Mule Deer Vocalization - What's Your Experience?

[Founder]

So in the thread about the Wyoming mule deer migrating 150 miles, the article (right here ... http://wyofile.com/gregory_nickerson/americas-longest-mule-deer-migration-discovered-in-wyoming/) contains video ( right here ... http://vimeo.com/88619272) and the biologist speaks of the mule deer being vocal during the migration.

What's your experience with vocal mule deer?

For me, I have watched and been very close to many, many deer in my life and I think pretty all of the times I heard mule deer being vocal was while they were migrating. My experience with vocal mule deer has been on the Paunsaugunt on migration trails as they moved.

I remember an archery dude years ago claiming that he could call mule deer. He had walls full of big bucks at a show. He got caught poaching.

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Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
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[mulecreek]

I get many deer that will respond to a distressed rabbit call when I am chasing coyotes. Always does, never a buck. Back when we were teenagers my brother bought a call called a K'meer deer, or something like that, and it sounded like a distressed rabbit as well.

I see the good old boys on TV grunting at whitetails and to be honest it doesn't look like the deer pay any attention.

 

[ForkWest]

I've only heard it once in all my time in the hills. Going stealth mode on an archery hunt, I accidentally caused a doe and fawn to seperate. They both were mewing back and forth similar to a cow and calf elk, little higher pitched and more nasally sounding. It went on for several minutes until they were able to meet up again.

The only sound I've ever heard a buck make is "thump"...from hitting the ground!

 

[SMELLYBUCK]

I heard fawns making some noise at Philmont in New Mexico in the 80's. It almost sounded like a lamb if I remember right.

 

[timberhunter_]

I've heard does call but never a buck. I have had a buck beat up a pine tree after I had been rubbing a tree and rattling. don't think I've ever heard a buck grunt or make any noises yet.

 

[mntman]

I have never called in a mule deer except once. Was using a cow call and sounding like a calf and two does come screaming down the mountain to within 10 yards stood around for a minute or two stomping and calling for the fawn. They walked back up and I tried it again, sure enough they come racing back down to me again within 10 yards again.

I have called whitetails (bucks)in with a grunt tube but they don't come right in, they circle down wind at a distance and super quiet to check things out then sneak away.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?

 

[YELUM]

I was filming a buck during the rut in 2007, and was about 40 yards from him. He grunted a couple different times. 1st time my buddy and I had heard one. A couple days later was in WY with a friend and our boys. My son went over a little hill to dump, and came running back saying a big buck was grunting and hissing at him. I told him deer don't hiss. He said this one did. My buddy went to film it. When he came back he said it was grunting and hissing.

Yelum

Theres logic, and theres women. They don't go together.

 

[Hawkeye]

I had a similar experience to Founder. In November of 2008, I was sitting on a water hole on the Paunsaugunt during the mule deer migration, and a group of 15-20 deer came in to water. As they were drinking, the deer started to make the same noises you heard in the video. At first only a few deer were calling but soon most of the herd was making those noises. I was a very cool experience and I have never seen anything like that since.

Hawkeye

Browning A-Bolt 300 Win Mag
Bowtech Destroyer
Winchester Apex .50 Cal

 

[darter]

One time about 20 years ago I was hunting in eastern Wyoming and some hunters pushed a bunch of mule deer out of a river bottom probably over 75 deer, I was sitting up on a bute and they were crossing a large flat out at least 500 yards from and they were just a bellering, I could hear easily them. Now there are very mule deer left in that area.

 

[elkassassin]

Heard em Talk to each other on many occasion's!(Does & Fawns!)

Ya Gotta be Perty Close to hear them though!

While calling Coyotes & Huntin Turkeys mostly!








[font color="red"]From My Smokin Cherry Red Hot Barrel & My Dead Cold Hands I Shall go down Fighting for American Pride & Rights!
I Know I'm Out Numbered by Pusssies & Brainwashed Democrats that'll Throw Their Hands in the air & I know I can't Lick the U.S. Military by Myself when they Turn on us but I'll make
you one Guarantee,They'll be Enduring a Situation where I Hope to Hell All Americans become True Americans once again & Stand up for their Rights!

 

[elkassassin]

While in the Book Cliffs a few years ago!

I was doing some Pre-Scoutin!

Just a couple days before Season!

A couple Bucks came by me!

And I hear the one Buck say to the other Buck:

It's time to get the F outa here!

There will be 3,000 PUMPKINS/TARDS here in two days lookin for Our Ass!











[font color="red"]From My Smokin Cherry Red Hot Barrel & My Dead Cold Hands I Shall go down Fighting for American Pride & Rights!
I Know I'm Out Numbered by Pusssies & Brainwashed Democrats that'll Throw Their Hands in the air & I know I can't Lick the U.S. Military by Myself when they Turn on us but I'll make
you one Guarantee,They'll be Enduring a Situation where I Hope to Hell All Americans become True Americans once again & Stand up for their Rights!

 

[mmwb]

Got into a herd of two or three dozen does with fawns after everything was socked in with a fall snow storm for about three days. They were out in the sage in the sun making quite a bit of racket (for deer). I've had does come into a calf call when blown with a higher pitch. Heard one buck grunt.

 

[nontypical]

The call was made by that guy from Montana. Can't think of his name, but his elk calls were E.L.K. brand. Don Knaublach maybe?? I used them to call in does. My young (8 or 9) daughter was with me, and we called a mature doe to within 10 yards out in the open one time during summer. I have also heard does and fawns bleat at various other times. Only heard bucks grunt during the rut on rare occasions.

 

[BCBOY]

I've heard them talk like that countless times over the years and at all times of the year. In my experience they are more vocal during the rut, both does and bucks. I have called in numerous bucks just by burping. Have had them come in with their ears pinned back, burping and hissing and spitting at me.

 

[swbuckmaster]

I hear them all the time and at all times of the year.

who farted?

 

[bucklover]

I remember as a kid, my Dad shot a buck. He hit it high, and broke its back. The buck let out a long lasting bawl, that sounded kind of like a domestic cow being branded or something. It was a little sickening, to tell the truth.

 

[NVPete]

I had an amazing experience a few yrs. ago, when I got to hear a fawn bawl.I was hiking on a trail in very tall grass when I jumped out a doe directly in front of me and she ran to the top of a small ridge and stopped to look back. As it was early June, I thought she probably had a fawn hidden close by. As I looked to the trail at my feet to continue walking, I was shocked and amazed to see that I had straddled the tiny fawn right in the middle of the tall grass and trail! I was so startled, I almost fell over. Immediately the fawn jumped up and clumsily ran off, emitting a cry that sounded like a frightened rabbit call that I'd heard many times before. The little rascal quit crying and must have found a better hiding place, for I quickly left the area and never saw the doe or the fawn again! I felt bad that I'd frightened the fawn so, but it was such a unique experience I will treasure it forever! And that was the first time I'd ever heard a deer make noise.
A year or so later, I was video taping a nice 4 point buck at fairly close range, when he let out a grunt or "buck snort" which my camera audio clearly picked up. These are the only instances I can ever recall of deer being vocal for me.

 

[Saskman]

Mule deer are very vocal. Especially does and fawns. They will call back and fourth quite often with soft mewing noises. Does are easy to call in with a fawn in distress call and will come in charging and aggressive and often are making more of a grunt than a mew that they usually use. It works to draw bucks in as well. During the rut use a fawn in distress call to call in the does and any bucks with them will follow along as well. Have had a few bucks respond to the fawn distress call when they are alone but not very many. Bucks tend to grunt a fair bit during the rut. Like BC Boy I have burped in many bucks if I have not had a grunt call with me. They will come into rattling as well, have rattled in many mule deer bucks for photography purposes.

 

[BillyBoB]

I was on my first Muzzleloader hunt this last fall and I got caught with my pants down (gun wasn't loaded) Just a little further up the mountain 128 yards away was a buck with a jacked up rack. He had me pegged. He was drooling, hissing, and snorting at me. I'm guessing he was pissed. I tried to load my gun as fast and quietly as I could but when the gun was ready, I looked up, he was gone and I didn't see which way he went. He wasn't really what I was looking for but I would have shot him with how unique his rack was. It was a pretty cool experience.



Theodore Roosevelt's guidance concerning
conservation...
"The movement for the conservation of wildlife,
and the conservation of all our natural resources,
are essentially democratic in spirit,purpose and
method."

"We do not intend that our natural resources shall
be exploited by the few against the interests of the
majority. Our aim is to preserve our natural
resources for the public as a whole, for the
average man and the average woman who make
up the body of the American people."

"It is in our power...to preserve game..and to give
reasonable opportunities for the exercise of the
skill of the hunter,whether he is or is not a man of
means."

 

[BrowningRage]

Two bucks I've had to stab in the throat made plenty of noise... But that's it.

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24

 

[nmbighorn]

A couple years go I had Jan bow tag in 2b, I was 25yds from a doe that was bleating, so I figure I would try and grunt, well it worked he ran in from 75yds and I drilled him at 20, not a giant but a decent buck.

 

[thicketmaster]

Every year I hear bucks and does making the same bleats as they are migrating mostly does and fawns I think it's a way for the does to keep the fawns following them without stopping to feed and the fawns are doing it because its all new to them so they are stressed and bleating!