Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting This year's acorn crop?

We say aye-kerns here. I here somebody say aye-corns, and I'm like hmmm.

It looks like we are on a good crop this year here.

The acorn crop is always a huge factor in our success. Our place has some substantial oaks. If the crop is good, the deer tend to stay in the woods and gorge all night, and we hardly see them in the fields or during the day. Last year was like that. Judging from what's on the trees, this year could be the same.

The biggest crop I can remember happened in 2006. That year, the acorns were still dropping on the Rifle Opener in mid-November. I had a new stand set up near a massive oak. I was still bow hunting back then. Along about mid-October, I was on my way to this stand one morning when my flashlight fell on a bunch of deer rumps. There were half a dozen doe chowing down right at the ladder, and gobs more scattered between my stand and the old oak. I expected them to bolt, but they did not even look up. They were so intent on eating, they completely ignored me. I had to push past them to get to my ladder. I managed to get all the way up, and get settled in without disturbing them. Finally, just before legal hunting, they moved off.

The good side of the bumper acorn crop this year is the turkeys had a decent hatch, and I'm now seeing lots of jakes and jennys out in the fields. The excess of acorns will keep them fed over the winter.

Same here.

It couldn't hurt to plant them, but they may not be developed enough to be viable.

I'll let you know.

I'm curious about that as well.

Put a few in some sphagnum moss, slightly moist. If they're good, they'll develop a root radicle soon.

Haven’t been out yet, but if the shumard in my yard is any indication, it should be a good year. Last year was pretty good. My local WMA is on the West slope of the Blue Ridge and somewhat higher than here, so frost damage can happen there but not here, five miles away.

Oaks were loaded last year especially white oaks. Looks pretty sparse this year. NW GA.

We don't have shumards here in NW-PA, but I planted a couple dozen shumard x northern red hybrids. Hope to get some later drop times out of them.

They don’t seem all that tasty to the herd of squirrels in my yard. The drops stay on the ground a long time. The rodents much prefer the black cherries, my sunflowers and peaches, and the birdseed I put out, plus the peanuts I toss to them when they come up on my deck while I’m drinking coffee. If I’m not out, they sometimes come to the door and look in. One younger bluejay will sit in the tree next to the deck and squawk until I come out and toss a few.

A bunch of us were talking about this the other day when we were shooting sporting clays. We were standing under a white oak and the ground was covered. The one thing that we noted was that they were small. Maybe because it was so dry this Summer?

Bow season opened yesterday here. My son and I are headed out to the farm where we hunt this afternoon to check on the ladder stands and blaze some trails. All of my stands are in the middle of several oaks. I'll check out the acorn crop while I'm there today. We always do good on acorn years. Those oak trees are like a magnet for deer. Good times when the acorns are falling.

Hundreds of pounds of the things in my yard this year and still falling like rain. One of my better investments has been a Bear Cat lawn vacuum because raking all those acorns would be a real chore. Kind of a shame to landfill all those, but that’s where they are headed in a week or so.

Western Maine is going to suck for acorns. Gypsy moth really got hold of a lot of oak in Oxford County. Complete defoliation in parts.

Ours haven’t started dropping yet around here but it’s probably going to be pretty soon. Looks like it’s going to be a big crop.

10-4. Thanks for answering.

I'd be curious to hear how that goes.

Down here in SC, mast crop makes a big difference. Last year, we could barely find any acorns, deer hunting was rough, and the pigs were elsewhere. This year, the oaks look pretty loaded, and I'm optimistic. I hunt public land and have learned acorn crop directly correlates to how the hunting goes. I still hunt the hardwood--oak, hickory, and pecan--spots. Good years, it's fat pickings. Other years, you have to get creative.

(On my property, we watch the pecan cycle. This year is looking good there too.)

Went to my mature white oak hot spot yesterday evening, pile upon pile of very large deer droppings along with multiple piles of bear scat everywhere around the trees.

Fair to middlin here. The Sawtooths are more caps than nuts. Been a dry summer. In my area.

I dumped out a half bucket of acorns and a little rice bran midday on Wednesday in front of two cameras. Hit them with a little fruit syrup on top. Didn't take long for them to be found.