New Member and Acorn ?
Massachusetts
Hello All, I wanted to pick a few brains here,.. I saw the thread on the gypsy moth devastation here in my part of Mass. What I did not see was any report in on how that will impact this years hunting,.. or even next years.
Nice to be on the forum now,.. been reading all your antics here for some time, often enjoying a good laugh at work. In particular the guy with the new climber,.. last I saw he made it to 10 feet up (the work shoes/loafers were classic) :) I laugh cause I was thinking of getting one. Was a fixed stand hunter back in the day and just came out of retirement after a 25 year hiatus...
Welcome! I think the gypsy moth destruction would totally impact the way a tree would produce hard mast. That being said the impact on hunting should be minimal to you if you find an area with good food sources, bedding, and travel/escape routes in between. The gypsy moths might even aid in concentrating an otherwise spread out deer population in your area so it could work out in your favor. I'm originally from zone 7 and know how far and few between deer sightings could be even with loads and loads of food around.
Cant answer your question but it definitely will change the way deer move through a property. Spots that used to be very thick, you can now see 50+ yards. Get into the thick stuff and you will see more deer.
Last year my 2 areas (that we have permission to hunt) was hammered by Gypsies. Totally stripped trees. We had zero acorns and a drastic reduction in deer in these areas. Very tough in the written permission towns ......
I have found less acorns requires deer to travel for food, which makes bucks more likely to travel looking for does.
I keep very accurate harvest records and this is the way it works for me. I hope you benefit from the lack of mast crops this season.
An acception would be if there was good mast crop close, but not accessible to you. Then you may have your local deer migrate closer to mast. Deer react to their surroundings well and find many, many other food sources.
Welcome, Belcher... good to meet you. I look forward to having you at our cyber-campfire.
I can't offer more than what has been said about the impact gypsy moths have on deer hunting. Food is a primary element of deer habitat. Unfortunately, gypsy moths love oak trees, which hurts mast (acorn) production.
Well thanks all,.. that is helpful.
Welcome aboard! Those caterpillars are crazy this year. I have seen pockets without any caterpillar damage, it seems like they should be hot spots for deer, unfortunately with a mid October start and so few acorns to start they will probably be gobbled up rather quickly.
GED brings up a good point. I have noticed when there are acorns everywhere, you get less deer movement. If they don't have to travel, they wont.
Welcome aboard Belchertown... I need to get out your way to hit the swift soon - missing that super clear and cold water :) As for gypsies, I'm not old enough to remember the last time they were horrible (I'm just 43) in the areas I hunt. I want to do some reading on the science behind em, because on a surface level, it sure seems like they would have hurt the acorn production. I just hope they dont kill tons of oaks - sure seem to like them!
my experience is the more the moths and moth damage then the least amount of deer will be seen especially early season SOooo if the trees look bare then do your self a favor and go hunt elsewhere,,,,,,, its part of the scouting regime now.
