Ask The Biologist

Load of Bull

Load of Bull

By Bob Humphrey

No, no and no, you cannot do this.

QUESTION: Is it true that you can tell the sex of a deer by their droppings? – Buster M.

ANSWER: No. Some folks might like to believe you can, but the size, shape and consistency of deer poop is determined largely by diet. When feeding on their normal diet, which consists largely of coarse, woody browse, droppings are predominantly piles of loose pellets. When eating more succulent herbaceous vegetation, droppings can be more clumped. If deer are sick or experience a recent or drastic diet change, droppings might be even looser. This happens to all deer, regardless of sex. However, if you find larger clumps, it’s more likely they came from larger deer.

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