Do you get excited watching deer interact with scrapes? I do! Regardless of the time of year, I love observing how deer communicate at my mock scrapes. Each year, I learn more from their unique interactions and the way they use their glands to communicate. Join me, and let’s explore together, From the Scrape.
What is the Salivary Gland?
The salivary glands are located inside the mouth of a deer, specifically on the roof of its mouth, in its cheeks, and along its gums. These glands serve more purposes than just aiding in food digestion. The primary function of the salivary glands is to produce saliva, which helps deer break down food. Additionally, saliva plays a crucial role in marking licking branches. When a deer takes a licking branch in its mouth, it bites down on it with its teeth, allowing the deer to deposit its unique scent onto the branch.
Depositing Salivary Gland
On July 14th, a 2.5-year-old buck visited my BuckRope scrape. During his visit, he spent time at the scrape depositing saliva from his salivary glands onto the rope. You can observe the buck taking the rope in his mouth and biting down multiple times. This behavior sends a message to other bucks that he has marked this scrape. At the end of the video, the buck uses his forehead gland to deposit his scent on the bottom of the rope. Although the forehead gland is currently producing only a small amount of scent, it will become much more active as the bucks begin to shed their velvet.
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