BSK-Wet Summer

[bowriter]

Briayn-What if any impact will all this wet weather have on velvet antlers here in the South? Do you think insects etc. might have an impact?

 

[Deer Assassin]

ticks will probably worse

 

[redblood]

i would say all this rain will make the grass wetter

 

[EastTNHunter]

i would say all this rain will make the grass wetter

And according to some people, that makes a particular noise over the phone...

 

[CDUB]

The warm, wet weather has created a lush, bumper crop of forest undergrowth. This summer vegetation should have an above average nutritional value which should mean big antlers...

 

[BSK]

This same topic has been discussed in the QDM Forum for several weeks. I believe two good acorn crops in a row (especially red oak acorns), a fairly mild winter, a wet spring, and a wet cool summer should produce the best antler growth we've seen in years. Natural browse has been so good this summer that many managers are reporting very little browsing of summer food plot plants. That's a sign high-quality food sources are over-abundant.

 

[MattR]

Great, lol, it's going to be like last year when there were acorns everywhere, awfully hard to find out which one they are feeding from when every single oak is producing. Last year it sounded like it was hailing several times when I was in the woods because of all the nuts falling.

 

[Coach]

BSK...why red oak and not white?

 

[bowriter]

I cannot recall a summer this wet and browse this lush. I saw a buck this morning that is quite a bit larger than we usually see in this area. He is by far the largest I have seen since I killed a 10pt. of some size several years ago. In addition, I have never seen does in this good shape this time of year.

 

[BSK]

BSK...why red oak and not white?

White oak acorns are great for loading up on body fat prior to the rut, but white oak acorns usually go to root in late November or early December, after which deer rarely eat them. It is red oak acorns, which don't go to root until spring, that will carry a deer herd through the winter in top shape.

 

[BSK]

I cannot recall a summer this wet and browse this lush.

last time would be back on '06.

 

[Coach]

BSK...why red oak and not white?

White oak acorns are great for loading up on body fat prior to the rut, but white oak acorns usually go to root in late November or early December, after which deer rarely eat them. It is red oak acorns, which don't go to root until spring, that will carry a deer herd through the winter in top shape.

Learn something every day

 

[Tennessee Todd]

I was hoping with all this rain, we'd have some big ole fluffy kittens deer this year......

 

[JCDEERMAN]

LOL! This just went from big healthy acorns to no acorns.

 

[MUP]

I cannot recall a summer this wet and browse this lush.

last time would be back on '06.

That would go a long way explaining my "once in a lifetime" buck taken on my place in '06 I do believe. Mass like I've never seen on another buck from that area before, or since.

 

[BSK]

I was hoping with all this rain, we'd have some big ole fluffy kittens deer this year......

HA!

 

[jlmustain]

This same topic has been discussed in the QDM Forum for several weeks. I believe two good acorn crops in a row (especially red oak acorns), a fairly mild winter, a wet spring, and a wet cool summer should produce the best antler growth we've seen in years. Natural browse has been so good this summer that many managers are reporting very little browsing of summer food plot plants. That's a sign high-quality food sources are over-abundant.

That just got my heart-rate up a bit!