Clumps of deer hair in the spring might not mean what you think.
QUESTION: This spring during turkey season I found quite a few patches of deer hair on the ground. I looked around but didn’t find any bones or carcass. What do you think could have killed a deer then dragged it off whole?
ANSWER: You neglected to mention where you live, which could limit or increase the possible suspects. A couple that come to mind are black bears and mountain lions. Bears do kill deer, although it’s most often young fawns. Lions also kill deer but often leave them on or near the kill site and sometimes bury the kill with leaves and duff.
However, there is one other, far more likely explanation for what you observed. In spring, just about the time we’re hunting turkeys, deer shed their winter coat of long, hollow gray hairs. Sometimes the hair falls off gradually, and other times if falls off in clumps. If it’s an area where deer spend more time, you’re more likely to find more hair.
— Recent Ask the Biologist Question: Timing Is Everything: There’s a good reason for hunters to pay attention to when deer do what they do. Find Out The Answer!