Guide

Look closerMammals

Deer or rabbit: telling who nipped a twig

November to March

Deer and rabbits both nibble woody twigs in the cold months, and the cut end shows which one it was. A ragged, torn end points to deer, while a clean slanted snip points to a rabbit or hare, though voles also make clean slanted cuts.

Why this time of year

In the colder months rabbits switch to woody plants because tender green plants are gone, and deer browse twigs all year, most heavily in late winter and spring.

How to notice it

  1. Find a shrub or young tree with nipped twigs and look closely at the cut end of one.
  2. Ragged, frayed or twisted-off ends suggest deer. A clean, slanted cut, like a knife slice, suggests a rabbit.
  3. Check how high the damage is. Rabbit damage is typically low, within about two feet of the ground (higher if snow is deep), while deer can reach up to roughly six feet.
  4. Look on the ground below for small round pellets (rabbit) or larger, cylindrical droppings with a flattened end (deer), and for tracks in soft ground or snow.

Try this with kids: Hold your hand at the height of the bitten twigs. Could a bunny stand that tall, or does it need a deer?

Good to know: Deer have no upper front (incisor) teeth, so they tear plants instead of snipping them.

Safety

  • Keep your distance from wild rabbits and do not handle them or their droppings.

Sources

  • netreefruit.orgNew England Tree Fruit Management Guide (UMass-hosted; Alan Eaton, UNH Extension): deer-browsed twigs appear somewhat ragged, hare and rabbit browsed look cleanly sheared off; deer browse what they can reach, typically the lower 6 feet; feeding especially intense in late winter and spring. Deer have just lower incisors; browse at any time of year; hoof prints in the soil or snow.
  • publications.mgcafe.uky.eduUniversity of Kentucky Forestry FOR-27: deer lack upper incisors needed for the sharp oblique cuts of rabbits or voles; deer browsing leaves a jagged or torn surface; rabbits clip shoots cleanly like a knife cut at a 45 degree angle.
  • agr.mt.govMontana Dept of Agriculture: deer lacking upper incisors bite and twist stems leaving a rough edge; rabbits make clean 45-degree cuts; rabbit damage within two feet of the ground (including snow height), deer up to six feet; rabbit pellets round, deer droppings larger and cylindrical. In the colder months rabbit feeding turns to woody plants because succulent vegetation is no longer available; deer droppings larger, cylindrical, with a flattened end.

Checked against these sources on October 9, 2026.

In the guide for November, December, January, February, March

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