Do deer communicate danger using snort sound?

[Jal5]

Last weekend on the way into my ground blind I bumped a deer in pitch dark that snorted/blew at me. Later that morning each of the 4 deer I saw on that trail was moving pretty fast before they could even see me in the ground blind. No other hunters on the 50 acre property that day and no shots were fired anywhere close to where I was so I don't think they were spooked by anyone else. The way the hillside layout is I have to cross a wide open field to get to that spot and bumped the deer on the field itself. the deer are on the opposite side of the hill coming up a steep trail before they get to me in the blind.  the wind was right so it wasn't likely that it was scent that alerted them to me. I wonder if the snort/blowing combines with some kind of a danger scent to alert other deer? at least 2 hrs. passed between my bumping that deer and the others coming up the trail.

anyone have any ideas?

[EsoxLucius]

Yes, generally a blowing or whistling sound as if trying to clear that stench from their nostrils.  You know you been made if you hear that!

[beemanbeme]

It seems to me the snort is an alert noise.  They're calling attention to something that they're not sure what is.  I was watching 4 young bucks juking around in my yard and one of them kinda came on point and snorted. In a moment, all four were facing in the same direction with a couple of them snorting. I looked up the hill and here comes Big Daddy thru the woods, rolling his shoulders.  The young bucks kinda faded on up the hollow.  I've seen my yard deer snort and take off with their flags flying like they were headed for the moon and run 20 yards into the woods and stop and look at me.
They make a bleating noise almost like a goat but shorter not as drawn out that definitely means its time to go.  Not so much headlong thru the woods with the tail up but move out and don't waste time. They use that when they spot or wind you before you spot of wind them.

[Land_Owner]

There are two other scent glands in operation at the time of the snort alert that deer make.  The tarsal gland and the Inter-digital gland are both stomp activated. Those scents leave a long lasting warning of danger in that area. 

"Normal" amounts of inter-digital gland scent is placed during every step the a deer makes.  Too much of it placed at one time is a sure sign to deer of something amiss.  Following deer that wind the "intense" inter-digital scent will alert and bound away, generally in both the direction in which they came and at right angles thereto. 

Deer, like dogs, have a sense of smell that is orders of magnitude greater than man's (unverified to be 150,000 x greater).  Equipped with just that defensive "arsenal" alone at their disposal it is no wonder that they alert when we are still or think the wind is in our favor.

[Jal5]

Land owner gives a good description of what happened to me last weekend. The snort/stomp with that gland scent alerted those later deer although they were walking through there hours after the fact. And they did run off at right angle or close to it from the direction they were originally headed, which was right to me!  I have to approach that blind from the other direction to not alert any deer in the field as I walk in. Better luck next week.

Joe