acorn report

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Bone Collector

Bone Collector

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Murfreesboro, TN
I think it is time for our annual Acorn report thread.

I was out yesterday in Middle TN (Rutherford) and sad to say that it was hit and miss. Lost of trees looked barren. Others had some and one had quite a few. I was in two different areas. Will be going to more areas in the next couple of weekends and will let y'all know what I see. I thought with all the rain we had early they'd be loaded. On my property I know the post oaks have acorns, and possibly some of the reds (also Rutherford).

what is everyone else seeing?
 
Tons in Hickman. White oak branches down everywhere from our one little storm we've recently had in 6 weeks…more acorns attached than you can count. However most are small acorns and I don't know how that's going to pan out if we don't start getting some rain. Mountain chestnut acorns are normal size - huge. The deer eat them on our place
 
JCDEERMAN said:
Mountain chestnut acorns are normal size - huge. The deer eat them on our place
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That's really interesting. I didn't think deer would eat them unless they were basically the only food source available. There aren't many on any properties I hunt now but in the past when I hunted properties with them I never paid them any mind as I never saw any sign of deer eating them.
 
bowhunterfanatic said:
That's really interesting. I didn't think deer would eat them unless they were basically the only food source available. There aren't many on any properties I hunt now but in the past when I hunted properties with them I never paid them any mind as I never saw any sign of deer eating them.
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Seems to have the same theme as deer's preference to brassicas. Some properties, they devour them, and some won't touch them. Ours don't touch them. Most everyone I've heard has said the same as you - they won't touch mountain chestnuts. It's one of the majority species on our place. The deer hammer them until the whites start dropping, but still eat them some even after the whites drop.
 
Chinquapins on our place looked to be loaded yesterday (southern Marshall county). Limbs on persimmon trees were breaking and sagging they were so loaded. Still think we need some good rains to help finish them out.
 
bowhunterfanatic said:
That's really interesting. I didn't think deer would eat them unless they were basically the only food source available. There aren't many on any properties I hunt now but in the past when I hunted properties with them I never paid them any mind as I never saw any sign of deer eating them.
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On my place, deer will go crazy over Mountain Chestnut when they first fall, simply because they are the first acorn to drop. They usually start dropping about two weeks before the Whites. But once the Whites start to drop, deer completely ignore the Mountain Chestnuts.
 
Bone Collector said:
I think it is time for our annual Acorn report thread.

I was out yesterday in Middle TN (Rutherford) and sad to say that it was hit and miss. Lost of trees looked barren. Others had some and one had quite a few. I was in two different areas. Will be going to more areas in the next couple of weekends and will let y'all know what I see. I thought with all the rain we had early they'd be loaded. On my property I know the post oaks have acorns, and possibly some of the reds (also Rutherford).

what is everyone else seeing?
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We had an excellent acorn set. probably 60% of Whites carrying well, and about 15% of Reds. However, with this drought, trees are dropping a lot of immature acorns. I'm worried we're going to lose the entire crop like last year.

Only rain in the forecast is very "iffy." Two models show nothing for the next 2 weeks, one model (GFS) shows a good rain around Saturday the 6th of Sept.
 
BSK said:
On my place, deer will go crazy over Mountain Chestnut when they first fall, simply because they are the first acorn to drop. They usually start dropping about two weeks before the Whites. But once the Whites start to drop, deer completely ignore the Mountain Chestnuts.
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I found a tree that looked to already be dropping a few on Saturday while I was squirrel hunting but didn't notice any activity around or under the tree.
 
bowhunterfanatic said:
I found a tree that looked to already be dropping a few on Saturday while I was squirrel hunting but didn't notice any activity around or under the tree.
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If they are dropping now, it's because the tree can't carry those acorns to maturity. Basically, the tree is dropping what it can't carry to full development. Sadly, in my area, it is looking like the trees are starting to drop everything because they can't bring any of them to maturity due to the drought.
 
I checked white oaks a week or so ago and they looked good. Beech was ok too. Didn't look at persimmons or reds yet. I've got a few chinquapins but never seen a nut on them.
 
Our whites look good and reds also look good. We need rain bad. I've seen a few dropping immature this weekend. Way better then last year. But we need some rain a good rain.
 
Ski said:
I checked white oaks a week or so ago and they looked good. Beech was ok too. Didn't look at persimmons or reds yet. I've got a few chinquapins but never seen a nut on them.
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Looks like a mixed bag on our white oaks. Worked on grandsons camper Saturday & behind it ate several. About 50/50 good verses underdeveloped nubs. The one chinquapin in camp yard looks good
 
tellico4x4 said:
Looks like a mixed bag on our white oaks. Worked on grandsons camper Saturday & behind it ate several. About 50/50 good verses underdeveloped nubs. The one chinquapin in camp yard looks good
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I'm determined to try and grow some chinquapins over this winter from nuts. My dad has a ton in his yard. I'd love to have a grove of them on our place. They are nowhere near our hunting area. Same as chestnuts and by the end of this fall, I'll have about 45 planted total
 
JCDEERMAN said:
I'm determined to try and grow some chinquapins over this winter from nuts. My dad has a ton in his yard. I'd love to have a grove of them on our place. They are nowhere near our hunting area. Same as chestnuts and by the end of this fall, I'll have about 45 planted total
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We just have a few
 
In the areas I've been to here in Wilson County, the red oaks seem to be doing pretty well. The white oaks have looked hit or miss. Hoping we get some decent rain in the next few weeks though.
 
My area of East Tn is looking great for both Reds and Whites. I havent checked a ton of trees but the ones I have checked look good. We havent had the super dry periods here like some other areas have, we have gotten rain just as it was getting critical a couple different times this Summer!
 
My backyard oak had tons of acorns last year. This year, not a one. Pecan out front is the same way, a bunch last year, none this year. I haven't looked around on the farm as yet. It was too wet to plant this spring, so it's all grass/weeds and no crops. Pictures on camera have been pretty sparse as well, but that is not too unusual.
 
Going to be a pitiful acorn year in Decatur County unless something drastically changes. I was really hopeful with how wet the spring was, but definitely not looking good.

I'm doubly annoyed because I've been enjoying some squirrel hunting the past half decade or so as a way to relax a little in the fall woods and the population of those has really taken a hit recently. During bad acorn years I hardly even see any.
 
I haven't been in the woods much this year, but from what I'm seeing…. It's another year of nothing.
I have a couple of persimmon trees that are not what I'd call loaded but have some fruit hanging.

Squirrels are few and far between as well..🥴
 
I took a walk yesterday to look at what's going on here. Whites and reds are both normal with only minimal dropped from stress. Beech are loaded and dropping and squirrels and deer are all over them. Persimmons and hawa are normal but green yet. Locusts are loaded, which is awesome because last year there were none. My poor pear tree was so loaded it lost many branches, but apples didn't make it to maturity before rotting on stem. Overall things look pretty good, nothing too abnormal here in Coffee Co.
 
bowhunterfanatic said:
That's really interesting. I didn't think deer would eat them unless they were basically the only food source available. There aren't many on any properties I hunt now but in the past when I hunted properties with them I never paid them any mind as I never saw any sign of deer eating them.
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I hunted over them on a WMA a few years ago for 3 days straight thinking I was on the motherload food source and didnt see a deer. LOL
 
Winchester said:
My area of East Tn is looking great for both Reds and Whites. I havent checked a ton of trees but the ones I have checked look good. We havent had the super dry periods here like some other areas have, we have gotten rain just as it was getting critical a couple different times this Summer!
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Exactly what my area has seen in East TN. Ever time we started to need rain we have got it. White oaks are loaded and starting to fall. Persimmons are loaded and most have already fell. Havent looked into the red oaks but I would guess they are loaded as well. I don't like when there is this much food. It is good for the deer but not me LOL
 

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