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Blow Hard
By Patrick Dunning
We’ve all heard deer snort, but what are they trying to accomplish?
Question: When a deer can’t see you and they puff [blow], what is the exact reason for it?
Answer: Deer react to real or perceived danger in different ways. They may run or sneak away, or simple hold tight and wait for the threat to pass. Sometimes they stomp their foreleg and stare, and sometimes they blow or snort – a loud exhalation of air through the nostrils.
We don’t know the exact reason for this response. It may be a means of startling an unseen predator into revealing itself or alerting other deer to the danger, perhaps even both. While this reaction is often referred to as a buck snort, it’s far more common in does. The deer may blow once and run off, or stand its ground or walk slowly away, stiff-legged and continue to blow. Either way, it usually means you won’t be seeing any other deer for a while.