Odd noise from a doe

[YORNOC]

I had an older doe around me for about a half hour this morning. I heard her coming, and thought a very young buck was with her. But she was alone. She consistently made this very subtle grunting noise...no not even a grunt...more of a soft clicking/croaking. Like a cross between a small frog and an insect. It lasts a second or two.
She was very relaxed, feeding, scratching, not really looking around much. Just hanging out chewing a bit.
She did it while feeding, while walking, every couple of minutes or so.
I've seen a lot of does in my day at close range, but never heard this.
Those who are more savvy than I....what the heck is this noise?  

[NBK]

Haven't heard does make that sound, but have heard bucks more than once.  Seems like the more excited they are, the more distinct the "popping".  I believe there is a thread on here somewhere that shows a homemade deer call consisting of part of a shed with notches taken out along its length and another tine that you can rake across the notches to produce that clicking you've described.

[TooManyHobbies]

I've had does grunt twice this year. Both times I thought it was a buck. First was alone, but later saw two fawns. Second was with a fawn. I think she was just talking to a fawn, whether you saw it or not.

[Whip]

I've heard it, although not often, and I have no idea what it means.  Somewhere around here I have a call that is made to produce it.  Didn't ever have success using it, so haven't tried it in a long time.

[jjwaldman]

I had that happen to me earlier this year for the first time.  Had a doe with a fawn come in and grunt the entire time.  Strangest thing.

[Izzy]

Ive heard doe and bucks make that sound. Observed a doe do it this year. She was running and stopped to look back once. Was never joined by another deer and she calmed and fed away. I think its just a way of keeping tabs on each other. Ive made calls from antler that mimic that sound to a tee.

[chuprinko]

On Sunday, had a spike and a doe fawn come in and hung out under my stand for about 20 minutes. A branch fell and they both took off. Then the doe came back and was a bit nervous, and started making a purring noise.  Sounded almost like a cat. I had never heard a deer make this noise.  I decided to see what would happen. So i made tbe noise back and it seemed to calm it down.  We did this back and forth for about 20 minutes.. then it calmly walked away.  Pretty cool experience.

[YORNOC]

It did sound like a kind of purr.
 Strange those whitetails!

[akaboomer]

I have an old doe that comes by my yard that has done that. She has be here for years. She has a broken ear that hangs down. She does it keeping contact with the group. She is the matriarch but has had no fawns for the last two years. I will probably let my 14 year old use a doe tag on her this year.

Chris

[trick00]

I hear them do that quite often but it is usually when they are feeding around some fawns. I figure it is some kind of social contact grunt. It is so faint i doubt I could hear it over 35 yds or so.

[rolltidehunter]

i agree with trick. i think its a soft grunt to fawns. kinda sounds like a wet tennis shoe squeak

[YORNOC]

Yup, that's it.

[adeeden]

That's what we have always called a social grunt. I have heard both does and bucks do it.

[awbowman]

I've seen a doe in estrous grunt or croak like that.

[Keefer]

Heard it quite a few times when they have yougins with them...Amazing creatures that's for sure..

[LC]

One farm I hunted a long long time ago every deer there seemed to do that non stop! Very focal group. Grunting for bucks worked great there then too! Never ran into that since though.

[JDunlap]

I had a younger doe doing the same thing right under my tree a few years ago. There were no other deer with her and she was quietly grunting, like she was talking to herself.