Late frost 2020--Will it effect your fall hunting?

[Motivated]

Just thinking about October, as usual, and wondering about mast production.

1000z.jpg

2016 article from Iowa State below

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/ ... imals-fall

Good detail on oaks below for those wanting to learn more about them.

https://extension2.missouri.edu/g9414

[Hawthorne]

I was thinking the same yesterday for the apples and oaks. It’s a key for the early season. Last year was a bad mast year hope it isn’t this year

[stash59]

I was thinking the same yesterday for the apples and oaks. It’s a key for the early season. Last year was a bad mast year hope it isn’t this year

Hawthorne I can't remember what you said the "flowers" of an oak are called. But the few oaks I saw yesterday where I was. Still seemed pretty bare. So maybe most of my area escaped damage from this mornings heavy frost that was supposed to happen. Just woke up myself and it's 40 degrees out. Might not have got as cold as they predicted here!! Have to go to NOAA and look it up!

[Hawthorne]

I was thinking the same yesterday for the apples and oaks. It’s a key for the early season. Last year was a bad mast year hope it isn’t this year

Hawthorne I can't remember what you said the "flowers" of an oak are called. But the few oaks I saw yesterday where I was. Still seemed pretty bare. So maybe most of my area escaped damage from this mornings heavy frost that was supposed to happen. Just woke up myself and it's 40 degrees out. Might not have got as cold as they predicted here!! Have to go to NOAA and look it up!

Good point. They are called catkins

[brancher147]

25 this morning in WV and oaks are flowering below 3000 ft. They got zapped. Blueberry and serviceberry and dogwood also flowering and got zapped and probably others also. Some apples have already flowered and been pollinated so they may be ok. Or maybe not gonna be in 20’s again tonight.

[Ghost Hunter]

It was 44 here this morning. I would be thankful to have that last of September when bow season opens.

[Trout]

We got an inch or so of snow last night. Looking like it will be cold through at least wednesday. Fortunately, this is the kind of weather we expect in early May. Most of our trees really havent even started to bud yet.

[Wetfoot]

We get frosts into the first week of June nearly every year. In season scouting is key. Good mast crop or not

[Ack]

We get frosts into the first week of June nearly every year. In season scouting is key. Good mast crop or not

Agree. Mast or no mast, you have to hunt the best spots when the time is right. While mast can make hunting easier, it can also work against you. I’d prefer only a few good mast trees for season compared to having acorns on the ground everywhere. Deer don’t need to move as much when their food is only a few yards away.

[Dewey]

We get frosts into the first week of June nearly every year. In season scouting is key. Good mast crop or not

Agree. Mast or no mast, you have to hunt the best spots when the time is right. While mast can make hunting easier, it can also work against you. I’d prefer only a few good mast trees for season compared to having acorns on the ground everywhere. Deer don’t need to move as much when their food is only a few yards away.

x3

Give me one or two white oaks producing even a few acorns in key spots especially near bedding and I am good to go. Years back when I hunted the northwoods much more there were years huge oak flats were dropping so many acorns the ground was completely covered for 100's of acres blocks. Saw a ton of deer but it was almost impossible to pattern them because they just wandered all day feeding at random and bedding wherever they happened to be.

It's the same way with bear hunting. If natural foods are plentiful you could be in for a real tough hunt. In most cases less is actually better.

[jmaas07]

Because of this freeze I went to check some apple trees that are in a key early season spot for me, I was happy to see that leaves just started so no blossoms to worry about getting froze out

[JonNc]

We get frosts into the first week of June nearly every year. In season scouting is key. Good mast crop or not

Agree. Mast or no mast, you have to hunt the best spots when the time is right. While mast can make hunting easier, it can also work against you. I’d prefer only a few good mast trees for season compared to having acorns on the ground everywhere. Deer don’t need to move as much when their food is only a few yards away.

Agreed. Where I hunt there are plenty of acorn trees. If most drop, it makes for a tougher year.

[john1984]

2019 was a bumper crop around here, just like 2015. But 2016 was terrible for acorns , and I'm predicting 2020 will be like 2016.

[cspot]

We get frosts into the first week of June nearly every year. In season scouting is key. Good mast crop or not

Agree. Mast or no mast, you have to hunt the best spots when the time is right. While mast can make hunting easier, it can also work against you. I’d prefer only a few good mast trees for season compared to having acorns on the ground everywhere. Deer don’t need to move as much when their food is only a few yards away.

x3

Give me one or two white oaks producing even a few acorns in key spots especially near bedding and I am good to go. Years back when I hunted the northwoods much more there were years huge oak flats were dropping so many acorns the ground was completely covered for 100's of acres blocks. Saw a ton of deer but it was almost impossible to pattern them because they just wandered all day feeding at random and bedding wherever they happened to be.

It's the same way with bear hunting. If natural foods are plentiful you could be in for a real tough hunt. In most cases less is actually better.

Exactly. Less is more in many cases. If hunting big woods with lots of acorns it can be some really tough hunting. I think our oaks got zapped, but won't know that for a while.

To the OP yes it will change how and where I hunt. Time will tell though if all of the mast got zapped or not.

[Hawthorne]

Whatever happened to mainebowhunter? That guy loved talking about apples trees. Lol. I missed what would of been my biggest buck on public in 2018 hunting over an apple tree opening morning oct1. A few days later I shot my biggest public buck over acorns that didn’t produce last season. It was a bumper crop that year for both acorns and apples. For the white oak species . Last year almost zero acorns and no apples in my neck. 2hrs north guys had them