Aggressive Deer Behavior

John H. from West Virginia writes about something he observed in winter. "I feed deer in the winter just to observe them. Several times this year, I observed adult does standing on their hind legs and kicking out at other deer sort of in a boxing position. Obviously this is an aggressive response, but why does and not the bucks?"

Bucks do show aggression, and they fight other bucks. However, in the winter, deer tend to group in units, and an adult doe will be the dominant deer in most deer groups. At feeding sites in the winter there is a lot of competition. You'll observe lots of aggressive behavior at that time, and one is the "flail," where does (and sometimes bucks without antlers), stand and strike at other deer with their front feet. Flailing rarely does any damage. It just tells other deer who is the dominant animal, and it's usually an adult doe.