Ask The Biologist

That Theory Stinks

That Theory Stinks

By Bob Humphrey

New hunters take note: Don’t judge a deer by its droppings.

QUESTION: I’m still new to deer hunting, but some of the more experienced guys I hunt with claim they can tell the sex of a deer from its droppings. They say small pellets are from does and fawns while large clumps are from a buck. Is there any truth to this?

ANSWER: No. The shape and consistency of deer scat depends largely on diet. It is most often in the form of pellets. However, it may be looser when deer are feeding more on herbaceous vegetation and soft mast, or when they experience any extreme diet shift, like a sudden abundance of soft mast or when supplemental feed suddenly becomes available.

When moisture is scarce and they feed more on coarse woody browse or other fibrous fodder, the pellets may be compressed into larger clumps. It’s the same for all deer, male or female, young or old.

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd