Do deer actually eat these?

[Swampster]

I have about 400 sawtooth oaks that are near twenty years old. They drop piles of acorns like this, but I never see any signs (tracks) to indicate that the deer pay any interest in them. I will see an occasional squirrel. I've already seen some rubs on small sycamores so I know that deer visit the area. Being in bottom lands I figure they likely will go bad fairly quickly. Do any of you experience something different with sawtooths?

 

[BSK]

Yes, they eat them, but primarily early in acorn drop. Sawtooths are usually one of the first acorns to fall, which draws deer. But once white oak acorns begin to fall, most of the action switches to that species.

 

[ruthunter]

Wow that's alot of acorns. They will tear them up when they first start dripping. Here in north MS that usually drop early in September

 

[diamond hunter]

Yep, I wish I had gone with chestnuts instead of Sawtooth,BUT I do remember BSK himself told me face to face"Its a good thing to do but Im not so sure its worth it"

 

[jejeffrries71]

I went for a walk in Natchez Trace yesterday and saw areas on the gravel roads that almost looked that covered with acorns. I guess that if there are areas with that much mast there will be some that never get touched.

 

[TNlandowner]

We planted several hundred sawtooth oak trees in 2011. They all produce acorns now and deer definitely eat them.

 

[Swampster]

Note that I originally posted this in mid-October. By later November, I started finding tracks, droppings, and the leaves disturbed which makes me think maybe the deer turned to the sawtooth after whatever else they were eating ran out. I know that the squirrels also account for some of the disturbance.