Body language can tell you as much as and even more than verbal communication. It can help you determine how people feel when there aren’t words to explain those feelings. It can tip you off when someone is lying. It can even help recognize who’s a friend and who isn’t. Body language is communication beyond words.
Incidentally, body language is a big indicator of animal emotion as well. Although they may not have as broad a spectrum of feelings as human beings, deer use body language to communicate danger to one another. If you’re a hunter, learning to recognize the signs of a nervous deer can help you determine your best course of action before it takes off. One of the easiest ways to do this is by watching a deer’s tail. From at ease to panicked, deer communicate how alarmed they are using their tails.
Wagging tail
A wagging tail is a good sign for hunters. It means the deer is at ease and hasn’t detected your presence. When hunting a deer that’s wagging its tail, you have time to set up a good shot as long as you don’t startle it. A deer wagging its tail will allow its tail to hang as it swings it back and forth. A raised and wagging tail is not a good sign. Some deer wag their tails more than others. Wagging is also a way for deer to keep bugs away.
Half-lifted tail
Lifting its tail halfway, so that it sticks straight out, is the first sign that a deer senses danger. An alert deer may also lift its tail halfway, drop it and raise it halfway again, as it assesses whether or not there’s potential danger lurking. The half-lifted tail is usually accompanied by other body language that indicates the deer is nervous, such as stiffened legs. If you notice this type of behavior while you’re out hunting, sit tight and allow the deer to relax. At this point, the deer senses something might be wrong but hasn’t made up its mind that it’s in danger. Any further movement after a deer has raised its tail halfway could cause the animal to flee.
Flat tail
When a deer holds its tail flat against its bum, it’s aware of a threat nearby and trying to hide. A deer may also flatten its tail if it senses danger from a distance in order to escape undetected. When its tail is flat, the white fur is covered and only the brown fur on the outside is visible, helping it camouflage itself. If a deer you’re hunting flattens its tail, assume it has already sensed your presence by movements or scent.
Raised tail
Many hunters are familiar with this deer behavior. By raising its tail vertically, also called flagging, a deer exposes the white fur of its tail and backside to alert others in its herd of danger.Note that it may also wag its tail from side to side while flagging. In addition to sending a warning, flagging also helps other members of the herd locate each other. For example, a doe running through brush will use tail flagging to help its fawn stay close. Tail flagging is common when a deer is fleeing danger. Whether you’re hunting or watching deer, seeing a deer raise its tail means you’ve been spotted and it’s getting ready to bolt.
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A wagging tail is a good sign for hunters. It means the deer is at ease and hasn't detected your presence. When hunting a deer that's wagging its tail, you have time to set up a good shot as long as you don't startle it. A deer wagging its tail will allow its tail to hang as it swings it back and forth.
What does it mean when a deer flicks its tail? ›
Each one of these signals is an opportunity for hunters to take advantage of— if they can recognize them. Tail flicks are signs of acknowledgment among deer. A couple flicks may indicate that you've been heard, even without a turn of the head.
How do you know if a deer is calm? ›
Of course, a relaxed deer typically has its ears back or is moving them back and forth. The tail is down, in a relaxed position, or perhaps flicking back and forth. The neck can be in almost any position. A whitetail in such a state is telling us there's no need to rush anything.
How do deer express happiness? ›
Common bodily displays that show excitement include frolicking, jumping and head rolling. Two deer behaviors that hunters often see are fear and uneasiness.
What does it mean when a deer walks up to you? ›
Deer may show up when you want to give and receive unconditional love or when you want to stop being so hard on yourself or others, she adds. Ultimately, deer represent gentleness and heart intelligence. So deer may present themselves to you if you've been hurt and your heart needs tending.
When a deer huffs at you? ›
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.
What does it mean when a deer bobs its head at you? ›
The Head Bob
Bobbing their head while staring at potential threats gives them multiple angles for identifying the risk. If a deer bobs its head while looking your way, remain statue-still. It might have just glimpsed your movement. If it was confident it saw you move, it likely would have fled.
What does it mean when a deer stares at you and stomps her foot? ›
This stomping of the foot serves to loudly alert other deer that there is a potential threat, and the stomping may be directed toward the potential threat in order to make the predator move. In addition, the foot stomping behavior leaves an olfactory warning via the interdigital gland on the deer's foot.
What do deer do when happy? ›
Casual, gentle and occasional side-to-side tail wagging or swishing is a good sign. These relaxed movements indicate a deer at ease. Some deer wag more than others, and whitetails will swish more at various times of year — for example in summer into early bow season, when there are still lots of pesky bugs around.
What does it mean when a deer licks you? ›
In some instances, licking serves a physical purpose – removing fawn poop or ectoparasites. But mostly, licking is a form of communication – strengthening bonds and transmitting information.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Deer hunters know all too well the power of a deer's sense of smell, or more technically speaking, its olfactory system. A change of wind direction can give deer just a whiff of human scent and send them running and send a hunter back to the truck empty handed.
What do deer do when they are stressed? ›
Behaviours that indicate stress, include fence-pacing, excessive and prolonged panting, aggressions, general nervousness and frequent vocalisations. If these signs continue for a long time, the animals may be in chronic stress and physical signs can include noticeable weight loss and hair loss.
What do deer love the most? ›
The top 20 deer foods are: acorns, alfalfa, apples, beechnuts, brassicas, cereal grains, clover, corn, cowpeas, fall leaves, fir needles, forbs, milo, northern white cedar, persimmons, pears, saplings and shrubs, soybeans, and treetops (felled or fallen).
How to befriend a wild deer? ›
Wild deer can be enticed to approach you by habitually feeding them, and in encounters where their curiosity is aroused, and they are unable to recognize you as human, or perhaps as anything at all.
What does it mean when a deer stomps his feet at you? ›
This stomping of the foot serves to loudly alert other deer that there is a potential threat, and the stomping may be directed toward the potential threat in order to make the predator move. In addition, the foot stomping behavior leaves an olfactory warning via the interdigital gland on the deer's foot.
Do deer show affection to each other? ›
The affection deer show each other is a way of communication and interaction. Undoubtedly, deer care for each other, keeping watch while others graze. Affection towards each other does, however, not pre-empt the stags from battling fiercely for the honour of being the female's mate.
