How to ID deer or rabbit damage on trees
Deer can cause significant harm to trees, especially during autumn and winter when food is scarce or during rutting season when bucks rub their antlers. The key is to look for specific patterns of damage that distinguish deer from other animals like rabbits which make clean cuts.
Browsing on Leaves, Twigs, and Shoots
Deer feed by tearing at foliage and young branches, leaving ragged, uneven edges because they lack upper front teeth and must yank or rip plants. This damage typically occurs up to about 2 metres high on the tree as they can stand-up on hind legs to reach juicy bits. Look for stripped lower branches, uneven pruning-like effects, or missing terminal buds on young trees.
Antler Rubbing on Trunks
Bucks rub their antlers against tree bark to remove velvet or mark territory, creating vertical scrapes, frayed or shredded bark, and exposed inner wood. This often appears as polished or gouged areas on the trunk, usually about 1 metre from the ground, and can girdle young trees (removing a full ring of bark), potentially killing them.
Damage is more common on smooth-barked trees and this peaks in autumn.
Supporting Signs of Deer Presence
Check for deer tracks (cloven hooves, about 50-75mm long) or deer shit (small, clustered pellet-like scat in piles) near the damaged trees. Hoof scrapes or bedding areas in the soil can also indicate deer activity. If multiple trees in a line show similar damage, it might follow a deer path. Rabbits leave smaller, round pellets in piles and paw prints with four toes.
Differentiating Deer from Rabbit Damage on Trees and Plants
Deer and rabbits both feed on trees and plants, but their damage patterns differ due to their anatomy, feeding habits, and height reach. Deer lack upper front incisors, leading to tearing actions. Leaves and stems are torn with ragged, uneven, or shredded edges because deer yank or rip vegetation. This often appears as if the plant was roughly pruned, with missing buds or branches stripped in a jagged manner.
Rabbits have sharp incisors that make precise cuts. They gnaw bark in horizontal strips or rings near the ground (up to 600mm), leaving tooth marks that are parallel and about 3-4mm wide. This girdling is lower and more uniform. Height is another key factor: deer can reach up to 2 metres, whereas rabbits typically damage below 1 metre at the base or low branches.
Possible solution to tree trunk damage
If trunk damage is apparent from either of these pests then one solution is to paint on our FATBANG concentrate at full strength - ie: do not dilute! - with an old brush. Make sure the trunk itself is dry and allow a full day to let the repellent dry. Reapply whenever more damage is spotted otherwise the tree may die if ring-barking is severe.
DO NOT paint or apply the concentrate directly onto leaves or plants, it MUST BE DILUTED to the recommended strength otherwise it may burn the tree!