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Nature Notebook

It’s November… may the smelliest buck win! During the rutting season, deer are on high alert for males. Females that are ready to breed follow the scent trail produced by the male’s interdigital (between the two center toes) glands.

A male uses smell to deter other males from entering his territory. For instance, a smelly string of drool may be left on a chewed overhead branch. The buck may emphasize this warning by using his smelly hooves to scrape away an area beneath the branch. He will also rub his forehead scent gland on an overhead branch.

The tree rub is a visual sign that humans can also see. The buck rubs his antlers on a sapling. He eats the peeling outer and inner bark resulting in a large white mark on the tree. The rubbing also deposits smelly secretions from his forehead gland. Dominant bucks rub more frequently and produce more secretions. Thus, they are the smelliest.

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