · « **Reply #25 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:13:21 PM »

I've been hunting blacktails almost every day of the season so far, mostly just in the evenings after work, and I've had them blow at me almost every day. Starting to think they really don't like the way I smell.

I haven't been able to tell yet whether it's does, bucks, or both that are doing it. I know for sure I've seen/heard does do it. But I'm not certain about the bucks.

snowninja · « **Reply #26 on:** October 19, 2011, 09:23:25 PM »

this was loud - 2 short exhales, not like it was inhaling to smell me, was a definate exhale. like the noise a horse makes when it's blowing due to feeling threatend by something it cannot see.. i searched for video footage of this and below is exactly what it sounded like (this is not my video btw), i guess it was warning the others which makes sense since right after i watched 4 different does move out of the area albeit fairly slowly..

Deer Warning

bobcat · « **Reply #27 on:** October 19, 2011, 09:33:19 PM »

Yep, same sound I've been hearing almost every day since the season started.

boneaddict · « **Reply #28 on:** October 20, 2011, 05:51:57 AM »

Quote

was a definate exhale

Yep, they do both in order to do "it". I'll try to photograph it. Whitetails do it more than muleys I think. They process alot of air across their sensor when doing it. Serves as an alarm as well. Primary purpose is scenting though.

Once they get a wiff of you, they can probably tell you how many squirts of coverscent you have on, what the brand is, the expiration of it on the bottle, and how much it cost you......

Main thing to get across here though is it has NOTHING to do with a buck snort. COMPLETELY different sound.

dirty24d · « **Reply #29 on:** October 20, 2011, 06:19:27 AM »

Quote from: boneaddict on October 19, 2011, 08:08:17 PM

There is a BIG difference between a buck snort wheeze and what most percieve as that, which is often times just a deer trying to smell you. It has nothing to do even with being a buck. The blow out those cute littleglands under their eyes and inhale. THey have heard you, or seen you, but haven't smelled you

Well this is good news for BOBCAT , you can fix being seen and maybe being heard but at least you know they arent getting a good scent on you so your probably playing the wind pretty well!!

boneaddict · « **Reply #30 on:** October 20, 2011, 06:23:18 AM »

I was going to pick on him a bit but glad you got him....

Here is a bit of coverage of the topic.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,2749.msg27027.html#msg27027

and one more
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,37953.msg448773.html#msg448773

dirty24d · « **Reply #31 on:** October 20, 2011, 06:30:40 AM »

Ya but i'm not really one to talk considering i choked yesterday on a wide open 40 yard broadside shot a nice 2x2 blackie. I misjudged the distance and put my 30 pin just above the shoulder and landed directly under him.

Sneaky little sucker was bedding directly under my tree stand and i was running late because i stopped to get a haircut. Had i not stopped i probably would have beenin the stand as he approached..

Excuses - Excuses...

jackmaster · « **Reply #32 on:** October 20, 2011, 06:56:23 AM »

when deer blow at you, it is useally because they know somethn is up but arent quite sure what it is, if you can spot one while they are doing this they are quite agitated and are not quite sure what to do because they know something is there and havent figured out what it is, and it is normally a doe that does this, in my experience with blacktail the bucks dont make any noises except when they are hookn with another buck or trying to love up on a doe, but their noise sounds like a serious case of the runs not a snort

Elkrunner · « **Reply #33 on:** October 20, 2011, 10:01:51 AM »

I have noticed that the deer tend to do this a lot more in September than when I hunt them in the late season.

buckfvr · « **Reply #34 on:** October 20, 2011, 11:03:42 AM »

The whitetails here do it year 'round ( and everywhere else ).......If I go outside in the dark, they blow at me......it is definetly as stated , NOT a snort weeze. If I am in a tree and hear this, I respond by tipping a can call ...... most times, within minutes, does arrive. I often have witnessed them totally unaware of my presence, do this when they hear another group of deer, but dont see them. If they get some vocalization that eliminates their concerns, they go back to their business, whether feeding or traveling. That is exactly why I started can tipping when I hear this, but cannot see the deer. Believe me, this works for me.......

On another note, if they blow at you while looking at you, be sure and stay perfectly still untill they are out of sight.......no sense in increasing their alarm. You will know a buck snort and snort weeze once you hear it, and it only comes from one place.....a buck.

bobcat · « **Reply #35 on:** October 21, 2011, 06:25:45 AM »

Had a blacktail blow at me again last night. It was a few minutes after hunting hours was over. I was sitting on a stool, watching a trail, and a few minutes earlier a deer had walked downwind of me, only reason I knew that is I heard it run. Had no idea it was even there until it ran. Sounded like it only ran a short distance... I heard thump, thump, thump, thump. I sat there for a few more minutes in the dark, and when I started to get up, and made a slight bit of noise, it started blowing, and then running off I think. It blew 5 times and each time it sounded a little further away.

Elkrunner · « **Reply #36 on:** October 21, 2011, 09:15:49 AM »

I find it very exciting and exhilarating

ouchfoss · « **Reply #37 on:** October 21, 2011, 10:37:27 AM »

From my experience with blacktails, seems that both bucks and does will do the snort-weese-stomp if they think your a threat but dont know what you are or cant see you but they can hear you. I can think of several times thru the years that Ive been sneeking along being super quiet and then have a loud snort scare the crap out of me from like 10-20 yards away. As someone else mentioned, seems like this only happens in early season (september).
On opening morning for 08 archery, I snuck into a nice clearcut draw and right as I was climbing up to look over a draw I hear a snort. I peak over the edge and there is 4 bucks, 3 two points and a three point all staring right at me. They were about 200 yards away so rather than spook them more, I just sat there and let them do their snorting and stomping for about 10 minutes before they decided to start walking away into the next draw. I waited for them to all get into the next draw and I then made a sneak knowing where they would probably be in that other draw. I actually got a 30 yard broadside shot on one of the two-points and filled my tag. That situation got me wondering why they stood there so long considering they knew I was there. I did a good job of staying hidden (in my opinion) but I did snap a few twigs getting to there. Wind was in my favor the whole time so Im thinking thats why they snorted rather than immediatly run to the next county like blacktail bucks usually do.

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Author Topic: blowing, snorting, exhaling (Read 8601 times)

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