Deer Dictionary

I can imagine the picture that statement invokes to someone who is absolutely new to deer hunting. Thankfully you can leave the cell phone in the vehicle because this calling will be done with little more than plastic and rubber bands for the most part. Calling is what you do to try and communicate with the deer in an attempt to lure it in closer either for a shot or a better look. There are numerous calls on the market that will appeal to both bucks and does so choose your call carefully and practice before heading out into the woods.
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I guess the picture your mind paints probably says it all here but deer droppings, or scat, is nothing more than poop left behind from a resident deer. Other than the fact that a deer was once in this area, and possibly how long ago, a pile of droppings isn’t going to tell you a whole lot. There are myths about clumped deer poop only coming from bucks but those are just deer hunting myths. Deer droppings that are clumped simply relate to the deer’s diet recently and possibly it’s current health.
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Deer, both bucks and does, communicate to one another using different vocalizations and both use grunting in their vocabulary. There are numerous different forms of grunts escpecially from the buck. The grunt from a buck changes often in tone, length, and volume. This depends on the current state of the buck such as when he is currently tending to a doe in estrus, or is enraged due to encroachment of another buck. At this point he will defend his right to continue breeding with her and often walk around vocalizing with a tending grunt as she rests. Knowing your deer vocalizations and practicing can help you grab the attention of a deer when needed.
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A mature buck is one that has aged to the point where he has become one of the largest and most dominant, if not the most dominant, buck in the immediate home rage of this particular animal. You could argue the fact that all it really refers to his age but most hunters agree that a mature buck is typically large in stature and a true trophy by most standards. Often you will hear the term of mature bucks when speaking with game management officials as they try to balance the herd hoping to have more mature animals in future hunting seasons.
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The term non typical refers to the buck’s antlers which are often out of balance with more tines and points on one side than the other. The non typical buck rarely shows a uniformity in it’s antlers and sometimes can grow to a tangled mess which have even been known to affect the deer’s eyesight or hearing. There are numerous instances that can take place where a deer grows an irregular, or non typical, set of antlers. These stem from the beginning of genetics to injuries, insects, and even human manipulation.
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