reading deer droppings

[gringol]

I did a search for this and didn't find much.  For all you deer whisperers out there, what does the location and consistancy of deer droppings tell you?  i.e.  Are droppings typically found in the same area deer are feeding? what do pellets vs larger chunks tell you about what deer are eating?

[stevewills]

buck droppings look like a human turd kinda,does look like rabbit dropping.if they are there that means at some point so were deer,feeding they usualy arent on a trail,and traveling they will be on a trail...thats what i observed.

[Rob W.]

I usually know what the deer in my area are eating so I pay more attention to volume and freshness. Even with every tree dropping nuts right now there are trees with multiple fresh droppings around them. I think of droppings like tracks. One doesn't mean much but a bunch of fresh ones start to tell a story.


Rob

[SheltonCreeker]

Im with Rob on this one. Agree x2.

[Troy D. Breeding]

Always been told the only way to tell the difference in buck and doe dropping is in the taste.

Ain't putting $#!# in my mouth so I guess it's up to someone else to say if that's true.    

Troy

[Adam S. Daugherty]

With Rob x3.

Steve Wills, that was funny right there, I guess the way it was written or something but I am still chucklin over it.
"buck droppings look like a human turd kinda"

[wapiti1997]

You can't tell the sex by the droppings, only the diet.  Herbaceous forage, clumpy, wet droppings, browse and acorns, rabbit like pellets..

[Rick Richard]

Interesting $$it

[woodchucker]

Many years ago, I was hunting with my Grandfather...

He reached down and picked something out of the snow.

"Whatcha got Gramps???"

"Smart Pills" he said, popping one into his mouth, "Try one"

Do I did. I chewed it slowly... "tastes like $hi+"    :confused:

"See, you're getting smarter already!!!"

[eagleone]

       now that's funny

[Brianlocal3]

Don't know the truth but here is what I go on.  Lots of droppings means the area is frequented by deer. ---- larger clumped is the droppings of a deer that just rose from bedding so it is compacted.  The rabbit like droppings are from a deer on the move that has been browsing .

[KSdan]

Lots of droppings-staging or feeding area.

Wouldn't die on a hill, but the biology I have read says that a larger deer has larger droppings- mature bucks are fairly obvious.  As well- large heavy clumps during the rut are from bucks; they eat and water little which causes the phenomenon.  

My 2C