deer;

[novembeRain]

My new stomping ground is covered in evidence of deer - I've seen them, and their tracks - there's loads of sign of them. I don't know much about them except generally around here they tend to be muntjack.

I spent the afternoon in the woods, nice fire on the go, just generally relaxing when I heard a noise I've never heard before and would assume was a deer's call but I thought I'd check with you guys;

It's difficult to describe really, it was just the one note / tone / blast (whatever you'd call it) at a time and sounded like a cross between a goose and a sheep or a sheep and a cow I hope that makes sense!? Was more of a "honk" but out of the blue and again a few minits later.

What do you think, deer? There IS a lake nearby so it's not impossible that it was a goose but I don't think so.

 

[robin wood]

Don't know about that but mostly muntjack bark like a dog, in fact you could take it for a dag bark except where a dog barks several times then stops the muntjack barks every three or four seconds and goes on and on. At least that is what they did at the forest I used to work where we had a lot of them.

 

[Wilderbeast]

sounds like muntjack to me!

 

[novembeRain]

erm, lol - one saying yes, one saying no!

I think you're probably right wb, the only other thing it could be really was a goose - but it didn't sound quite right.

Incidently, would anyone like me to get a pic of a hoof print - to help with your own tracking? Some that I've seen have been fantasticly clear.

 

[Buckshot]

One of the most crictical things with deer prints is the size.
Muntjac are about an inch long and are easily identified by that.

If you go onto the British Deer Society http://www.bds.org.uk/ or BASC http://www.basc.org.uk/ website they have some good info on the 6 species we have in the UK. I'm sure somewhere there's some audio of the calls they make too.

From your description I can't say I'm convinced it's a Muntjac myself. The closest deer I can think of that sounds any like a cow would one of the bigger deer Sika or even Red when they're roaring in the rut but I have no idea what's about in your area

Mark

 

[KAE1]

Sound like any of these?

http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Deer_Sounds_audio.aspx

http://sounds.bl.uk/View.aspx?item=022M-W1CDR0001444-1700V0.xml

 

[novembeRain]

if any, it sounded like the roe deer calls in the first link.

Overall though, after hearing that lot, I'm sure it was a deer.

And yes, the hoof prints are about an inch by 3/4"