Acorns

[nwmn]

Canopy release of mature oaks and or pecan is the absolute best thing one can do to promote hard mast on their property for deer.

Yep, I have loads of oaks in my yard that get full sun and produced an incredible crop last year but this year is just spotty overall in our area. I'll be releasing trees hopefuly this winter via aspen harvest and looking to cut down some oaks as well that are leaners and taking up space and sunlight. My buddy has a sawmill so I'm hoping to utilize them as well.

My goal in seeking acorns is mainly for a direct seeding project I have planned. I had a feeling this year would be light for acorns due to bumper crop last year. I'll probably just add in diversity in the planting with basswood, ash and box elder since one of the areas for planting is right off the river and those are all riparian species.

 

[BuckSutherland]

I have found one large open canopy grown bur oak that has a lot of small acorns. I had to scalp all the stuff growing underneath it to make collection easier. I think having more diversity in oak species would bode well for years where our bur oak acorns don't produce. I dont have a source for swamp white oaks, but i'd love to add them if I found some acorns.

How many swamp white oak acorns are you hoping to get??


Ever get to the MN Landscape Arboretum in Chaska? That's a nice place to collect some acorns. Golf courses and cemeteries are also great places to collect. Burr oaks where I live west of Somaliapolis are pretty well done dropping. already. Red oaks are just getting going. Swamp white oaks will start dropping the majority of theirs around Oct 1st-10th if its anything like the last few years.

 

[b116757]

Makes me happy knowing I'm not alone in acorn scouting lol!!

You’re in good company around here many of us have an acorn fetish.

 

[Teeder]

I resemble that remark. 🐿

 

[KY wild]

Little strange here this year, usually pretty much no white oak have acorns or pretty much all white oaks are loaded. This year from my scouting about 80% has no acorns and other 20% white oaks are loaded, should make for good hunting, just hunt the few loaded ones.

 

[Angus 1895]

I’m at liberty lake Wa. Next to the Tesla dealership. The lot is full of oaks. Bumper crop this year!

The acorns I gathered last time staying here.grew really well this spring.

 

[Teeder]

I’m at liberty lake Wa. Next to the Tesla dealership. The lot is full of oaks. Bumper crop this year!

The acorns I gathered last time staying here.grew really well this spring.

My son and I drove through there a year ago today when he move to Tacoma.

 

[Angus 1895]

They are all red oaks, they are loaded

 

[b116757]

Checked on one of the Bur oak trees I pick acorns from they are not ready yet but this was an average size acorn on that tree today.

 

[b116757]

All we have are bur oaks, and some of them get really big. Funny watching a doe munch on an acorn and it looks like she is chewing a tennis ball. They gobble them up regardless of size here.

Do the bur oaks in your area typically retain the cap or do they drop free from the caps? Many if not most of our bur oaks retain the caps and don’t drop free of them this is why I question how much the deer use them. I did find a bur oak today that freely drops the acorns which is unusual for my area they are a bit smaller than most of our Bur oak acorns but the fact that they where dropping free had me collecting some to plant around the farms.

 

[Teeder]

Do the bur oaks in your area typically retain the cap or do they drop free from the caps? Many if not most of our bur oaks retain the caps and don’t drop free of them this is why I question how much the deer use them. I did find a bur oak today that freely drops the acorns which is unusual for my area they are a bit smaller than most of our Bur oak acorns but the fact that they where dropping free had me collecting some to plant around the farms.

I did the same today, also. We don't have many burs around here, but there are 3 in a local park. Stopped by today and about 50% are dropping free from the cap, so I snagged a couple dozen.

 

[b116757]

That white one may not germinate.

 

[BuckSutherland]

From a white oak???

 

[b116757]

Bur oak

 

[BuckSutherland]

The local swamp white oaks that I keep an eye on have been dropping. One of them I just looked at last Wed. It was still holding 95%. I went to look today and the bigly winds over the weekend knocked at least 80% of that one to the ground. I found very few acorns left. There was a crew there looting them. The ground was nearly all cleaned up. I have never seen a SWO in the wild. All the ones I see are in town. They are rapidly cleaned up. I'm always amazed how desirable these acorns must be for the critters. Most of the SWO that I see are less than 30 feet tall.

 

[Teeder]

We don't have many swo's around here, but I know of a handful in one of the areas I hunt. This is my favorite. 30 + inches in diameter and straight up atleast 30 feet before the first branch.