How to Identify Deer Droppings (and Why Hunters Do This)

Yep, that's right, poop! Along with other things you'll find on the ground (like deer tracks), deer droppings help inform your hunt.

Now you might be thinking, "How could looking for and at poop help you with your scouting?" There are several ways that deer droppings can help you figure out when and how often deer are frequenting an area, as well as what type of browse they are mostly feeding on.

Today, we talk about how to identify deer droppings and how this "leave behind" can help you tag out.

How Deer Droppings Help Hunters

When looking in an area, finding deer droppings (and lots of them) is an obvious telltale sign that there are lots of deer in the area, or that deer are highly frequenting that area. This means it could be a good place to try to set up for your hunt.

Now, obviously, you will not be able to tell by looking at the droppings alone if they are bucks or does that are using that area. You may have to rely on some other scouting, such as looking for scrapes or rubs — but finding deer droppings can be a good place to start in terms of simply finding a good area with deer in it.

Naturally, deer will poop all over the place (wherever they are walking), but a good place to start looking is on well-used trails. Again, this will not give you all of the details, such as time of day or direction in which the deer were or are moving through the area. But it is going to be a good starting point to tell just how often and the approximate number of deer are passing through.

If you find lots of droppings along the trails, you can bet there is a good number of deer or it is a more highly frequented area as opposed to finding very minimal droppings. Setting up trail cameras in an area with lots of deer droppings will then be your next step in figuring out exactly what deer (does or bucks) and how many are really using the trails and area.

What Do Deer Droppings Look Like?

Now that you have found the droppings, it's time to really start to look at them to figure out what they're telling you. It's also crucial to make sure you are actually looking at deer droppings (and not some other animal's scat).

What do deer droppings look like? There are very small and subtle differences between deer droppings and other critters' droppings. For example, if you have elk nearby, rabbit, or even moose in the same area, you will have to pay attention to all of those droppings to find which piles belong to the deer.

Deer droppings are larger than rabbit droppings and more oval-shaped compared to rabbit scat. They will be smaller than those of elk or moose.

Once you have established that the droppings you're looking at belong to deer, there is still more information that can be found by looking even closer at it. Fresh poop will, of course, be moist, soft, and usually a darker brown color and warm. This will indicate that the deer have been in that area very recently.

Then, the older droppings get, the harder and more faded they become, and the longer it has been since the deer that left the piles were in your area.

If the droppings you are finding are more runny or clumped together compared to normal pellets, this may suggest that deer are starting to shift their feeding habits from one food source to another. They typically go from woody browse or grains to a more green type food source with a higher water content to it. This is, again, good information to learn and have in your pocket, as you may be able to adjust your stand locations according to what they are feeding more heavily on.

Knowing How to Identify Deer Droppings Is Just the Start

Remember, looking for and finding deer droppings will not be the end of your scouting — it's just the beginning of it.

It is another tool to have in your toolbox of tips and tricks to help you find and pattern deer and deer movement. You will need to rely on other scouting techniques and deer sign to help you better pinpoint clearer details of which deer are nearby and how many deer are using a certain area.

A high amount of deer droppings (and even better — fresh deer droppings) will give you a good place to start diving deeper into that area. Setting up trail cameras and or looking for heavy, worn-down trails within that area (if trail cameras are not allowed where you are hunting) can help you confirm you're in a good spot.

Also, keep in mind the time of year in which you are looking for deer droppings. Early-season or summertime movements will definitely change as you get deeper into the season. Food sources will also change from green food sources and readily available agricultural fields, to acorns and woody browse inside the timber.

Track Deer Sign with HuntWise to Plan Your Hunt

While looking for and at poop can be an often overlooked piece of the puzzle when it comes to scouting, keep it in the back of your mind for this upcoming season. Knowing how to identify deer droppings may just lead you to a really great area!

As you find droppings, scrapes, rubs, worn trails, and other deer sign, make notes and use markers to track what you see in the HuntWise app. Doing this can help you identify and set a Hunt Area in the app, know where to place your stand or blind, and target the best times and locations to tag out this season.

Don't have HuntWise yet? Now is the time to download it and use it for pre-season scouting! 
Try it free for your first week.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have answers to your questions about how to identify deer droppings!

Q: How big are deer droppings?

A: Typically, deer poop is about the size of a raisin or jellybean (around 1/2 to 5/8-inch long.

Q: What does deer poop look like?

A: The pellets are small and oval, usually dark brown to black. You'll find them on the ground in clusters (or piles).

Q: How can I tell how old deer droppings are?

A: Fresh droppings look shiny and moist. However, older deer droppings turn dry, dull, and may crumble.

Q: Do bucks and does have different poop?

A: Not really. Droppings from does and bucks look similar. However, diet and health can slightly affect texture and shape.