Dangerous Animal Encounters – Section 3.5.1 Hoofed Mammals: Deer
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More people are actually killed by deer annually than any of the other dangerous animals noted here. But…the vast majority of those deaths are due to car crashes not deer attacks! Those suckers sure do love to bolt out in front of some headlights…
Deer in the wild do not pose a significant threat to humans. That being said, deer are very capable of defending themselves and can cause serious injury to a human if they lash out with their sharp front hooves. Does have been known to defend their fawns from coyote attacks. In fact, a friend of mine just reported to me that he saw a doe in hot pursuit of a coyote just the other day. Occasionally deer accost humans, but it is my belief and understanding that most of these encounters are due to young male human stupidity. You may laugh, but that’s a real disorder and it can be dangerous.
Reading deer behaviour
All kidding aside, I have found that there are some really cool body language cues that you can use to help a deer feel non-threatened by you. When I’m out wandering in the woods and I see deer I don’t generally want them to run off right away. I want to get a good look and watch them. If they smell me, generally they just run, but if I have the wind in my face they usually are unsure what I am when they hear me. Deer are overly cautious creatures and will often live by the mantra “run now and ask questions later”.
If you do happen to come upon some deer though and they don’t run right away there are a couple of neat things that you can try to defuse the situation. Firstly, do know that deer really do not have very good eyesight. They use their ears and nose as their primary senses and their eyes mostly for detecting movement. Deer also have very poor depth perception since their eyes are so far to the side of their heads. When a deer is alarmed, it will look directly at whatever has drawn its attention with ears erect and pointing forward. It may sway its head from side to side in an attempt to get a better look at you and try and determine how far away you are. It might also stomp its foot and snort as a warning to other deer.
Gentle encounters
When I come upon deer and they see or hear me but do not immediately run, I freeze immediately. The deer will freeze too and will hold very still, alert and looking in my direction, waiting for me to move again or for the wind to shift in their favour. When I remain very still and they cannot smell me, I am convinced that they do not know what I am or even whether there is cause to be alarmed at all.
Now comes the waiting game. Startled deer will hold very still for a long time, sometimes five minutes without moving. You must hold still too. If you move during this time, they will likely run. If you hold still, they may still run, or they may eventually relax a little. If they relax a little and stop looking directly at you, slowly turn your body 45 degrees to them to show that you are not a threat. Keep them in your peripheral vision but do not look directly at them with focused vision. Then begin acting like you are slowly going about your own business and could care less about them being there. Pretend to forage plants while standing or crouched. Sometimes, if you do this right the deer will totally relax and go back to eating and you can hang out with them for a while!
Another fun thing that I do sometimes just to mess around and see what will happen is to act just as startled as the deer when I come upon them. I model their scared behavior, freezing and staring back at them. If they stomp and snort I’ll stomp and snort too as if I am just as scared of them as they are of me. Usually they hang around for a while and seem a bit confused and eventually bound off, but it’s fun to mess around with body language and animal communication to see what can be accomplished.
Will deer ever attack?
Deer are not predators and will not attack you unprovoked. If you come in contact with a deer that is acting aggressively, you don’t want to escalate the situation as the deer is obviously feeling threatened by you and for some reason is engaging rather than disengaging.
The only other reason a deer will generally attack a human is during the rut when male deer have very high levels of testosterone and are itching for a fight. When deer fight each other it is to establish dominance, not to kill each other. Therefore if you come in contact with a buck in rut acting aggressive toward you, take on submissive behavior and get away and it is unlikely to escalate.
How to deescalate an aggressive deer encounter
Immediately take on submissive body language and move away. A deer is not likely to pursue you if you run, but I still recommend keeping the aggressive deer in your peripheral vision and move away without exposing your back. If a deer did attack you, try and create space and avoid getting kicked. Use a stick or rock or other long-range weapon to defend yourself and get away as quickly as you can.
A word about fawns
Note: It is not a good idea to mess with or approach small fawns if you see them in the wild. Young fawns are free of scent for the first couple of weeks of life and often are left by their mothers in tall grass or thickets while they forage. They are not abandoned and their mother will return. If you approach them you will be leaving scent that will draw in predators. If you remove them from the location, it is very unlikely that they will reunite with their mother. Plus, threatening a fawn is one of a very few number of reasons that a deer might attack a human.
