Let’s talk poop!

[megastink]

I've noticed that deer dont poop just everywhere. At least, not here by me. I have found several areas in which many different trails converge. Like highways. Areas covered in dozens of sets of tracks. I've followed these tracks for hundreds of yards, presumably between bedding and feeding areas, and I've noticed that there are very few, if any, piles of droppings on these paths. However, there are also areas that are completely covered up in poop. Old, recent, and fresh from that morning. That tells me that the deer aren't just pooping anywhere. More so, I feel like the areas with the poop are significant. Maybe bedding areas? Am I onto something here, or out of my mind?

 

[AZ Time Traveler]

I've noticed that deer dont poop just everywhere. At least, not here by me. I have found several areas in which many different trails converge. Like highways. Areas covered in dozens of sets of tracks. I've followed these tracks for hundreds of yards, presumably between bedding and feeding areas, and I've noticed that there are very few, if any, piles of droppings on these paths. However, there are also areas that are completely covered up in poop. Old, recent, and fresh from that morning. That tells me that the deer aren't just pooping anywhere. More so, I feel like the areas with the poop are significant. Maybe bedding areas? Am I onto something here, or out of my mind?

I am a novice deer hunter and have so many questions about deer scat too. I seem to find it ( deer scat) rather easily, but when hunting Muleys, well, them, not so much.

 

[FreddyG]

When I jump bedded deer while walking, they get up and poop after getting up. This might explain poop by bedding areas?

 

[Longtine88]

 

[Lapuatom]

The areas that are travel corridors mean time less spent so not as much scat. Areas that a lot of time spent have more sign/ food,feeding,bedding to a certain degree

 

[MagnumManiac]

Both bedding and feeding systems have lots of poop. A wallow here in Australia will be piled with poop in the area that the deer uses to exit the wallow. Other stags venture into these wallows and piddle in the same wallow too, but seldom poop where the dominant stag does. The most poop I see is in lush moist feeder gullies that can contain a dozen deer at a time feeding through the night, when they're moving out at first light is when I like to bag one for the table.

Cheers.

 

[bayjoe]

They crap all over my front yard

 

[Muddyboots]

Dr. Leonard Lee Rue has some good discussion on "poop" relative to effect of food, location, compaction, gender etc. His book "Deer of North America" is a good read.

 

[megastink]

Dr. Leonard Lee Rue has some good discussion on "poop" relative to effect of food, location, compaction, gender etc. His book "Deer of North America" is a good read.

Excellent! I will add it to my reading list. This and "The Still Hunter".