Acorn question

[Poleaxe]

My buddy asked me a question today that stumped me. He has two spots that have a big white oak at each and always kills deer at each one. There's not many Oaks close by which is a reason he's usually successful. This year the white Oaks are falling but the deer aren't touching them. Could the excess in rain cause them to be distasteful to the deer?

 

[BSK]

Most likely not. Has he cut the acorns open to make sure they aren't wormy? At this time of year, if deer don't appear to be eating acorns from one particular tree, that just means they are finding acorns somewhere else, as acorns--especially from the white oak--are the #1 food choice in fall.

 

[mike243]

Id hazard a guess that the yellow shelled acorns could change patterns also

 

[HOOK]

Woods are LOADED... they don't have to travel to locate a food source... Look for the dropping trees with the highest concentration of sing... Trees dropping plus deer droppings = active feeding environment..... Go scout

 

[benellivol]

I have 3 trees on 400 acres of acorns that the deer hit.

It's pretty easy to find them right now

 

[woodsman87]

Do they eat them before they appear ripe? like when they are green or yellow, do they eat them?

 

[Boll Weevil]

Do they eat them before they appear ripe? like when they are green or yellow, do they eat them?

As soon as they hit the ground. The other evening a friend of mine pulled into the gravel driveway that winds up to his house. There were 11 deer feeding under a single white oak that had been dropping tons of acorns onto the driveway...easy pickings.

The next morning on the way to work he said there wasn't a single solitary acorn on the road.

 

[woodsman87]

Do they eat them before they appear ripe? like when they are green or yellow, do they eat them?

As soon as they hit the ground. The other evening a friend of mine pulled into the gravel driveway that winds up to his house. There were 11 deer feeding under a single white oak that had been dropping tons of acorns onto the driveway...easy pickings.

The next morning on the way to work he said there wasn't a single solitary acorn on the road.

I thought they ate them no matter the color, just wasn't sure. I do know they don't eat wormy ones. I don't know if they eat germinated ones or not, turkeys do though.

They don't last long once they fall. Lots of people hate acorn season, but I love it. My favorite time to hunt, probably even over the rut, is during early-mid october when the acorns are fresh. Sometimes finding a good tree can be tough, but if you find a good tree or two, you can sometimes sit all day and have deer come pick a few up occasionally all day. I love acorn season.

 

[BSK]

Id hazard a guess that the yellow shelled acorns could change patterns also

I question that. The reason "baited" camera censuses are run before mid-September is because once acorns begin to fall, it is extremely difficult to draw deer to corn. On the priority list of deer preference and attractiveness, acorns outdraw corn.

 

[BSK]

I have 3 trees on 400 acres of acorns that the deer hit.

It's pretty easy to find them right now

Are you saying you have 400 acres of acorn producing trees, but deer only feed under 3 trees?

 

[woodsman87]

Id hazard a guess that the yellow shelled acorns could change patterns also

I question that. The reason "baited" camera censuses are run before mid-September is because once acorns begin to fall, it is extremely difficult to draw deer to corn. On the priority list of deer preference and attractiveness, acorns outdraw corn.

I have always thought this to be true. Always have thought acorns where a deers favorite food over anything.

Do you think this is where people come up with the October lull? Some hunters plant food plots to hunt, and they hunt them during acorn dropping season. Also if you don't have cameras under oaks during acorn season, you are missing alot.

 

[BSK]

I thought they ate them no matter the color, just wasn't sure. I do know they don't eat wormy ones.

Yes, they will eat the green acorns, as long as the "meat" is not wormy or shriveled.

I don't know if they eat germinated ones or not, turkeys do though.

Deer rarely eat germinated acorns, unless they are unusually hungry or no ungerminated acorns exist (and even then they rarely eat germinated acorns).

They don't last long once they fall.

I've often wondered about these comments. Unless a person hunts in an area with very few oak trees, or the acorn crop is exceptionally poor, deer can never eat all of the acorns. Trees MUST out-produce the ability of wildlife to eat their seed or oak forests die. In a year with no red oak acorn production, white oak acorns only last as a food source until they germinate in late November or early December, but even then the deer cannot eat all of the acorns.

 

[woodsman87]

I thought they ate them no matter the color, just wasn't sure. I do know they don't eat wormy ones.

Yes, they will eat the green acorns, as long as the "meat" is not wormy or shriveled.

I don't know if they eat germinated ones or not, turkeys do though.

Deer rarely eat germinated acorns, unless they are unusually hungry or no ungerminated acorns exist (and even then they rarely eat germinated acorns).

They don't last long once they fall.

I've often wondered about these comments. Unless a person hunts in an area with very few oak trees, or the acorn crop is exceptionally poor, deer can never eat all of the acorns. Trees MUST out-produce the ability of wildlife to eat their seed or oak forests die. In a year with no red oak acorn production, white oak acorns only last as a food source until they germinate in late November or early December, but even then the deer cannot eat all of the acorns.

I didn't really mean that they eat them all up. I see where you mis-understood me. Usually by mid November, in my experience, deer hitting acorns are about done. I guess they eat up all the fresh ones and the ones they don't eat fast enough go to germ.

I have seen red oak acrons lay there all winter, nothing wrong with them, and deer pass them. I also used to hunt a place in AL that had one particular Red Oak that the deer always ate before the white oak. It was a Northern Red Oak. I have no idea why.

 

[Bone Collector]

I have 3 trees on 400 acres of acorns that the deer hit.

It's pretty easy to find them right now

Are you saying you have 400 acres of acorn producing trees, but deer only feed under 3 trees?

I think he is saying on 400 acres he only has 3 trees.

 

[BSK]

Do you think this is where people come up with the October lull? Some hunters plant food plots to hunt, and they hunt them during acorn dropping season. Also if you don't have cameras under oaks during acorn season, you are missing alot.

First, I do believe Nature has adapted adult white-tailed bucks to minimize activity just prior to the rut to conserve energy, but bucks are genetically driven to load their systems with as much high-fat and high-carb foods as possible at that time, so bucks are still going to feed heavily during the late pre-rut.

That said, I do think there is much to your theory. Food plots rarely make up more than just a few percentage points of an entire property, while acorn-producing trees can make up a large majority of a property. Once deer, and especially bucks, begin feeding heavily on acorns, their movement/feeding patterns become widely dispersed, unlike deer being drawn to a few isolated food plots. Dispersed and unpredictable feeding locations will certainly reduce hunter sightings. Having watched comments about deer and buck observations on this site for years, I do find it interesting that the bow hunters who seem to be the most keyed in to successfully hunting acorn feeding patterns are also the hunters who report the least problems with an "October lull."

 

[BSK]

I didn't really mean that they eat them all up. I see where you mis-understood me. Usually by mid November, in my experience, deer hitting acorns are about done. I guess they eat up all the fresh ones and the ones they don't eat fast enough go to germ.

I have seen red oak acrons lay there all winter, nothing wrong with them, and deer pass them. I also used to hunt a place in AL that had one particular Red Oak that the deer always ate before the white oak. It was a Northern Red Oak. I have no idea why.

White oak variety acorns are THE preferred acorn because of their lower tannin content (tannin is what makes acorns taste bitter). However, that lower tannin content is also what allows white oak acorns to go to root in late fall. Hence deer wolf down all the white oak acorns while they can, before the acorns go to root. Once the white oaks acorns have germinated, deer will shift to red oak acorns. Red oak acorns have more tannin, which makes them more bitter, but that extra tannin allows them to stay viable until spring (when they eventually go to root). White oak variety acorns are important for loading up deer with pre-rut fat resources, but red oak acorns, which are viable all winter, are what really drive herd health. Winter is the critical time of year for deer in TN, and I would much rather see a good red oak acorn crop than a white oak acorn crop. Unfortunately, red oak acorn crops in the Southeast are far more "iffy" than white oak acorn crops.

If you are seeing red oaks acorn going untouched, you probably have a large red oak acorn crop, as they are still the highest preferred (and healthiest) winter food, once white oak acorns have gone to root.

 

[woodsman87]

I didn't really mean that they eat them all up. I see where you mis-understood me. Usually by mid November, in my experience, deer hitting acorns are about done. I guess they eat up all the fresh ones and the ones they don't eat fast enough go to germ.

I have seen red oak acrons lay there all winter, nothing wrong with them, and deer pass them. I also used to hunt a place in AL that had one particular Red Oak that the deer always ate before the white oak. It was a Northern Red Oak. I have no idea why.

White oak variety acorns are THE preferred acorn because of their lower tannin content (tannin is what makes acorns taste bitter). However, that lower tannin content is also what allows white oak acorns to go to root in late fall. Hence deer wolf down all the white oak acorns while they can, before the acorns go to root. Once the white oaks acorns have germinated, deer will shift to red oak acorns. Red oak acorns have more tannin, which makes them more bitter, but that extra tannin allows them to stay viable until spring (when they eventually go to root). White oak variety acorns are important for loading up deer with pre-rut fat resources, but red oak acorns, which are viable all winter, are what really drive herd health. Winter is the critical time of year for deer in TN, and I would much rather see a good red oak acorn crop than a white oak acorn crop. Unfortunately, red oak acorn crops in the Southeast are far more "iffy" than white oak acorn crops.

If you are seeing red oaks acorn going untouched, you probably have a large red oak acorn crop, as they are still the highest preferred (and healthiest) winter food, once white oak acorns have gone to root.

We have way more red oaks than white oaks. And many differnet red oaks at that. Not sure what the name of most of the red oak varieties are. We have black oaks, silver oaks, northern red oak, and southern red oak. White oak varieties consist of the regular white oak, and chinqapin(spelling) oak. I guess red oaks grow better in the habitat I am at? Not sure. Maybe its just random.

 

[AT Hiker]

To add to this topic, EVERY mast producing tree on our property is fully loaded. Persimmons that never bare are loaded this year, white oaks are crazy, hickory nuts and walnuts are a hazard to say the least.

Luckily one of our neighbors cut their timber last year, so Im hoping we can "feed" their deer. However, my sightings and trail cam pics are the lowest they have ever been. One day the deer will hit a food plot and/or salt lick then its 2-3 days later before I get another picture of them. I finally had a decent 2.5 year old show up on Sept 18 and seen him for the first time during daylight.

Its gonna be a crazy year, but I am more looking forward to next year to see what the quality of deer will be.

I also might have to put a net up around my whiteoaks, except for a few so I can funnel the deer to me! Is that a form of baiting????? Hahaha

 

[Adam Jackson]

We all know that deer love white oaks. They are like filet minon to a deer.
First of all, I hunt in Southwest Tn. My experience with hunting acorns early in the year is that usually don't prefer them until they are ripe. The green acorns that are usually found on the ground early in the season have been blown out of the tree due to a storm or moderate to high winds. You really should break them open like BSK said to know. That being said, last Saturday evening, I hunted around some white oaks and had numerous deer come in under that tree and feed on premature white oaks on the ground(Green acorns). Maybe BSK can shed some light on this.

 

[woodsman87]

We all know that deer love white oaks. They are like filet minon to a deer.
First of all, I hunt in Southwest Tn. My experience with hunting acorns early in the year is that usually don't prefer them until they are ripe. The green acorns that are usually found on the ground early in the season have been blown out of the tree due to a storm or moderate to high winds. You really should break them open like BSK said to know. That being said, last Saturday evening, I hunted around some white oaks and had numerous deer come in under that tree and feed on premature white oaks on the ground(Green acorns). Maybe BSK can shed some light on this.

I do more than break them open. I sometimes break them open and eat them. They are bitter, even the white oaks. Im just strange like that lol.

 

[BSK]

We all know that deer love white oaks. They are like filet minon to a deer.
First of all, I hunt in Southwest Tn. My experience with hunting acorns early in the year is that usually don't prefer them until they are ripe. The green acorns that are usually found on the ground early in the season have been blown out of the tree due to a storm or moderate to high winds. You really should break them open like BSK said to know. That being said, last Saturday evening, I hunted around some white oaks and had numerous deer come in under that tree and feed on premature white oaks on the ground(Green acorns). Maybe BSK can shed some light on this.

It really depends on how early these acorns fall. If they are blown out of tree in July or August, they generally aren't attractive. But the very first acorns to fall in mid-September (often not fully ripe) are still ripe enough. They are still green, but only a week or so away from being ripe.