While tracking White-tailed Deer at Mono Cliffs with the Earth Tracks apprenticeship, we saw lots of signs of the rut and the subtle ways deer communicate. We studied three main signs: scrapes, rubs and lick branches. Together, these clues form a multisensory language of scent, sight, and even ultraviolet signals that share details of identity, territory, and mating readiness. These clues along the trail are a real insight into how deer express themselves across the landscape in ways most of us overlook.
To learn more :
Ep. 256 : Apple Scat of Coyotes and Red Fox
Glands on a White-tailed Deer Leg - I copied a lot of my information from that post and used it here as well.
Appearances can be Deceiving by Dan Strickland from The Raven talks about… DEER & MOOSE. The Friends of Algonquin Park, 2003.
Stokes Guide to Animal Tracking and Behaviour by Donald and Lillian Stokes, Little, Brown and Company, 1986.
Field & Stream : The Total Deer Hunter Manual by Scott Bestul & Dave Hurteau. Bonnier, 2013.
Rubs and Scrapes Glow Like Highway Reflectors to a Deer’s Eyes by Lindsay Thomas Jr.
Deer (The Wildlife Series, Book 3) edited by Duane Gerlach, Sally Atwater & Judith Schnell. Stackpole Books, 1995.
The Deer of North America by Leonard Lee Rue III. Lyons Press, 1997.
Naturekind : Language, Culture & Power Beyond The Human by Melissa Leach and James Fairhead. Princeton University Press, 2025.
Eavesdropping on Animals by George Bumann. Greystone Books, 2024.
