Acorns Dropping … Follow the Food to Find the Deer

Certain sights and smells trigger memories of things that I strongly connect with the hunting experience. The same is true of sounds. The thunder of a grouse flushing and the baying of beagles hot on the trail of a cottontail are both invigorating sounds of the hunt. And, what can be more exciting than the crack of a nearby rifle shot while you are waiting for a big buck to stroll by?

Archery deer season began Oct. 5, and lucky for us and the animals, another very important sound is afield. While not as dramatic as a grouse flush or the report of a rifle, it is a sound that I love to hear — if you appreciate nature, you should, too.

For the past three weeks, I have been listening to the sound of trees dropping mast — acorns, hickory nuts and beechnuts. It is a beautiful sound.

With acorns and beechnuts, it usually begins as a tick of something solid against the canopy leaves — sort of like the sound of a pencil eraser tapping a piece of paper. Then the sound moves downward as the acorn drops through the lower oak branches and plops onto the forest floor. Hickory nuts are heavier and therefore much louder. It is funny when an acorn bounces off the top of my head — not so when it is a hickory nut.

This sound signifies nature’s bounty. In much, but not all, of the state, oak is king — that is, the king of producing wildlife food. Deer, bears, turkeys, ruffed grouse, wood ducks and squirrels all depend on acorns — the fruit of various species of oak trees — to fatten and carry them through winter. In addition to these notable game species, many other non-game species from blue jays to white-footed deer mice all depend on calorie-rich acorns. It is a lean winter for forest dwellers when no acorns are present.

Deer eat acorns and beechnuts, but not the much harder hickory nuts. Nevertheless, the presence of hickory nuts is still important to deer.

Red oak trees are loaded with acorns in many areas of Centre County. Acorns are a very important wildlife food. Photo by Teresa Mull/For the Gazette

Think of the forest as a smorgasbord — a smorgasbord, but with limited food. The greater the variety of food, the more spread out the feeders and the more of any one item, such as acorns, available to animals targeting them. In years of lean mast cops, squirrels often harvest almost all of the acorns before they fall to the ground — leaving deer out of luck. When hickory nuts are abundant, squirrels usually concentrate on them and less on the acorns — meaning more acorns for deer.

I cannot speak for the entire Keystone State or even the entire county, but in my neck of the woods, most oak trees were loaded with acorns. The ground is littered with red oak and black oak acorns in many places. Hickory nuts and beechnuts are abundant under those trees, as well.

While falling acorns signal bounty, they also signal a change in deer behavior. Acorns are not the only thing that deer eat — I still see deer dining in farm fields on clover, alfalfa, soy beans and newly-planted winter wheat. However, acorns are certainly a favored menu item. A bountiful acorn crop means that deer will travel less and spend less time feeding. This can make hunting more difficult and scouting more important.

Food is the key to deer hunting success during the first four weeks of archery season. Locate the food and you will locate the deer.

Come November, the rut kicks in. Bucks will be more interested in finding members of the opposite sex than eating. So, where will hunters locate the bucks? Since the does will still be feeding — find the food, and there you will find the does and the bucks will find you.

It would be wise for archery hunters to locate a productive stand of oaks and consider concentrating their efforts there. Another likely spot is to locate a trail between a bedding area and farm fields where deer are feeding in the evening and into the night.

Not a hunter? If acorns are abundant in your area, rest assured that all wildlife will have an easier time negotiating winter.