How long for a patch of white oaks?

[BTaylor]

Can you tell me more about what it tells you if the acorns are green or brown? Does it indicate timing alone or deer preference too?

Green acorns arent mature. Deer still eat em just fine but I dont recall ever seeing a tree with green acorns under it that was anywhere as hot as a tree once it is into its natural drop of mature acorns. I dont really think really preference between trees is seen until mature acorns are dropping from lots of trees. I could definitely be wrong on that though. My take is when deer are hitting green acorns, they are just getting what is available because wind, birds, skwerls etc. knocked some out.

 

[Horn]

If you have a tree with a lot of, well more than surrounding trees, green ones coming down early is that likely to affect the mature acorns? Not sure of the cause- wind, birds, ect. Is this a sign of a loaded tree or more likely one that dropped too many too early to be hot in season? Take that with a grain of salt y'all know( most of ya) I'm still very inexperienced

 

[BackSpasm]

Green acorns arent mature. Deer still eat em just fine but I dont recall ever seeing a tree with green acorns under it that was anywhere as hot as a tree once it is into its natural drop of mature acorns. I dont really think really preference between trees is seen until mature acorns are dropping from lots of trees. I could definitely be wrong on that though. My take is when deer are hitting green acorns, they are just getting what is available because wind, birds, skwerls etc. knocked some out.

This confirms a lot of my observations but its nice to see it written out. I rode my bike to an isolated pocket of white oaks near my house today that only have very sporadic green acorns and I got a picture of this bear not 45 minutes after I dropped the camera there!! Bear and deer season opens in 12 days and there are quite a few acorns hanging so I am very pumped!

 

[BTaylor]

If you have a tree with a lot of, well more than surrounding trees, green ones coming down early is that likely to affect the mature acorns? Not sure of the cause- wind, birds, ect. Is this a sign of a loaded tree or more likely one that dropped too many too early to be hot in season? Take that with a grain of salt y'all know( most of ya) I'm still very inexperienced

I think it for sure does. For instance you could have a tree with a really heavy mast crop but late in the growing cycle your area gets into drought conditions, that tree likely could shed a good portion to all of its mast crop before it matures. I have seen trees shed mast at nearly all points of production due to weather conditions. Where the tree is growing I think can have an impact on that as well, esp in hilly or mountain country. Trees on north slopes or down in the bottoms may have enough moisture to hold their acorns longer or to maturity where say south slope trees may shed mast. Then too you may have years where nearly every tree holds the majority of their acorns til maturity but some trees nearly the entire mast crop is worms(oaks) but other trees are not and they will be the hot trees at some point. There are so many variables it is basically impossible to predict what is going to happen with feed trees. That's why continued scouting through the season is so important to a feed hunter.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

I’m here I’m Central OH and they don’t stay on the acorns for long around me. They will eat them until they’re gone, mind you, but they don’t hold the attraction value for very long once the corn and beans have been cut. Dunno why. Acorns are a very small part of my personal hunting strategy in this location. I do put my stands in/around the oaks that are producing if I can, but tbh I’d rather hunt the transitions knowing that my tree is between the deer and not just the acorns but also some other form of attraction like a field, plot, bedding area, or staging area near those oaks. Also, I don’t know why but they seem to favor the hickory nuts and walnuts after October.
When I hunted public land in DE (honestly more similar terrain to where you’re hunting IMO) they hammered those acorns more than anything else until like thanksgiving or later. Also had a higher percentage of oaks in those woods overall. Probably a factor. If I were you I’d hunt those transitions to/through the really hot oaks and see what happens until maybe Halloween.

 

[Jammintree]

If you have a tree with a lot of, well more than surrounding trees, green ones coming down early is that likely to affect the mature acorns? Not sure of the cause- wind, birds, ect. Is this a sign of a loaded tree or more likely one that dropped too many too early to be hot in season? Take that with a grain of salt y'all know( most of ya) I'm still very inexperienced

Worms bore into acorns on the tree, once this starts the tree stops feeding that acorn and loosens the bond at the cap stem. Then when the wind or rain is hard the immature - worm infested acorn drops - green. Pick up the green ones and have a look. Sometimes you can find the wormhole, other times they burrow under the cap where you can’t see it. Crack them open and have a look. You’ll find the seed inside is aborted and sometimes the worm is still in there.

 

[BackSpasm]

Worms bore into acorns on the tree, once this starts the tree stops feeding that acorn and loosens the bond at the cap stem. Then when the wind or rain is hard the immature - worm infested acorn drops - green. Pick up the green ones and have a look. Sometimes you can find the wormhole, other times they burrow under the cap where you can’t see it. Crack them open and have a look. You’ll find the seed inside is aborted and sometimes the worm is still in there.

Interesting. Is there a place I can read more about this?

 

[Jammintree]

Interesting. Is there a place I can read more about this?

I’ll see if I can find a good source for you. But nothing beats the book of the forest: observation.

and FWIW all acorns oxidize and turn brown at some point. The good ones generally turn brown before dropping.