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What acorns do deer prefer?
#3672013
10/18/12 07:00 PM
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,636
AdvTX
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OP
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I've never hunted deer around acorns but, there's tons here in the city. Do they prefer the med brown, small green or will they just be happy with what they get? Should be able to get a trash can full pretty easily I got these and persimmons in 20 min before work.
Bow Only
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: AdvTX]
#3672039
10/18/12 07:05 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,396
Pittstate
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
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Someone posted a link to a page that described all the oaks and which ones deer preferred over the others. Rule of thumb around DFW and north is White Oaks are king, live oaks are last along with bur oaks.
Make sure the acorns are not wet and rotten. Make sure to keep them dry.
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: Pittstate]
#3672045
10/18/12 07:07 PM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 28,032
Navasot
Hollywood
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Hollywood
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 28,032 |
white oak is the top pick for sure...but iv never seen them turn there nose away from a healthy acorn
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: Navasot]
#3672120
10/18/12 07:29 PM
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
rifleman
Sparkly Pants
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Sparkly Pants
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: rifleman]
#3672315
10/18/12 08:49 PM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 15,708
603Country
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White oak acorns can be sweet, whereas the red oak acorns are bitter. I didn't know that till a couple of years ago, when I noticed that the doe were eating acorns under one specific big oak in my front pasture. I read up on the white/red oak acorn preferences of deer and then took a stroll over to that tree and ate an acorn. It was sweet and not bitter at all. Interesting.
If you are in the woods and looking for white oak trees to set up your hunting stand, look at the leaves. Leaves from the white oak family of trees have rounded lobes, whereas those from the red oak family have pointed leaf lobes.
Not my monkeys, not my circus...
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: 603Country]
#3672919
10/19/12 12:24 AM
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,636
AdvTX
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I paid a couple bucks and my 5 yr old helped me sweep a church parking lot after school we got a feed bag full mostly white oaks
Thanks for the info
Bow Only
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: AdvTX]
#3672958
10/19/12 12:35 AM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 283
mdcamp
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
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Posts: 283 |
positively white oak, I live in the country and have deer in my yard every day, I see both kinds of oaks out my back door, they will not touch the post oak acorns until there are no more white oak acorns left
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: mdcamp]
#3672980
10/19/12 12:42 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 543
Cannon
Tracker
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Tracker
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White oaks have less tannins, and are therefore less bitter
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: Cannon]
#3673083
10/19/12 01:08 AM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 552
gollygee
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It aint that hard. Peel some and taste them. Some are bitter and some are sweet. Some years are better than others. Not necessarily the kind of tree, location is everything. The sweeter the meat the better. Be sure to peel the dark skin too. Varies in locations. I once had a grove of post oaks (about 5 acres) that was like having the keys to the bank, it is now a cutover. Miss that place.
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: gollygee]
#3673506
10/19/12 03:03 AM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,033
338ultra
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I've always heard sawtooth oaks also known as gobbler oaks if they are available.
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: 338ultra]
#3673517
10/19/12 03:08 AM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 11,658
GusWayne
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We have a few persimmons on our place and the deer love 'em. They will get them as far as they can reach and clean them all up in no time.
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: GusWayne]
#3673519
10/19/12 03:10 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
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Posts: 60,296 |
If your deer have never seen acorns they might not eat due to not knowing what they are.
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: 338ultra]
#3673814
10/19/12 11:39 AM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 552
gollygee
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I've always heard sawtooth oaks also known as gobbler oaks if they are available. When I was growing up in Arkansas the game and fish commission would give away sawtooth oak seedlings if you would plant them on your land. I took all they would give me. I will ask my cousin and nephew if they have noticed any preference by the deer.
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: gollygee]
#3673994
10/19/12 01:10 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 543
Cannon
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Sawtooth (& gobbler sawtooth- smaller acorns) are planted because they yield acorns in 3-5 years, not because they are the favorite food. Deer and turkey like them and eat them, but white oaks are # 1 if they have a choice.
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: Cannon]
#3674008
10/19/12 01:14 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,649
Savage388
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Deer love white oak acorns. We have two really large white oaks on our place. Most of our oak trees are pin oak and red oak. We lost a huge overcup oak due to the drought. I don't know if deer liked those but squirrels certainly die.
ODERINT DUM METUANT
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: 338ultra]
#3674032
10/19/12 01:21 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 151
tag saver
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 151 |
acorns vary in flavor from one tree to the next even in the same species of oaks ..... that being said white oaks are almost always at the top of the list for deer ..... if you observe deer feeding under one specific tree i suggest you get tree spike fertilizer sticks and put them around the perimeter of that tree for next year ....it works well we used this technique years ago in another state where it was illegal to feed .....the deer came in droves from all directions to eat them acorns under that tree and for sure last acorn to go in a deers mouth will be a red oak
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: tag saver]
#3674190
10/19/12 02:15 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 552
gollygee
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acorns vary in flavor from one tree to the next even in the same species of oaks ..... that being said white oaks are almost always at the top of the list for deer ..... if you observe deer feeding under one specific tree i suggest you get tree spike fertilizer sticks and put them around the perimeter of that tree for next year ....it works well we used this technique years ago in another state where it was illegal to feed .....the deer came in droves from all directions to eat them acorns under that tree and for sure last acorn to go in a deers mouth will be a red oak Great idea and good thinking!
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: stxranchman]
#3674796
10/19/12 06:29 PM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8,166
westtexaswatkins
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
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If your deer have never seen acorns they might not eat due to not knowing what they are. We have no oaks where I hunt. I raked a bunch up at my dads house and took them and put them in front of my feeder camera. Deer didn't touch them but a big ole boar ate every last one of them.
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Re: What acorns do deer prefer?
[Re: tag saver]
#3675851
10/20/12 02:40 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 543
Cannon
Tracker
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Tracker
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acorns vary in flavor from one tree to the next even in the same species of oaks ..... that being said white oaks are almost always at the top of the list for deer ..... if you observe deer feeding under one specific tree i suggest you get tree spike fertilizer sticks and put them around the perimeter of that tree for next year ....it works well we used this technique years ago in another state where it was illegal to feed .....the deer came in droves from all directions to eat them acorns under that tree and for sure last acorn to go in a deers mouth will be a red oak Perimeter of the crown (limbs) not the trunk.
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