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Did some work on my Sauk County hunting property today and discovered acorns are dropping already. I found a few fresh green ones on one of my trails. Anybody else finding them?
Yes, I found them up in Bayfield County this weekend. Last year was an amazing crop of acorns so I was very surprised to see what looks like a lot of acorns in the red oaks again.
What I have noticed is they are spotty and not as much as last year, the same with the wild apple trees... some trees are completely bare. Reminds me of a few years ago, by the end of october all apples on the ground were gone.
Every apple tree in the UP, is busting with fruit
Yes every area is different
One factor to consider when comparing mast crops is springtime temperatures. A late freeze can neutralize the flowers. Acorn production can be high on a ridge and an adjacent low area frost-pocket can be void if a late springtime freeze occurred at the precise time. Apples follow similar trends.
Many tree species are cyclic with mast production. In my opinion, a late freeze is a large detriment to mast crops.
When you see early acorn drop, many times squirrels are the culprit. They get over zealous collecting early. Many acorns are aborted due to weevils burrowing and laying eggs.
Saw my first red acorns on the ground this past weekend...they were tiny. Haven't seen many hanging in the trees so probably not going to be a good mast crop in my area this year I'm guessing. More depressing is the lack of blueberries this summer; I'm having pie withdrawls.
Yes not as many this year in the barrens area, I think the peak was a week and a half ago, they are drying up along with the chokecherries.
Tree farm- I notice times where acorns are laying in december. Never touched. Do you think its weevils? Either way I never knew this.
I have heard that the red oak acorns are very acidic and bitter. They need moisture on them to wash it out some before the deer eat them. Makes sense to me, they don't touch them it seems till winter.
Noc, weevils will destroy the meat inside the acorn, perhaps deer and other critters smell or detect this and leave them. I have mainly red oaks and deer scarf them up digging well into winter.
If you collect acorns to direct seed, it is wise to put them into a tub of water. The acorns that float are inferior, likely bored by exiting weevil. You can see small round holes in acorn husk.
I like to direct seed acorns in areas where there is ample sunlight. White oak acorns sprout in fall after dropping. Red oak acorns need to stratify over winter before sprouting. This has become my food plot alternative. Nothing beats acorns for high-fat nutrients. This is why bears eat them over donuts with icing. I have started many oak trees by Direct-seeding acorns. Many of those oak trees I started by direct seeding are now producing mast crops...that is rewarding and far less work and expense than planting an annual food plot.
Tree farm. This is great information. Thank you!
LOL, the squirrels really did some direct seeding in my yard last fall. I had hundreds of red oaks coming up all over.
Checked my best Big timber spot today . The Oaks had a record drop last year so I was concerned . No problem , another great drop as shown .
Side note : Lot's of tree damage from all those heavy wet snows . Fallen trees & large branches down everywhere . Lots of work to do in the next 2 weeks .
Oh Boy Ruger, I forgot about that snowfall. It closed a lot of county roads around me with fallen trees. That could be a mess at a lot of my hunting areas between Eau Claire, Winter and Phillips.
What I am observing in the big oak forests not even a quarter as much as last year here in Northern Bayfield County. Looks like one of those down years.
Some of the oaks were raining acorns thIs past weekend.
The tree rats are raising haveck on my red oaks around the house. The white oaks are holding strong. I have a huge white oak next to my garage that has a metal roof on it. Once they start to drop, it can get rather noisey. Oak wilt is a big problem here, I have lost countless oaks over the years. Makes good firewood, but sad to see.
