Watch angry buck stomp and snort clouds of frozen air at surprised Mississippi hunter

Deer are seldom referred to as intimidating, but a two-minute video recorded in eastern Mississippi proves they can be threatening when caught off guard.

The encounter happened Dec. 5 in Lowndes County to hunter Adam Earhart, and his wife, Priscilla Mordecai Earhart, posted the “stand off” on Facebook the next day. The area is about 155 miles northeast of Jackson, on the Alabama state line.

“I have never seen anything like this, pretty darn amazing,” she wrote.

The video shows the nearly 200-pound buck was nosing the ground in search of food, unaware it was being watched. However, once it sees Earhart, the buck turns to face him, stiffens and begins stomping its front hooves. It then starts snorting, sending frozen air shooting from its nostrils.

Earhart did not pull the trigger, and the buck eventually turns and bounds off into the woods.

The video, which comes in short and long versions, has been shared more than 36,000 times in the past week, with nearly 700 reactions and 500 comments as of Dec. 15. Among those sharing the video was the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which wrote: “Some say that a buck will not blow (snort). Here is proof positive they do.”

Experts say deer snort in such a way “to alert other deer in the area that something is out of the ordinary,” according to Buckmanager.com. It’s also a considered good way to startle predators, the site says.

Commenters on Facebook admitted being startled by the sudden blasts from the buck’s snout.

“Amazing, but I would’ve ran,” Shameka Sullivan Sterling wrote on Facebook.

“That boy is a beast. Sounded like a dam train,” Jesse Smith posted.

Many have also asked why Earhart did not shoot, considering how close he was to the deer. His wife offered an explanation.

“He shot an 8 pt (buck) and was about to go look for it when he spotted this one walking up,” she posted. “He knew he was not young enough to be able to pull 2 big deer out of the woods!”

This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Watch angry buck stomp and snort clouds of frozen air at surprised Mississippi hunter."