Ask The Biologist

QUESTION: My friend and I are hoping you can settle a bet. Two years ago one of the areas we hunt was cut for firewood, and the stumps grew a bunch of suckers. This spring we noticed something has been chewing them. I say it’s deer, my friend says rabbits. Is there any way we can tell.  — Herman D.

ANSWER: The suckers you’re referring to — as well as all live, dormant twigs — are referred to as coarse woody browse and are an important winter food source for both deer and rabbits. It should be fairly easy to determine which is browsing on them. Rabbits have both upper and lower incisors (front teeth). Deer have only lower incisors. A twig browsed by rabbits will appear neatly clipped. Deer browse will look like it was partially clipped, then stripped off, perhaps with a thin strip of frayed bark remaining.