Squirrels on Soft Mast

[Hickory Nut]

I've got a small woodlot in Giles County I squirrel hunt regularly that has a tree with small purpleish berries. The squirrels love it. I can't identify the tree but in late September, it's full of squirrels going after the berries.

The tree is large, probably 40' tall or more with a trunk that's probably 24" in diameter. The berries are about 1/4" to 3/8" oblong. The bark is medium rough. The leaf is about 4" to 5" and oblong with smooth edges. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[Plateau Hunter]

Yeah I would say that it is a Black Gum. They cut them this time of year. The leaves are generally sort of glossy on top and often turn red around the edges and turn red early too. I found some cutting on a sweet pignut hickory this am. They are starting to tune up. PH

 

[Good time Charlie]

Mulberry maybe,The squacks love them,
And I think they are in

 

[stik]

Mulberry maybe,The squacks love them,
And I think they are in

i thought mulberries grew on a bush.

are the leaves compound or single? do the branches have opposing branches directly across the limbs?

 

[Hickory Nut]

Thanks for your comments. The tree is not a mullberry, I can itentify that one. It may be a black gum. The leaves do turn reddish around the edges before anything else. I'll try to get a close look at it, but I never see the berries, except when they fall in September, they are high up in the canopy.

 

[Plateau Hunter]

Mulberrys have fruit in May-June. What you are describing is a Black Gum. The squirrels don't make too much noise in a black gum because the berries/fruits are fairly small and don't make a lot of noise like a hickory nut or acorn when they fall. They are green and first and then turn a purplish black when they ripen-they have a seed inside that the squirrels eat. PH

 

[Hickory Nut]

Mystery solved. Thanks for the information. I need to look at that tree closely so I can identify it in other woodlots. Always helps to know what the game like.

You're right on the money PH when you say they don't make much noise feeding in the black gum. When I first realized the squirrels were feeding in that tree I was actually watching a couple of squirrels in a hickory close by. I kept hearing something falling softly behind me. I would look up in the tree and not see anyting. When I was about to leave the area I walked over to see what was on the ground and noticed the berries. A closer look in the branches revealed a squirrel. I bagged him and another took off. From then on, I check that tree each time I hunt that are.

 

[redblood]

gums will draw the, but it seems sporadic around here. hickories and chestnut oaks seem to be whats on the menu