[greyghost]

Anyone besides me notice the Oak trees this year . All the ones I've seen have been loaded with acorns .
I haven't checked out the Beech yet but if they have half as many nuts as the Oak's do it's going to be wild on the ridges this fall .

 

[Predator One]

HI GG...
We have Oak trees in our yard and yes, they are loaded with acorns as well. We actually have deer come right up beside our patio to snack on fallen acorns in the fall. In our area, many of the Beech ridges have a big mast crop as well...and you got it, man...the ridges are gonna be places to be come deer season! Looking forward to that! Good luck on bagging the winter's venison!

 

[Bowtech]

No oaks down home

Beeches are looking good though and we're planting more oaks every year

 

[Axeman]

My oak is loaded down this year as well, however, although deer will eat our red oak acorns, they don't go 'nuts' (lol) for them like deer do in other areas for white oak acorns. Beech nuts are actually a better draw for them in our area. Even beaked hazelnuts are a bit more preferred than red acorns...but they will eat them if they are on the ground. There a lot more bitter than the sweet taste of the whit eoak acorns.

 

[greyghost]

I understand that in areas where there are both white and red oak that they prefer the white oak , but in NB they don't have the choice . I guess they don't know what there missing .

Anyone who has ever hunted a hardwood ridge during a mast year knows how exciting it can be to come across an area all turned up from deer (and bear) looking for nuts . Looks like a herd of pigs has gone through rooting everything up .

If there's beech nuts there will be lots of partridge as well . Speaking of which , there should be lots of birds this year after the dry spring we had . Bird hunting is a great time to scout for deer .

 

[Russ14]

I was wondering your fella's opinion. If i was to collect acorns from one region and introduced them into my hunt sight where there are no oak trees nearby would it be effective or would the deer avoid it? Or maybe would it just take a little longer for them to come to them?

 

[Axeman]

Hey Russ....only the deer can answer that for you. Sounds like a lot of work. What we've done to bring the acorns to us is plant an oak tree. They start producing acorns as early as 8 years.....but you need to fence them when their little so the deer don't browse the tree to death.

You are right - it usually takes deer a bit to "aquire" a taste for something new....especially if it's been placed there by man.

 

[Bowtech]

Just for the record NB does have native white oaks. NB has two native oaks, the Northern Red which as the name implies is in the red oak family and the Bur Oak, which is in the white oak family. The Bur Oak is considered one of the sweeter acorns in the white oak group. There are also some naturalized, not native, english oak along the Saint John River valley as well.

Since we have no oaks on our property we have been planting hybrid white oaks here on the farm which are supposed to produce acorns in 4-8 years to increase the hard mast.