took a walk on the mountain this morning and i have NEVER saw it this dry and brown at this time of the year. just a very few acors on the ground. i fear the drought has done to much damage and even heavy rains now will not save the moast crop, what do you think and how are your woods and mast?
Terrible around my area as well. I agree it's to late for any rain to help. There are some acorns but there small around my area and to top it off a large portion on the corn is failing as well.
It almost looks like early fall in the hardwoods where I hunt. I found a lot of little tiny acorns on the ground..almost all hull.
Squirrels were cutting pig nuts and the season comes in Aug. 1.
yup same here, big caps on the acorns and very small nut, not good...
There is one mast crop that looks like it may be hot for my area. Honey locust pods. There loaded this year everywhere I look, the deer usually pass on them until cold weather sets in but I think they may be on them early and heavy this year.
we've been getting tons of rain down here. looks like were gonna have another huge acorn crop this year but we usually do. I think its gonna be a long cold winter down here this year and Im predicting some nice bucks to be killed. I just hope Im right. lol
Same thing in my neck of the woods ken! I'm scared to go stumping with anything but rubber blunts, the woods are so dry it wouldn't take much to set everything ablaze! Even the beechnuts are in pour shape here!!
Stays like this into fall i'll be hunting over buckets of water!! :(
Same talk as last year, We were in a drought last fall also and still had a great acorn crop. I'm not going to worry about it either way. The deer and turkeys will still be there just have to find them and what there eating.
Tracy
Ken, I almost think a lack of mast works to your benefit on that mountain. The heavy beech crop spreads the deer too thin as they dont have to leave cover to feed. This year will be just as good or bad as every other year. Apples were supposed to be be non existent this fall but Im seeing some trees that are full. Hunt those apples at your trail head and youlll be in business.
The mast doesn't look to good over here, either, Ken. Might have to look for apples like Izzy said.
there are apples but they are very low on the mountain. i will be scouting every weekend now and hope to find maybe a couple trees that are producing, still to early to see beech's on the ground.
I found copious amounts of crabapples the other day. So much so the branches were hanging down. Not to mention the wild raspberries are booming. Just look for other food sources. There is more to eat than the standard acorns.
I have better luck on low mast years, as you've said...scouting and finding key food areas including early season greens will be key.
Good luck, this year will test your skills!
Mast crop looks alright here in Pa not a bumper crop but much better than last year.
i've got a good amount of acorns near me in the small section i hunt, also have my cornfields thats producing fine this year while testing out my new climber i had 2 does 100 yards away withen a half hour of me getting up the tree and beguinning my sit and watch
Here in NH it looks like no beechnuts, few acorns, and the drought has really knocked out the soft mast - apples, berries, etc. Have seen a few oaks growing near water that look like they're producing normally. I imagine that finding any good producing trees will be hot spots. Could also be exceptional for anyone hunting bears over bait this year!!
Too soon to tell here for sure, been fooled in the past by making an assumption too early in the year.... I do know up until Tuesday before last we only had 3" of rain since April 14th. I also know that several years ago during a record drought, ( that record just got broke this year ), we had a HUGE acorn crop. A biologist said that the trees will produce record amounts of mast during droughts as a survival mechanism to seed the next generation of trees.
We are now enjoying 11 straight days of rain, just got two inches in the past two days. So..... if the rain is in time I am sure it help fill out the acorsn we do have. Frost is what determines our acorn crop IMHO. We had NO, and I mean NO acorns last year due to late frost killing the blooms. Every deer we killed, ( 5 ) were opened and stomachs were solid GREEN, not a single acorn or acorn cap found in their stomachs. Never seen a total acorn crop failure like last year. We actually almost lost some trees a few years back when we had 22 degrees on April 23rd !!! Everything had totally opened up and leafed out by that time and the leaves even came off at that temp. Strange weather the past few years down here. :coffee:
Instead of going all over the Hill why don't you put out your trail cam....see what's moving? Leave it for a week or 10 days then move it to a different spot. Or did you trade it off already....lol!
funny you should say that Ron, just put it out this morning on the mountain.
My mast crop seems above average but my apple trees got hammer between the early warm up and then the cold and 10" of snow. I have apples trees over 50 years old that tipped over by the roots or snapped off.
I put acorns in my pockets and the deer will follow me out of the woods, closer to the truck :readit: ;) :rolleyes:
Ken,
In a year such as this look for the water sources as most everything around here is dried up. The large beaver swamp below my home is nothing but dried mud so along with apples and mast they also need water.
Regards,
Grouse
I find it easier to pattern deer when the acorns are meager. My favorite ridge near home is ALL oaks. When just a few of the mature trees are dropping nuts, it's easy to pick a stand site. There are a few oaks adjacent the swamp.....they must be 100 years old, 5 feet across....thier roots get down into the swamp and they do just fine. Look for trees like that...
Our blackberries did diddly, I know of a lone pear thats doing ok but its by itself, but seems most of our acorns are bare as well. Lone exception currently are the wild plums. Loooaaaaddeeeed!
Made good jelly though!