Which White Acorn?

[Horizontal Hunter]

You can't be a deer hunter for long without knowing that deer prefer white acorns over red acorns. In my opinion it goes much deeper than that. Just like us deer have different preferences in what they eat.

One year I shot a young buck that had a rumen full of red acorns even though there were an abundance of white acorns on the ground that year. That buck really got me thinking about food preferences in general and I realized that all white acorns are not created equal when it comes to the deer palette.

This is a good guide in PDF format that I have downloaded and keep in my phone to help me identify different white acorns.
http://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/techn ... dguide.pdf

These are the ones I have noticed the deer on in my woods:

1. White oak (Eastern White Oak, Stave Oak, Forked- leaf white oak)
2. Swamp white oak
3. Pin oak
4. Scarlet oak (Black oak, Red oak, Spanish oak
Bear oak
Burr oak
Live oak

Here is another good read:

http://bowsite.com/bowsite/features/arm ... corns.html

What have you guys noticed?

Bob

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[backstraps]

Here locally deer do prefer the white oak acorns. Most places I hunt they prefer whites. However, the last four years in the areas I hunt in Ohio, the deer actually prefer the large chestnut oak acorns over anything I see in the woods!

[Hawthorne]

I've read that acorn taste can very from tree to tree of the same species. For instance two Burr oaks next to each other could produce two different tasting acorns. One could be more bitter than the other.

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[Bayshorebuck8]

Interesting kinda odd but ive actually cracked open different acorns from different trees to taste for myself and on my aunts property in northern mi actually found a white oak with very sweet acorns compared to the others the deer always cleaned them up quickly, ive read because of the lower tannic acid content in whites but it also showed me that there is definetly s difference in individual trees and the bitterness that there mast has,

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[Edcyclopedia]

Here an acorn, there an acorn, everywhere acorn - acorn.

Isn't it purnounced - akurn?

[mheichelbech]

I looked for the areas around oaks that have obviously been browsed down over time. Many times it's very clear which tree or trees they like best. With that said, a favorite tree doesn't last a long time.

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[backstraps]

Here an acorn, there an acorn, everywhere acorn - acorn.

Isn't it purnounced - akurn?

I had to laugh, as with most of your post..... but I catch a lot of grief locally because I must be the only one around here pronounces A-corn as akurn :)

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[Southern Man]

Here an acorn, there an acorn, everywhere acorn - acorn.

Isn't it purnounced - akurn?

I had to laugh, as with most of your post..... but I catch a lot of grief locally because I must be the only one around here pronounces A-corn as akurn :)

As well you should. Are you trying to hide your southern roots?

[Edcyclopedia]

Here an acorn, there an acorn, everywhere acorn - acorn.

Isn't it purnounced - akurn?

I had to laugh, as with most of your post..... but I catch a lot of grief locally because I must be the only one around here pronounces A-corn as akurn :)

As well you should. Are you trying to hide your southern roots?

Most hunters have Rednecks, that's a national thing not a regional thang..
We are one family - cheers!

[Twenty Up]

Smart thinking HH,

Something I managed to find out several years ago was to seek out different oaks in the area you are hunting. For example, a burr oak on the edge of a swamp white & privet thicket.. The Burr has more "draw" because it's a limited resource, the Swamp White's are in abundance. The same goes for hybrids, I've found some wild oak hybrids while hunting and their "draw" all varied depending on where they were, time of year and the tree's crossed.

The woods are loaded with oaks trees so don't get caught up looking for "that tree" just keep your eyes out to see if the leaves are pushed around more so in one area compared to others. Then if you stumble across a tree that produces check out the leaves/acorns and pocket a few, then shoot me a PM because I'll gladly reward you for it

[wickedbruiser]

Great info on acorns. I remembered 3 years ago hunting MI on 11 square mile piece, I came across a huge patch of white oaks littering the ground...needless to say there were 30 deer all in picture frame. Unfortunately, no shooters. The last couple of years, it wasn't raining acorns in that exact same spot and the deer were scarce. I will be checking the spot again this year to see if the meaning of heavy crop every 3 years is true.

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[JoeRE]

Thats interesting info HH.

What I see around here are White oak (eastern), pin oak and burr oak. They prefer the white oaks by far over the other two.

ive actually cracked open different acorns from different trees to taste for myself

That is a good idea, I will start doing that to see what differences I find. Would really help narrow it down when acorns are all over. I already do that with wild apple trees - the sweetest apples always get hit the hardest.

[Twenty Up]

The Red Oak family has pointed leaves and thick bark
White oaks have rounded leaf tips and a greyish papery bark

[kenn1320]

Thats interesting info HH.

What I see around here are White oak (eastern), pin oak and burr oak. They prefer the white oaks by far over the other two.

ive actually cracked open different acorns from different trees to taste for myself

That is a good idea, I will start doing that to see what differences I find. Would really help narrow it down when acorns are all over. I already do that with wild apple trees - the sweetest apples always get hit the hardest.

Be sure to video yourself, those things are bitter!