Ep. 277 : Signs of the White-tailed Deer Rut

<p>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.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>To learn more : </strong><br><a href="https://mandolin-raccoon-xcnt.squarespace.com/podcast/ep256" target="_blank">Ep. 256 : Apple Scat of Coyotes and Red Fox</a><br><a href="https://mandolin-raccoon-xcnt.squarespace.com/blog/glands-on-a-white-tailed-deer-leg" target="_blank">Glands on a White-tailed Deer Leg</a> - I copied a lot of my information from that post and used it here as well.<br><em>Appearances can be Deceiving</em> by Dan Strickland from <em>The Raven talks about… DEER &amp; MOOSE</em>. The Friends of Algonquin Park, 2003. <br><em>Stokes Guide to Animal Tracking and Behaviour </em>by Donald and Lillian Stokes<em>, </em>Little, Brown and Company, 1986.<br><em>Field &amp; Stream : The Total Deer Hunter Manual</em> by Scott Bestul &amp; Dave Hurteau. Bonnier, 2013.<br><a href="https://deerassociation.com/new-science-rubs-and-scrapes-glow-like-highway-reflectors-to-a-deers-eyes/" target="_blank"><em>Rubs and Scrapes Glow Like Highway Reflectors to a Deer’s Eyes</em> by Lindsay Thomas Jr. </a><br><em>Deer (The Wildlife Series, Book 3) </em>edited by Duane Gerlach, Sally Atwater &amp; Judith Schnell. Stackpole Books, 1995.<br><em>The Deer of North America </em>by Leonard Lee Rue III. Lyons Press, 1997.<br><em>Naturekind : Language, Culture &amp; Power Beyond The Human</em> by Melissa Leach and James Fairhead. Princeton University Press, 2025.<br><em>Eavesdropping on Animals </em>by George Bumann. Greystone Books, 2024.</p><p></p>