Is there a general list that gives some good drop times for specific species of oaks? I found Water, Pin, White and Blackjack's that are full of acorns and need to know generally when to check em or hunt em. I live in upstate South Carolina.
I also heard Warren Womack say that elevation plays a large roll when these trees drop in one area vs another. One method I think may work is I have a persimmons, muscadine and water oaks on my property at roughly the same elevation that ill hunt. I noticed that the fruit bearing trees and vines ripening has a lot to do with sun exposure but I figure I can watch these and act accordingly.
"Hot oak" drop chart by month?
- buttonbuck
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- elk yinzer
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Re: "Hot oak" drop chart by month?
I am way North of you, but here they all roughly drop within a couple weeks of each other, but it's more a matter what acorns have less tannins that the deer prefer to eat first. It's easy to understand when you understand the why behind it. More tannic acorns the deer let lay on the ground where the moisture leaches tannins out. Tannins are also preservative so the more tannic acorns last all through winter. Literally the best way I would recommend to figure this out is to taste acorns and you'll see which are more tannic real quickly. They'll taste very astringent and bitter. The best early season white oaks will be almost palatable with just a slight hint of bitter. Generally white oaks are more tannic than red oaks. Even within a certain species some trees will be sweeter than others.
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Re: "Hot oak" drop chart by month?
i'm in NW PA, hunting the big woods. I find the same, they most all drop around the same time. which they eat depends on what/how much dropped. i am seeing red oak dropping everywhere. however, it is not the preferred food in many areas because they are more bitter. I've seen deer walk through thousand of red oak acorns laying on the ground to get to a small patch of white oak. elk, i'm glad you said something about tasting them. i thought i might be the only one that does that. it used to be how i determined which kind of acorn it was. I still do it now and again when i'm not sure. I just found a place that deer are hammering some acorns. they looked the same as the previous 3 oak areas i had found on that property. However, they weren't eating any of the other ones. i had been tasting them all, and the first 3 spots they were so bitter, i couldn't shake the taste. the 4th spot, where they were eating them, actually weren't bad. I could have dang near ate a few myself. no wonder they are eating those ones.
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Re: "Hot oak" drop chart by month?
SPECIES HABITAT IDENTIFYING FEATURE DROP WINDOW
CHESTNUT Dry uplands, ridges, Very coarse, September to October
and alkaline soils furrowed bark
NUTTALL Moist soils with Grows to loo feet October to December
abundant sunlight with large, striped
acorns
PIN OAK Wet, heavy soil; Symmetrical, August to October
bottomland pyramid-shaped crown
POST Drier soils, Whitish bark, large August to October
southwesterly leathery leaves;
exposures, sandy often found near
flatlands white pines
NORTHERN Moist, loamy soils; Dark gray bark, leaf September to October
RED riverbottoms and lobes end in
swamps bristles, leaves
turn dark red in
fall
SAWTOOTH Semiopen woods, Smallish, 40 to 60 August to September
field edges, feet with
fencerows pyramid-shaped crown
SCARLET High slopes, ridges, Poorly formed crown; October to December
dry soils with swelled, bulged
southerly exposures shape at base
WHITE Well-drained flats, Whitish bark; leaves August to October
ridges, slopes, dry have rounded lobes
areas
CHESTNUT Dry uplands, ridges, Very coarse, September to October
and alkaline soils furrowed bark
NUTTALL Moist soils with Grows to loo feet October to December
abundant sunlight with large, striped
acorns
PIN OAK Wet, heavy soil; Symmetrical, August to October
bottomland pyramid-shaped crown
POST Drier soils, Whitish bark, large August to October
southwesterly leathery leaves;
exposures, sandy often found near
flatlands white pines
NORTHERN Moist, loamy soils; Dark gray bark, leaf September to October
RED riverbottoms and lobes end in
swamps bristles, leaves
turn dark red in
fall
SAWTOOTH Semiopen woods, Smallish, 40 to 60 August to September
field edges, feet with
fencerows pyramid-shaped crown
SCARLET High slopes, ridges, Poorly formed crown; October to December
dry soils with swelled, bulged
southerly exposures shape at base
WHITE Well-drained flats, Whitish bark; leaves August to October
ridges, slopes, dry have rounded lobes
areas
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Re: "Hot oak" drop chart by month?
Back when I collected acorns for a living, I would have to float the hubris off of the acorns in barrels of water. Then I'd spread the acorns out on a giant tarp to dry. I dare not leave Swamp White Oak, overnite to dry, because by morning I would be shooing deer off the tarp and gathering up what was left of my harvest. When I'd go on out of town expeditions, there were certain areas where I would have to compete with the Amish for Swamp Whites. I heard they grind the acorns and eat them as a flour?
One time the dude who bought seed from me, asked if I wanted to drive 30 miles the following morning and make a couple hundred bucks for a couple hours work. He told me he had just gotten back from his sons soccer game. He said that a loaded Chinkapin at the soccer park had dropped and there were acorns all over the ground. I was there by 8 AM. the following morning. All I found was empty caps, tracks and deer poop. The deer had traveled under the highway, through a concrete drainage that connected to the wooded ridges and eaten my $200 worth of acorns overnight. From what I have seen, Swamp White Oak and Chinkapin acorns are the most palatable, therefore most desirable species of Oaks, for whitetail deer around here, all else being equal. Of course some trees within a species are just naturally sweeter than others. As a side, I have eaten many of both varieties while in the woods. I find that they are just barely bitter and really not too bad. Eat you a Pin Oak or Shingle Oak and you will notice a BIG difference.
One time the dude who bought seed from me, asked if I wanted to drive 30 miles the following morning and make a couple hundred bucks for a couple hours work. He told me he had just gotten back from his sons soccer game. He said that a loaded Chinkapin at the soccer park had dropped and there were acorns all over the ground. I was there by 8 AM. the following morning. All I found was empty caps, tracks and deer poop. The deer had traveled under the highway, through a concrete drainage that connected to the wooded ridges and eaten my $200 worth of acorns overnight. From what I have seen, Swamp White Oak and Chinkapin acorns are the most palatable, therefore most desirable species of Oaks, for whitetail deer around here, all else being equal. Of course some trees within a species are just naturally sweeter than others. As a side, I have eaten many of both varieties while in the woods. I find that they are just barely bitter and really not too bad. Eat you a Pin Oak or Shingle Oak and you will notice a BIG difference.
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