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Why Do Deer Blow?

Snorting, Blowing: What Gives?

There is nothing worse than hearing a loud, lung-collapsing deer blow while deer hunting. Ugh, why do deer blow? It’s an annoying, but effective sound (at least for the deer). This is so true when bowhunting. This is when you need deer to close the distance due to the range limitations of archery equipment. Ironically, a loud blow by a white-tailed sucks all the air out of my sail.

It can be downright unnerving when a buck or doe breaks complete silence by blowing loudly, especially at close range. If you’re like me, it’s usually at this point during a hunt that you’re ready to pack up your gear, climb down out of the stand and head for home, tail between your legs.

Why do Deer Blow? Alert!

Deer really only blow for one reason, to alert other deer in the area that something is out of the ordinary. Though I’ve heard many deer do this over the years, I’ve come to realize that their actions are not always in response to me.

There are numerous things in a deer’s environment that can cause it to react with that attention-grabbing, nasal-clearing sound. Coyotes, dogs or anything else that they perceive as a threat. Deer can also snort when concerned. Regardless of why the deer is alarmed, the result may end in an unproductive hunt if your goal is to tag a deer.

Deer Communication

Source: Blow or snort (all deer, all seasons). The deer forcibly expels air through its nostrils like a greatly magnified sneeze. The deer blows when it detects danger at a distance. These blows are drawn-out “whooshes” repeated several times. Snorts are single, very short, explosive sounds given as the deer turns to run.

There may be three reasons for these sounds. The noise warns all deer that something is radically wrong. The “sneeze” clears the nasal passages, and helps the deer sniff the air better. The sound may startle a predator into revealing its location or leaving the area.

Deer Hunting: Why do deer blow? — Image woodswalksandwildlife

Why do Deer Blow? Sup?

Like some of you reading this article, I can tell you from experience that deer will blow when they see or smell something that is not right. More often than not, it means the deer that you are hunting smell you. It’s frustrating — especially since so many hunters are quite meticulous about scent control and hunting under favorable wind conditions.

The best I can offer is to remember that it’s not always you. It’s sometimes you, but now always.

Deer snorts, then runs! — Image woodswalksandwildlife

Avoid Detection

Scent control is not necessarily about being “scent-free” but about being low in human scent. White-tailed deer have one heck of a sniffer on them so they can be hard to fool, but it’s not impossible. Keeping your scent level down can trick them into believing that you are much further away than they think you are.

You see, it’s all about scent molecule density. You want to have very few molecules (that smell like you) floating around in the air. Do all that you can to control scent. Then, the next time you’re hunting and hear a deer blow, you can be confident that it’s not at you. So, why do deer blow? It’s a form of deer communication that alerts the herd, but hopefully they aren’t talking about you.

Toxoplasmosis in Deer: Feral Cats Spread the Parasite

Deer and Toxoplasmosis

Hunters are often concerned about feral hogs impacting a local deer herd, but feral cats? Well, it turns out that free-ranging house cats are doing more out in the woods than just killing mice and raiding songbird nests. Feral cats are also spreading parasites to white-tailed deer, other animals and maybe even to you.

The problem is toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Will cats infected with the parasite impact deer hunting in your area? Probably not, for a number of different reasons, but it’s important to pay attention if you eat venison since this disease is prevalent in many areas.

It’s currently estimated that more than 60 million people in the U.S. have the Toxoplasma parasite in them. Most people will not get sick, though the parasite can cause serious problems for some others, such as those with weakened immune systems and babies whose mothers become infected for the first time during pregnancy.

Problems stemming from an infection can include damage to the brain, eyes, and other organs; serious stuff. For those at risk of complications, every precaution should be taken.

Toxoplasmosis in Deer Meat

Source: “This study documents the widespread infection of deer populations in northeastern Ohio, most likely resulting from feral cats, and highlights the need for consumers of venison to make absolutely certain that any deer meat planned for consumption is thoroughly and properly cooked,” said Gregory Ballash of the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at Ohio State University and lead author of the study.

Two hundred free-roaming cats and 444 white-tailed deer were tested for the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis. Almost 60 percent (261) of the deer showed evidence of infection and more than 65 percent (164) of the studied cats tested positive.

According to the report, approximately 14 percent of the United States’ human population is infected with toxoplasmosis by the age of 40, with an estimated 1 million new cases diagnosed each year.

Cats, both domestic and wild (such as bobcats), play a critical role in the spread of toxoplasmosis because they serve as the definitive hosts, fulfilling the requirements needed for the parasite to sexually reproduce and complete its life cycle.

Toxoplasmosis: A Widespread Disease

This parasitic disease is not just limited to deer in Ohio. Similar estimates for white-tailed deer infections have been found in Iowa (53.5 -64.2 percent), Pennsylvania (60 percent), and Mississippi (46.5 percent), suggesting Toxoplasma gondii is thriving entirely because of feral cats.

The domestic cat (Felis catus) is not native to North America, but free-ranging feral populations are often abundant at the fringes of urban/suburban areas, where deer are found and hunting takes place.

The odds of deer from urban locations testing positive for toxoplasmosis were nearly three times those of deer from more rural areas. The study found that densities of human households, and likely cats, were a significant predictor of infection in deer.

Since the parasite that causes this disease has the ability to impact a fetus during gestation, there is potential for this protozoan to impact a deer population on a local level.

If you hunt suburban properties or in places with high numbers of feral cats, consider cooking that steak well done next time you fire up the grill to knock out any toxoplasmosis in your deer meat. Otherwise, the Center for Disease Control says you can freeze venison for several days at sub-zero (0° F) temperatures before cooking to greatly reduce the risk of a toxoplasmosis infection.

Boone and Crockett Club: Do Not Use Scoring System for Captive Deer

B&C Scoring: Net Score, Gross Score

B&C Score: It’s become a part of the everyday lingo used in the world of white-tailed deer hunting. TV show hosts refer to it, most hunters overestimate it, deer hunting guides/outfitters live and die by it, and deer breeders use it to market pen-raised bucks for market. Did someone stop the music?

Despite the fact that B&C score is the gold standard for scoring big game, the Boone and Crockett Club politely asked recently that deer breeding operations no longer refer to their name or use their scoring methods when marketing pen-raised deer and elk. This appears to be positioning by the club to distance the well-known B&C name and scoring system from commercial operations selling and shooting captive, pen-raised deer.

B&C Scoring: Not for Breeder Deer — Image druryoutdoors.com

A bold statement, a bold move, but the right one based on the organization’s president, William A. Demmer. To qualify for the B&C record books native big game animals must be harvested under fair-chase hunting conditions.

In short, the Club is reiterating that their proprietary scoring system is intended for use on free-ranging animals, not captive bucks — and the Club wants no affiliation with pen-raised deer.

B&C for Conservation, Wild Animals

Source: “The Boone and Crockett Club scoring system exists to document the successful conservation of wild game animals in North America. The Boone and Crockett Club objects to and rejects any use of or reference to the Boone and Crockett Club or its scoring system in connection with antlers/horns grown by animals in captivity.”

Demmer said, “With the growth of the deer breeding and shooting industry, and modern marketing and selling of ‘shooter bucks’ raised in captivity and graded and sold using B&C scores, it was time to make this unauthorized use of our scoring system more widely known.”

The Club’s records program was established in 1906 as a way of detailing species once thought headed for extinction. Today, the B&C scoring system is used to collect data on free-ranging big game.

These data reflect successful conservation efforts, population health and habitat quality. Biologists compare and contrast records to improve local management strategies as well as state and federal wildlife policies.

“To maintain the purity of this dataset, and to ensure its usefulness for conservation professionals, the Club has always excluded farm-raised big game from its records program. Including unnaturally produced or genetically manipulated specimens would taint one of the longest running conservation programs in existence,” said Demmer.

Image noble.org

The Club supports use of scientifically guided wildlife management techniques to enhance or restore big game populations and other species at risk. However, the Club condemns artificial enhancement of a species’ genetic characteristics for the sole purpose of producing abnormally large antlers to increase commercial value.

Principles of Doe Management: Hunting and Harvest

Should I Shoot Does?

Question: “I have hunted on a lot of different farms and a lot of public hunting properties and the farm I am hunting on now has me puzzled. The property is around 800 acres and there are deer on it but I feel the number of deer is low for the size of the farm.

There is plenty of food, water and deer cover on this farm. I just think the number of mature does and bucks are way too low. However, the landowner says the bucks don’t move because there are too many does and tells every hunter to shoot all the does they see and this will make the bucks more aggressive.

I disagree with this. I have heard the shoot does slogan many times, but if you shoot most of the does on a property won’t all the bucks be gone also? And what bucks you would have may be fighting for breeding rights but it’s going to be on the neighboring properties that are still holding does?

Also, if you have a fair number of does wouldn’t that mean more does that will come into heat and pull bucks onto your property?”

Doe Harvest Considerations

Response: Everything that you said about the over-harvest of does is correct. Beware of the ole “I heard that to manage deer you have to…” trap. Many hunters and landowners have fallen into it. Like a lot of things we hear, if it’s taken out of context then it’s no longer accurate, it’s not applicable.

In the case of the property that your hunting on, there likely was a time when the doe population needed to be reduced. It sounds like that is no longer the case—unless that is still the goal.

Doe harvest for deer management — Image woodswalksandwildlife

I don’t know the stipulations of you being able to hunt this particular 800 acre farm, but maybe the owner of the property just wants fewer deer on his farm. Fewer does means fewer deer and less crop damage, which may be the landowner’s goal.

The take-home lesson for others reading this: Before applying someone else’s management strategy to your property make sure it’s relevant to the deer herd and your goals.

Doe Harvest to Manage Density

Reducing the number of female deer is the principle way to limit the growth of a whitetail population. We should all be in agreement on this one. That’s why the intense harvest of does still has a time and a place. There are still pockets scattered across the whitetail’s range where high numbers of whitetail deer are causing problems.

This spells bad news for habitat, agricultural producers and the owners of motor vehicles. A few good years of fawn production, population growth combined with little to no deer harvest and—boom—you’ve got a problem.

Doe harvest is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to reducing deer density in an area, but it’s definitely not a management silver bullet for better hunting.

Using Does in Estrus to Attract Bucks

Another no-brainer: Bucks are attracted to does in estrus. The more does you have hanging around the better the chances that bucks will want to visit your property. This seems like a good thing, but too many does causes problems down the road.

The problems that arise from too many does are when (1) deer numbers get out of hand (see above), (2) buck to doe ratios get out of whack, (3) breeding takes 3-4 months and (4) bucks get run down to the point that they don’t survive the winter or it takes a series of years for bucks and their antlers to recover.

Yes, it’s good to have does but only up to a point and then it’s counterproductive on many levels.

Bucks are attracted to does! — Image realtree.com

Adaptive Resource Management: A Principle for Deer

Managing a white-tailed deer population is about changing what you are doing in response to an ever-changing deer herd in order to achieve desired results. In one instance it may be perfectly justified to harvest every doe that a hunter sees.

This would make sense on a property with a very high deer density. It would even make sense on a property with a very skewed buck to doe ratio, where bucks are in short supply and does are numerous. But at some point the increased harvest of female deer should achieve the desired results.

It may take a season or two or three or even longer, but then that practice is not necessary.

At some point, the harvest management strategy of “shoot every doe in sight” becomes something different. It has to change or you will have very few deer left. Management means adapting to a new deer herd each season. Otherwise you are simply hunting, rather over-hunting as in the prior example.

The new harvest strategy may be one where only enough does are harvested to maintain a specific deer density or the new goal may be to maintain a particular buck to doe ratio. Ideally, adaptive harvest management factors in deer density (impacted by fawn production) and ratio goals as the deer population changes each year.

Texas to Change Deer Management Program

MLDP in Texas

Private property comprises well over 95-percent of Texas, so most white-tailed deer management and hunting takes place on private lands within the state. Years ago, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) initiated a deer management program called the “Managed Lands Deer Permit (MLDP) Program.”

The program is intended to improve habitat for native wildlife by assisting landowners interested in enhancing, managing the whitetail herd found on their properties.

Better Habitat Through Deer Management

The concept of the deer-based program was put habitat management on the ground where wildlife are found and reward landowners willing to participate by providing property-specific harvest recommendations, longer hunting seasons and harvest permits.

Since the program’s inception in 1999, the number of cooperating landowners and the amount of land enrolled has grown like wildfire, which includes 9,500 landowners and 24 million acres. Now, the MLDP program may be a victim of its own success.

Alan Cain, white-tailed deer program leader for TPWD said, “We need to find ways to simplify the program, make it more efficient, meet the diverse needs of landowners, and still accomplish the program’s goals, which include building and maintaining relationships with private landowners and engaging them on conservation and habitat management.”

Texas Deer Tag Programs Rolled Up

Source: “TPWD is considering proposing to combine the MLDP and LAMPS programs and offer two managed-lands options: a conservation option and harvest option.

The conservation option would mirror the current MLDP program, with landowners agreeing to several requirements, including collecting and providing annual deer population and harvest data to TPWD, as well as engaging in a minimum number of habitat improvement practices. TPWD would provide a harvest recommendation for that specific property.

Under the harvest option, requirements would be considerably reduced or eliminated, harvest quotas would be determined based largely on the deer population/density in the general region, and antler restrictions would apply if the property is in one of the 150 or so Texas counties in which those restrictions apply. The extended (Oct.-Feb.) hunting season would also apply.

Creating the two options would allow TPWD staff to concentrate their technical guidance efforts with landowners who want to make the most of state biologists’ expertise and get site-specific recommendations through the conservation option while spending less time on properties under the harvest option but still maintaining contact and interaction with those landowners.

Agency staff plans to offer recommendations for proposed changes in the programs at January’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting. Any that are adopted won’t take effect until the 2016-17 hunting seasons.”