?? Buck swallowed the acorns whole

[Bass1090]

The buck I killed Saturday at Ft. Campbell had a little corn in its stomach and a bunch of acorns that were whole. He swallowed them without biting them at all.

My question is:
Do you think the buck was gorging on them whole to build/store fat for the rut?

 

[300wby]

He was going to bed down and chew his cud. like a cow.

 

[Bass1090]

Thanks 300. That makes since to me as well.

 

[156p&y]

Yep what 300wby said. I hate doing it but I almost always cut their stomach open to see what they are feeding on. I also like to see if I just caught them coming back from feeding or going to feed. It's beyond gross but you can learn a lot from their stomach.

 

[Bone Collector]

Yep what 300wby said. I hate doing it but I almost always cut their stomach open to see what they are feeding on. I also like to see if I just caught them coming back from feeding or going to feed. It's beyond gross but you can learn a lot from their stomach.

So if i understand you right if they have unprocessed food in their stomach they are coming back form feeding, but if it is all processed then they are heading from the bed to feed?

 

[Nealmeally]

I almost always cut their stomach open to see what they are feeding on. you can learn a lot from their stomach.

I always do the same on every deer.. And I've killed several bucks that were full blown rut and their stomach was empty. The stomach looked like an old dirty rag.. Probably hadn't eat in several days. That's what those females will do to ya... :)

 

[156p&y]

Yep what 300wby said. I hate doing it but I almost always cut their stomach open to see what they are feeding on. I also like to see if I just caught them coming back from feeding or going to feed. It's beyond gross but you can learn a lot from their stomach.

So if i understand you right if they have unprocessed food in their stomach they are coming back form feeding, but if it is all processed then they are heading from the bed to feed?

That's my logic on it, but in some cases they will bed and chew their cud all night feeding on and off so it's basically guess work like everything else. I'm basically wanting to see if have been bedded for an extended period or feeding for an extended period right before I shot them.

 

[UTGrad]

I watched the doe I killed Sunday bed down right below me and chew cud for an hour.

 

[TITANSFAN2104]

My dad killed a fat 6 pointer in archery last year and hit his stomach and when I did , I bet there was over a gallon bag full of whole acorns. Belly was so tight that a nick in it and it exploded. :)

 

[BSK]

I almost always cut their stomach open to see what they are feeding on. you can learn a lot from their stomach.

I always do the same on every deer.. And I've killed several bucks that were full blown rut and their stomach was empty. The stomach looked like an old dirty rag.. Probably hadn't eat in several days. That's what those females will do to ya... :)

That would be an example of an EXTREMELY rut stress buck. He would probably not have survived the season. Deer MUST keep their stomachs full AT ALL TIMES because they digest most of their food through bacterial action (like the fermenting process). If their stomachs ever empty, the digestive bacteria die and the deer has no way of digesting its food, hence it too will die.

 

[Winchester]

I too have saw deer, mainly bucks, with some whole acorns in their bellies. I agree its likely a side effect of trying to gorge quickly, likely linked to their mind being on does.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I shot one buck who had a stomach packed to the limit with whole hickory nuts. I can't imagine being able to digest that.

 

[woodsman87]

Every one I have seen has mushed up stuff as well as whole acorns and such. I have never seen one that was empty.

 

[BSK]

I too have saw deer, mainly bucks, with some whole acorns in their bellies. I agree its likely a side effect of trying to gorge quickly, likely linked to their mind being on does.

Gorging is the norm for deer. That is how Nature has designed them. Because feeding in the open is dangerous (exposes them to predators), they are designed to wolf down food as fast as possible, and then retreat to thick cover where they can leisurely regurgitate and chew their food.

 

[TNGunhunter]

I too have saw deer, mainly bucks, with some whole acorns in their bellies. I agree its likely a side effect of trying to gorge quickly, likely linked to their mind being on does.

Gorging is the norm for deer. That is how Nature has designed them. Because feeding in the open is dangerous (exposes them to predators), they are designed to wolf down food as fast as possible, and then retreat to thick cover where they can leisurely regurgitate and chew their food.

What if they're just old, and their teeth can't handle chewing acorns any longer??

 

[Winchester]

I shot one buck who had a stomach packed to the limit with whole hickory nuts. I can't imagine being able to digest that.

This is a new one, never saw a deer with whole hickory nuts in its stomach!

 

[BSK]

I too have saw deer, mainly bucks, with some whole acorns in their bellies. I agree its likely a side effect of trying to gorge quickly, likely linked to their mind being on does.

Gorging is the norm for deer. That is how Nature has designed them. Because feeding in the open is dangerous (exposes them to predators), they are designed to wolf down food as fast as possible, and then retreat to thick cover where they can leisurely regurgitate and chew their food.

What if they're just old, and their teeth can't handle chewing acorns any longer??

Tooth-wear is what limits a deer's age. Once a deer's teeth are worn away, they starve.

 

[BSK]

I shot one buck who had a stomach packed to the limit with whole hickory nuts. I can't imagine being able to digest that.

This is a new one, never saw a deer with whole hickory nuts in its stomach!

I've seen them eat one particular variety of hickory nut (thinner shell) on the Cumberland Plateau. I had been hearing about them eating the hickories and didn't believe it until I saw it for myself.

 

[holstonangler]

I know turkeys and wood ducks also swallow large red oak acorns whole as well, not sure about how they regurgitate them.

 

[Spurhunter]

I know turkeys and wood ducks also swallow large red oak acorns whole as well, not sure about how they regurgitate them.

I killed a longbeard in the spring and accidentally cut his stomach open. It was full of small, whole pin oak acorns.

 

[BSK]

I know turkeys and wood ducks also swallow large red oak acorns whole as well, not sure about how they regurgitate them.

Birds like turkey are not ruminants. They do not regurgitate their food and rechew it. Birds have "crops" where they store their food and the "chewing" is done by the grinding action of the stones they swallow (gizzard stones).