Acorn Update: Heavy In Your Hunting Area?

On FB, my friend and colleague Bill Winke said there are more acorns already on the ground in all parts of the Midwest than is typical for this time of year. Black and red oaks are loaded and seem best for the deer in his part of southern Iowa.

Rob said that in southern Ohio there hasn’t been this much mast in years. The white oaks are really producing, and lots of blacks and red oaks as well.

Charles confirmed a boom year for white oaks. He has already noticed less action on his cams near clover fields.

All these knowledgeable hunters point out that the heavy mast wil make the early-season bowhunting tricky. You’ll see fewer deer in and around fields and food plots and the stands you've hung there. In heavy acorn years, deer scatter out more and feed deeper in the woods. TIP: Move a cam back in the woods and set it on a well-pocked trail near heavy acorns--I bet you find at least one good buck.

Tree-stand placement and tweaking will be critical. Hot evening stands will be near productive oak trees, and good morning sets will be on trails in funnels that head back into cover. 

What is the status of the acorns in your area? I'd like to get a nationwide report. If you haven’t checked yet, make a swing through your woods and let us know.

Some of you hunt where there are no oaks/acorns. Is there a preferred mast that your deer like to eat? comment