licking branch
**Definition:** An overhanging branch above a deer scrape, typically four to five feet off the ground, that bucks and does visit repeatedly to deposit scent from their preorbital and forehead glands. The branch becomes darkened, frayed, and twisted from contact. The licking branch is the more important half of the scrape — it functions year-round as a community signpost, while the pawed ground beneath it is seasonal. Hunters and trackers who focus only on the scrape are reading half the message.
An overhanging branch above a deer scrape, typically four to five feet off the ground, that bucks and does visit repeatedly to deposit scent from their preorbital and forehead glands. The branch becomes darkened, frayed, and twisted from contact. The licking branch is the more important half of the scrape — it functions year-round as a community signpost, while the pawed ground beneath it is seasonal. Hunters and trackers who focus only on the scrape are reading half the message.
Etymology
English compound — the branch the deer licks or mouths. "Licking" is slightly misleading; the contact is more rubbing and mouthing than licking, but the name persists.
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