Talking about deer that will lay there and let you walk by, an old man I grew up around used to always say "when you come to a particularly thick spot, stop and stare at it." If that deer thinks you see him, he will likely make a move. If he doesn't think you see him, that's when he'll let you walk on by. I don't remember if it's ever worked for me, but the premise makes sense.
My issue with making noise is that I don't want the deer to get up too far ahead of me (unless there are standers and I'm just a pusher).