Arizona Hunting Club & Outdoor Adventure Group

Learn to Call in a Deer with a Game Call

White-Tailed Deer Vocalizations

White-tailed Deer use different sounds to keep in contact with each other (Contact); to express alarm and distress (Alarm/Distress); to solicit attention from and respond to does (Maternal) and fawns (Neonatal); to express dominance/threaten other deer (Agonistic). Deer also make sounds associated with courtship and breeding behavior (Mating). The tone of the call usually depends on the deer; older and larger deer, especially bucks, tend to make deeper sounds.

White-Tailed Deer Alarm/Distress Call

The Snort is an intense blowing sound produced by expelling air through the nostrils, best described as a loud whew, or whew-whew-whew. Deer that see or hear a disturbance but cannot smell the source often use repeated low snorts, foot stomping, head bobbing and tail flipping, possibly to alert other deer of danger. The head bobbing and foot stomping may be used to startle a predator into moving and giving itself away. A deer's sense of smell is thought to be independent of conscious discrimination, and deer that smell danger usually snort, then flee while flagging the tail.

The Bawl is an intense call used by deer in distress, often when caught by a predator or trapped. The sound is a loud baa. Does often respond to the call by running in, presumably out of maternal instinct.

White-Tailed Deer Agonistic Call

The Grunt is used in three different forms to express dominance or to threaten another deer. It is also used to locate other deer, which causes them to respond by coming to the call, or by announcing their location by returning the call.

The Low Grunt is used by both does and bucks throughout the year. The call sounds like a soft guttural err. This is the first level of aggression, used to displace lesser deer. If the lesser animal does not move it is usually rushed and may be kicked with a forefoot by the dominant.

The Grunt-Snort is used most often by bucks during the breeding season in more intense situations. One or more snorts are added to a grunt; err-whew.

The Grunt-Snort-Wheeze is the most intense form of an aggressive call. It consists of a grunt-snort followed by a drawn out wheeze through pinched nostrils. The wheeze may sound like a whistle.

White-Tailed Deer Contact Call

The Social Grunt is often performed by members of a doe group when they become separated, and it may help deer stay in contact when they can't see each other. In one study only females performed this call. This call is longer than the low grunt and can be heard by humans as far as 100 meters. It may attract bucks during the breeding season.

White-Tailed Deer Maternal/Neonatal Call

The Maternal Grunt is a low, quick grunt performed at short intervals when a doe approaches the fawn's bedding site. The fawn generally leaves it's bed and joins the doe. It is audible to humans for only a few meters.

The Mew is used by the fawn when it wants attention, or is given in response to the maternal grunt of the doe.

The Bleat is the fawn version of the bawl, it is given by the fawn when it wants urgent attention, is hungry, or wants care, and may be heard as far as 100 meters by humans.

The Nursing Whine occurs while the fawn is nursing or searching for a nipple.

White-Tailed Deer Mating Call

The Tending Grunt is a low grunt used by bucks when pursuing an estrus doe. It may consist of a single short grunt, several grunts or a long drawn out grunt. It is probably given to alert other deer of the presence of a dominant in order to keep them away; and to attract does.

The Click is a clicking sound bucks may make when looking for of following estrous does. It sounds like someone slowly running a fingernail across the teeth of a comb.

The Flehmen Sniff is a low sound produced during the lip curl, when air is inhaled to bring urine in contact with the nose or vomeronasal organ (on the roof of the mouth), allowing the buck to determine the breeding readiness of the doe.

Whitetail Deer Body Language

Deer use several different body postures and movements when they interact with other deer, and as they react to the different sights, scents and sounds around them.

Whitetail Deer Body Signals: All Deer

Whitetail Deer Foot Stomp

Deer often stamp their front feet when alarmed to alert other deer of danger. The foot stomp may also be used to try to startle a predator. The excess interdigital scent left on the gowned may also tell other deer there was danger.

Whitetail Deer Tail Flag

Deer use a tail waving motion as they flee, probably to warn other deer of danger, and to show which way the flagger is going. Does flag more often than bucks. A running deer that is not flagging may be a buck.

Whitetail Deer Buck Prance

A buck walks with its head high, tail held half way out as a threat to another buck. The is the same action as the Head High Threat.

Whitetail Deer Lip Curl

A buck curls its upper lip and sucks air into its mouth to that scents come in contact with the vomeral nasal organ. Usually performed by a buck with or trailing an estrous doe.

Whitetail Deer Head Bob

A deer sensing danger may lower its head as if to feed, only to jerk it's head back up again quickly. The head bob may be an attempt to catch a predator moving while it thinks the deer is feeding when it's head is down, or the quick head bob may be used to startle a waiting predator into giving it's position away by moving. This may be used after a foot stomp.

Whitetail Deer Tail Flicking

A deer will remain still as long as it does not flick it's tail from side to side. Once the tail starts to flick the deer it getting ready to move.

Whitetail Deer Ear Twitching

A doe with its ears forward or relaxed is usually alone or with its fawns. A doe twitching it's ears to the side or backwards is probably listening to her fawns or other deer. A doe turning its ears or head to the rear during the rut may have a buck following it.

Whitetail Deer Hoof Pawing

Deer paw to dig up food under snow and heavy vegetation, to dig up minerals and before lying down to clear away sticks, stones and snow. Bucks paw, stomp and sniff the ground when making a scrape under an overhanging branch. When a buck paws slowly, it may stay awhile; if it paws, stops, looks around, and paws again, it may be getting ready to leave.

Whitetail Deer Aggressive Behavior: Bucks and Does

Whitetail Deer Walk Toward

The aggressive deer walks toward another deer. This is the lowest level of aggression.

Whitetail Deer Ear Drop

The deer lays its ears back along its neck with the ear openings facing out. This is low intensity aggression that is frequently used.

Whitetail Deer Head High Threat

The deer stands erect, holds its head high, tilts its nose upward, and lays its ears back. This is a seldom used threat.

Whitetail Deer Head Low Threat

The aggressive deer lowers its head and extends its neck toward another deer, with its ear's laid back. This is called the Hard Look by deer biologists.

Whitetail Deer Lunge

The deer lunges with its head toward another deer without making contact.

Whitetail Deer Head Raise

The head of the deer is pointed in the direction of another deer, and the head is snapped up and backward, then back to a resting position.

Whitetail Deer Front Leg Kick

A dominant deer strikes at a subdominant with a forefoot one or more times. The hoof does not necessarily hit the other deer. Also called the Strike.

Whitetail Deer Charge

The deer runs rapidly at another deer, but stops before contact is made.

Whitetail Deer Chase

A subordinate that does not respond to a lower level of aggression may be chased by a dominant, while it uses the head low posture as it pursues the subdominant.

Whitetail Deer Rake

A dominant lifts a foreleg about eighteen inches above the ground and drags it across the back of a subordinate. It is used by a dominant to displace a subordinate from a bed.

Whitetail Deer Poke

One deer contacts another with its nose. This is commonly used to direct group movement or to displace another deer.

Whitetail Deer Head Shake

The deer lowers its head, spread it's forelegs to lower the front of the body while it shakes its head from side to side with it's ears flopping. A high intensity threat usually performed at a distance.

Whitetail Deer Body Push

The aggressive deer approaches another deer and pushes against the rear of the other with its shoulder while laying its throat on the back of the other deer.

Whitetail Deer Sidle

Two deer walk slowly side by side in a head high threat posture. Bucks usually turn their head and body slightly away from each other in a show of redirected aggression. If neither deer retreats one or both deer my flail or rush the other.

Whitetail Deer Rear Up

A deer rears up on its hind legs. This is usually preceded by a head high threat.

Whitetail Deer Flail

Deer stand on their rear legs and strike out with both forefeet at each other. Flailing continues until one deer quits. This is the most intense form of aggressive behavior exhibited by does and by bucks without antlers.

Whitetail Deer Aggressive Behavior: Bucks Only

Whitetail Deer Nose Licking

The buck licks its nose constantly from both sides of its mouth.

Whitetail Deer Crouch

The buck lowers its head and tilts it's antlers toward an opponent. The deer is usually hunched with all four legs partially flexed, lowering the height of the deer. The buck's hair often stands on end. The bucks may walk slowly with a stiff-legged walk. This is performed only during the breeding season among high ranking bucks.

Whitetail Deer Circling

The aggressive bucks slowly circles it's opponent while crouching.

Whitetail Deer Rut-Snort

A snort performed while the buck circles another buck. The upper lip is raised upwards at each side beneath the nostrils. The nostrils are held tightly closed while a five to ten second burst of air is blown through the nostrils causing them to vibrate.

Whitetail Deer Antler Threat

A Buck lowers its head so that its antlers point directly at another buck. If the other deer uses an antler threat a rush usually follows.

Whitetail Deer Sparring

Two bucks lock antlers and push and twist their head back and forth. A non-violent contest between bucks of all sizes. The bucks may remain together afterward.

Whitetail Deer Rush

A rare form of aggression usually between two hostile large bucks. Both bucks lunge at each other with an antler clash. They may attempt to push or pull each other backwards or sideways. Their hair often stands on end and the white hairs of the metatarsal gland are often visible. Bucks frequently grunt and snort during a fight.