Correcting Deer Rub Damage

Bucks damage young trees when they use the trees to scrape off the felt on their antlers. Sometimes the scraping damages the tree’s bark severely enough to kill the tree. More often, the tree can survive, provided the damage does not exceed 50% of the tree’s circumference. If you have a tree that has been damaged, you can help its chances of surviving by following these steps.

Buck scrape that has severely damaged this tree. It will likely die. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

1. Remove loose strips of bark to make the surface smooth. This helps the tree heal faster.

2. Trim any broken branches to 1/4-inch from trunk.

3. Do not apply any wraps or paint. Wrapping attracts insects.

Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a CWCP. He provides consulting, research, writing, and other services to companies and individuals.