Deer Stomping Ground?


Deer Stomping Ground?

Have you ever seen a deer stomping its front foot on the ground? It’s not something most of us notice unless we are out in the woods, somewhere that deer do not normally see humans, pets or other things not normally encountered by them in nature. In areas where deer are acclimated to seeing more suburban things, we do not often see deer stomping the ground, though they will too from time to time. In these areas, deer usually just walk away when they see something they don’t approve of.

White-tailed Deer Stomping Hoof on Ground

Whitetail Stomping Ground

A deer is sending a message when it is stomping the ground. The message reads, “I don’t know what you are or what you are up to, but I do not like it. Move on!” In short, a deer stomping a front foot/hoof against the ground is a way of telling you or something else to get lost, go away.

The stomping of foot is not a sign of aggression towards humans, although dogs and coyotes and other mid-sized critters should definitely stay out of the way because these animals ARE seen as an immediate threat.

The stomping of a foot is one way for a deer to “test” what it is looking at. If a deer sees something that it is unsure of, the deer may stomp the ground just to get a response. You may concurrently experience a deer blowing or snorting at you. It’s basically trying to make you or something flinch in order to what it is, if it’s alive and if it is a danger to them.

Don’t Stomp Off Mad

Deer are not necessarily mad when they stomp, but they are telling you that they are aware of you, they see you, even if they do not know what you are. Whitetail deer do not see colors very well. In fact, they have a difficult time seeing colors as we see them, although they do see good the blue spectrum very well.

Just know that when a deer is stomping the ground it’s essentially for two reasons: 1) The deer knows that something is out of the ordinary, and 2) The deer is trying to get a response from something that it has not yet identified as a threat.

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