White Oak Crop
Whitetail Deer
In my area we have a bumper white oak crop. One farm I hunt has deer tearing up acorns in 4 or 5 different areas. I have setups at 3 of those locations. Another farm I hunt also has deer really hitting acorns in a few spots. However, today I go to another piece of property. Probably 40 acres or so. It has a bunch of really large white oaks on it. Like so large a hang on strap won't go around them. It looks awesome but there are very few acorns.
It always amazes me how you can drive 10 miles and find totally different conditions. To me it just points to how mother nature works. Some areas this year with a nice mast crop and other areas next year. I post this as acorns are raining down all around me. The large line tree in front of me is absolutely loaded down. The deer have been in here really good....fingers crossed for tonight.
Good luck tonight, Mark! Not sure what causes the white oaks to produce a bumper crop one year, then virtually nothing in another year. Last year, we had extremely dry conditions, and had virtually zero acorns over a wide region. This year, we again, had very dry conditions, yet the mast crop is extremely heavy. Go figure…
I just got back from another recon mission by the house. There are acorns everywhere. Once the wind dies down....I'll be out chasing the squirrels. We've had a lot of rain this year and I suspect the deer will benefit.
Most of my mature white oaks died in the drought of 2011. Really chapped my azz to see 75 year old trees dead. I have a few coming on now though 25/30 year old trees probably and they sometimes will produce a ton of acorns. T had one in my backyard that would do that almost every year. There would be almost as many deer pellets out there as acorns. Lightening got it a couple years ago though.
I hunted yesterday at my hunting cabin. White oak hit. Not a huge crop but every tree has them. The beautiful thing is they are mostly still in the tree. Going to be a great October hunting there.
I am setting in a WO tree over looking about 3 acres of WO, as I type this. White oaks have mostly fell here. I’ve missed two deer since 3:30. The deer are burning it up.
I don’t usually miss with this trad bow. I was so cocky I’m not following through. Humble is a great place to be.
Good luck Justin. I'm surprised I haven't seen a deer yet. I cut some branches getting in so hopefully I didn't make too much of a ruckus.
White oak acorns were on the menu this morning for this gal on public land in MD. Reckon backstrap will be on the menu sometime this week. God is the ultimate provider
Just got back from scouting and hanging a couple stands at camp in PA. White and red pretty much everywhere plus Beech. I think its going to be a great year for the critters but too much food to pattern them. My yard in Ohio is covered as well.
We lost a lot of white oaks a few years back to gypsy moth caterpillars. The surviving trees are still in rough shape. Got a few spots that hopefully recovered, plan to scout this week.
In central MN, we had a huge acorn crop from all species last year. Spotty at best this year.
White oaks coming down every where now. Deer are much harder to find during daylight. Happens every time acorns hit the ground.
Covered up in Tennessee almost need a helmet going through the woods Good luck Lewis
In my 40 acre woods I have pin oak, red oak and white oak trees. I see acorns on the ground all around my ground blind and am getting great pictures of two nice size bucks. I have logged my woods two times but always leave some of the big white oaks. When we have a frost I will be in the woods.
Thick here in MS this year. They are still green so it’ll be a minute before the deer hit them
Red oak take two years to produce an acorn. I was second guessing my self before posting and found an interesting extension article from Tennessee. And I learned White oak can produce an acorn in a single year. Frequently trees that produce a bumper crop will skip the following year or two to recuperate, much like an unpruned apple tree gets out of cycle. In northern new england oak tend to produce one year and beech the next. A disproportionate number of bear cubs are born following good beech nut years. We are on the northerly range of white oak. The older forester I work with claim most of our deer die before they ever get to eat a white oak acorn as they produce so infrequently. The squirrels and porcupine cut the immature acorns down mid summer. Currently the beech in southern maine are having a bumper crop. Eating beech nuts while checking my logging job is a treat. Erik
Our beech trees in SC seem to Never produce nuts. I have some monster beech on my farm, no nuts in sight. I cant remember ever seeing a beech nut in SC. How can all of them be bare in the south?
Mark,with that many white oaks around ,do you have any Chinkapin White Oak trees around?
They have a white chaulky bark and (beech,peppermint,serrated edge leaf) and usually grow in well drained souls like on the sides of hills.They usually drop earlier than "regular" white oaks are are a smaller acorn comparatively speaking.......deer love them over any acorn IMO.This is my Ace up the sleeve play in areas inundated with white oaks and really help to reduce hunt area as you play white oak roulette during the season.
