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Buck Growl

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bowhunterfanatic

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Anyone have a clue as to why or when a buck would typically make this noise? I heard a buck do it for the second time in my life this morning, and true to my luck I've yet to see either of the bucks that did the growling. At least I don't think I have. I heard one growl twice this morning, followed by a few long, deep grunts, then one last growl. I watched deer come and go out of the tiny patch of timber this was occurring in all morning, but only saw one buck come out...a 3.5 or 4.5 year old 6 point that I probably would've shot under different circumstances, but I felt like there had to be a bigger, more mature deer in the timber. I'm guessing there probably was, and that he was guarding a doe, but I never saw him. I did watch a yearling buck ease up into the timber around 9 a.m. and was hopeful that the growler would come to the edge of the timber to run him off, but after milling around in the timber for a while he calmly reappeared and went on his merry way. There is almost no chance the buck could've come out of the timber without me seeing him, so either he had to still be in there when I left, and just wasn't concerned with the young fella, or the 6 point I saw that ended up leaving all by himself had to do the growling. I'm really just trying to make my mind up about what happened I guess. If the 6 point did the growling I can't understand why he made all that commotion to end up leaving by himself. If he wasn't the culprit I can't understand why the growler didn't run the little guy off later in the morning. Either way, it was probably one of the best hunts I've ever had that didn't result in a kill.
 
I've seen or heard them do it at least two different times. Both times they were the dominant buck trying to run another buck off their doe. Usually they will just snort wheeze, but sometimes they do growl.

Also it could have very well been the 6 point you saw. Just cause he's not the biggest buck in the woods doesn't mean he's not the most dominant buck with a particular hot doe. Last year I shot a hot doe and the woods were crawling with 1.5 and 2.5 year old bucks. The dominant buck was some jacked up rack 5 or 6 point that appeared to be young, but he was all bristled up, ears pinned back, posturing on the other bucks.
 
BSK said:
Just remember dominance is not determined by antler size, but by body weight and individual aggressiveness. Sometimes a jacked up 3 1/2 year-old is the meanest guy in the woods.
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Last year I saw this buck two different times with two different hot does. He snort wheezed, growled, and straight up charged other bucks that were trying to get his doe.

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I have never seen it in the woods in person but I have called in a couple bucks and a group of pigs once with a growl and a couple grunts after the growl.
 
I had a buck do it this year. He came into my setup and there was two other smaller bucks with him and two does. He kept continually growling . All I could figure out was he was growling at the smaller bucks that he was trying to keep run off. Pretty crazy . I've heard them growl before but not like this. This was none stop. Pretty crazy. That's why I Love this sport. Always seeing and learning something new every year.
 
BSK said:
Just remember dominance is not determined by antler size, but by body weight and individual aggressiveness. Sometimes a jacked up 3 1/2 year-old is the meanest guy in the woods.
Click to expand...
Yep, have watched a buck with a bad attitude and no antlers push does around and run off 2.5 year old bucks. He was broke off at his pedicles on both sides, but he still showed his dominance.
 
backyardtndeer said:
Yep, have watched a buck with a bad attitude and no antlers push does around and run off 2.5 year old bucks. He was broke off at his pedicles on both sides, but he still showed his dominance.
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Some bucks have really nasty dispositions. I've even seen it in research pens. Some middle-aged bucks are just downright mean. I've even seen a few that hated individual people and would try to attack them if they came into the pen. Not any human, just one or two individual people.
 
I've experienced it twice. Once in thick fog and never laid eyes on the deer, but heard grunts, roars, doe bleats, and a fight. Two others wound up hearing it that morning. The next was on a ridge top over 200 yards away by a huge bodied deer following a doe. It was cold and quiet that morning and echoed through the hollers like crazy. Two of my buddies heard it this year. One for the first time and one for just the second.
 
Sounds like you maybe witnessed ole Bucky's "O" face o_O Long deep grunts are indicative of breeding. Seeing only the one buck supports the notion. I've only heard bucks growl/roar a couple times & both times there were snort wheezes. Neither snort wheeze sounded like the guys on TV promoting grunt tubes, either. Sounded more like a controlled, aggressive sneeze.

I once heard what sounded like pigs snorting. Usually when I hear that it means a buck is hounding a doe. And sure enough here come seven does & fawns, but no buck. The grunting was coming from them. They were eating woody browse and I noticed as they'd stretch their neck out to tug on a branch, they'd let out a little throaty grunty noise. Disappointed as I was that it wasn't a rutty buck, it was still neat to hear something completely different. I had no idea does could grunt. I thought they only bawled or bleated. And I don't think their grunts were communication, but rather a byproduct of strain from tugging on branches or swallowing chunks of wood.
 

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