Parts of a Deer – Antlers, Hooves and Scent Glands

All 15 parts on the diagram

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The buck 5

Antlers Bone. A buck sheds them and grows a new set every year.
Ear Deer have long ears and sharp hearing.
Nose A deer depends mainly on smell to detect danger.
Throat patch The chin and throat stay white all year.
Tail The underside is white and shows when the tail goes up.

One antler 5

Pedicle The base on the skull that each antler grows from.
Burr The rim at the base of the antler, also called the coronet.
Main beam The main shaft of the antler. It curves forward over the face.
Brow tine The first tine on the beam, low down near the base.
Tines (points) The points of the antler. They rise from the main beam.

Hind legs 5

Hock The middle joint of the hind leg.
Tarsal gland A scent gland inside each hind leg.
Metatarsal gland A scent gland outside each hind leg.
Dewclaws Smaller toes higher up the leg. They can mark tracks in mud.
Hoof Each hoof is split into two pointed toes.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two of these use it: (1) University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web, Odocoileus virginianus, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Odocoileus_virginianus/ (white fur on the chin and throat, inside the ears and beneath the tail; the tarsal gland inside each hind leg at the hock, the metatarsal gland outside each hind leg, scent glands between the hoof's two parts; antlers and velvet; hearing and smell); (2) Missouri Department of Conservation, field guide, White-Tailed Deer, https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/white-tailed-deer (white chin, throat and underside of the tail; antlers formed and shed each year; two-part pointed hooves; the two dewclaws); (3) University of Missouri Extension, Antler Development in White-tailed Deer, G9486, https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9486 (pedicle, main beam, points, velvet; a new set every year); (4) Mississippi State University Deer Lab, antler growth cycle, https://www.msudeer.msstate.edu/growth-cycle.php (pedicle, burr or coronet, main beam, points or tines, brow tines); (5) Wikipedia, White-tailed deer, Antler, Deer and Dewclaw, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler (the hock as the middle joint of the hind leg; tarsal and metatarsal glands; the white underside of the tail; pedicle, burr, beam, brow as the first tine; dewclaws farther up the leg than the hooves). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05. The outline of the body, the head, the neck and the legs, and the stance, were measured on a public domain plate: Common or Virginian Deer (Cervus Virginianus, Gmel), Old male and female, plate 136 of J. J. Audubon and J. Bachman, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, drawn by John Woodhouse Audubon, 1845 to 1848, in the scan of the Missouri Historical Society on Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_or_Virginian_Deer_(Cervus_Virginianus,_Gmel),_Old_male_and_female_-_DPLA_-_e210d5cba1350b01c7f9e1c4ddf9c029.jpg). Changed from the plate: the head is turned into profile, the antler is a plain four-tine antler drawn here, the tail is lifted half up, the feet stand flat on one ground line and the hoofs, dewclaws and gland tufts are drawn a little larger than life. Licence: own drawing; outline after a public domain plate

How it works

The parts of a deer body that set it apart are the antlers, the split hooves and the scent glands on the hind legs. Three drawings show a white-tailed buck, one antler and the hind legs.

Read the full guide

The buck, one antler, the hind legs

Numbers 1 to 5 are on the whole buck: antlers, ear, nose, the pale throat patch and the tail. Numbers 6 to 10 are one antler: the pedicle on the skull, the burr at the base, the main beam, the brow tine and the other tines. Numbers 11 to 15 are the hind legs: the hock, the tarsal gland inside it, the metatarsal gland lower down on the outside, the dewclaws and the hoof.

Antlers are bone. A buck sheds them and grows a new set every year.
A growing antler is covered in soft skin called velvet.

Questions and answers

What are the points on a deer's antlers called?

Tines, or points. They rise from the main beam, the main shaft of the antler. The first tine, nearest the head, is the brow tine.

Do deer lose their antlers?

Yes. A buck sheds its antlers every year and grows a new set. Each antler grows from a pedicle on the skull and is covered in velvet while it grows.

What are the glands on a deer's legs?

Scent glands. The tarsal gland is at the hock, inside each hind leg. The metatarsal gland is outside each hind leg, lower down. Deer also have scent glands between the two toes of each hoof.

What are dewclaws on a deer?

Two small extra toes on each foot, behind the hoof. They sit farther up the leg than the main hooves and may reach the ground in soft mud or when the deer jumps.

Why is it called a white-tailed deer?

The underside of its tail is white. When the deer is alarmed it raises the tail, and the white shows as it runs.