interesting observation

[fishboy1]

Found one of the very few oaks dropping acorns on a large property at the edge of a stunted corn field.

Last half hour of light and the deer came into the field. Did they make a beeline for the acorns? Nope, they were pulling up knee high corn plants that have recently germinated after the rains. Squirrels were tearing it up, the trees were dropping and making plenty of "come and get it" sounds but the deer were not very interested.

Guess they were in the mood for something tender and juicy after the long drought.

Anyone else seeing this?

 

[Tenbears]

Can't say that they were going to corn. I sat on a oak that was dropping acorns Sunday morning and never saw a deer but had does around me Saturday mornig on the same tree. I watch a small buck and some does on the ridge behind me wonder off going to where ever it was in thier heads. Couldn't figure that one out.

I just knew they would be coming through.

 

[Chris Tripp]

Its a sign that your area has plenty of available browse and that your habitat is of enough quality to support the local deer herd.

 

[JohnnyDollar]

I drive a truck for a living and I can tell you that I am seeing alot of deer in fields in the afternoons, but I'm not seeing them in the fields in the mornings, I don't know the reason but I know what I see. ;)

 

[CopperHead77]

I'm seeing the same thing fishboy.

 

[BSK]

I've heard many reports of deer ignoring acorns and feeding on annual weeds. Not exactly sure what is going on.

 

[Stick'n'String]

I wonder with the drought if the tannin content of the available acorns is much higher this year making them less desirable? Or I suspect with the abundance of empty shells or worms that the deer maybe just keying on other food sources.

 

[BSK]

I wonder with the drought if the tannin content of the available acorns is much higher this year making them less desirable? Or I suspect with the abundance of empty shells or worms that the deer maybe just keying on other food sources.

There has to be something going on, because these observations of deer ignoring the acorns are just too consistant from place to place.

 

[Brad Martin]

I have seen both, feeding on acorns, and fields. I had two does browsing like 20 yards outside of my plot in the field, then they finally came into the plot and didn't even feed as long as they did in the plain field. This was a few weeks ago, so hopefully they are in the plot now! I have seen them hitting the acorns pretty good in a few spots as well!

 

[Chris Tripp]

has anyone tested them for high tanin? I have soaked about 2 pounds of reds and only a handful were empty or wormy... I hadn't realized that it was wide spread, this was the first I had heard.

 

[Crosshairy]

How do you test them for high tanin?

 

[dhines]

Deer may also be focusing on native browse because of the unusually warm temperatures we've been seeing and the fact that the vegetation is thriving right now (especially after the recent rains and no frost).

 

[Boone 58]

So far every acorn on the ground not allready eaten by a deer or squirrel that i have cracked open was rotten or dried up so small as to have no taste or desirability whatsoever. Crack some of them open and look at the nut. on the hull they look normal, inside they are unfit to eat in my experience this year. any time you see deer opting for the fields in the evening rather than the oaks it tells you just how poor the mast crop really is.

 

[BSK]

The squirrels will die off. That's Nature's way. They follow J-shaped, "crash and boom" population dynamics.