Depending on where you hunt, what acorns do the deer prefer to eat 1st, 2nd and so on. I know White Oak is kind of the go to nut where I hunt(early season) but I'm no expert - other than that I couldn't tell you what kind of acorns is on the ground anyways - lol- I'm hoping you experts can learn me something new
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Acorns- What do Deer prefer?
- Thread starter DKO77
- Start date
1st-white oak
2-other varieties of white oak such as chestnut oak or sawtooth.
3-red oak
It should be noted that preference may vary with location due to soil and water. Also, in years of an abundance of white oak, scattered red oak may become the preferred food.
You must understand that there are only two types of oak, white and red. All oak trees belong to one of the two.
2-other varieties of white oak such as chestnut oak or sawtooth.
3-red oak
It should be noted that preference may vary with location due to soil and water. Also, in years of an abundance of white oak, scattered red oak may become the preferred food.
You must understand that there are only two types of oak, white and red. All oak trees belong to one of the two.
dont know about the deer, but squirrels definitely favor red oaks
TN Larry
Well-Known Member
White, red, chestnut in my area when all three available.
BAMA BOW MERKER
Well-Known Member
The ones just out of range
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
The white oak is the favored acorn because it contains less tannic acid making it a sweeter acorn. They just don't last as long on the ground because if not eaten in short order, they'll sprout and the deer leave them. They also drop earlier than the reds. The reds, although less desirable, are what get the deer through the winter. They will sit on the ground all winter without sprouting thus making them readily available food all winter.
BSK
Well-Known Member
bowriter said:
Native to the U.S., correct. But the Sawtooth oak--which is becoming commonplace--is not in either the white or red family.
BSK
Well-Known Member
As other have pointed out, white oak acorns are preferred over red oak because of the white's lower tannin content (tannin produces a bitter taste). However, within the white oak family, there are differences in preference. The Swamp Chestnut Oak and Swamp White Oak are THE most preferred white oak acorns. Following those are the Chinquapin and true White Oaks. Post Oak and Overcup follow those. Low on the preference list (in the white family) is the Mountain Chestnut Oak.
Sawtooth Oak acorns are very highly preferred, but Sawtooth are not native to the U.S., although they have been planted so extensively for landscape and wildlife purposes that they can often be found "in the wild."
The Sawtooth Oaks drop acorns first, followed closely by the Mountain Chestnuts. The other varieties of whites generally drop two weeks after the Mountain Chestnut.
Red oaks are more variably. I've often found that reds start dropping very early, but continue to drop over a very long period of time. I've seen individual red oaks start dropping in late September yet are still dropping acorns into early December.
Sawtooth Oak acorns are very highly preferred, but Sawtooth are not native to the U.S., although they have been planted so extensively for landscape and wildlife purposes that they can often be found "in the wild."
The Sawtooth Oaks drop acorns first, followed closely by the Mountain Chestnuts. The other varieties of whites generally drop two weeks after the Mountain Chestnut.
Red oaks are more variably. I've often found that reds start dropping very early, but continue to drop over a very long period of time. I've seen individual red oaks start dropping in late September yet are still dropping acorns into early December.
Rubberduck270
Well-Known Member
I always heard they preferred those yellow acorns that you buy in 50 lb bags at Co-Op 
Kingston
Well-Known Member
yep, about 1/2-3/4 the size of a golfball. At least the mtn chestnut acorns are. The deer in my area clean those up in January and February.
BSK
Well-Known Member
MattR said:
What you probably saw was a Mountain Chestnut Oak. They produce huge acorns and are very common on rocky ridge-tops. The Swamp Chestnut is primarily limited to those parts of TN west of KY Lake. The huge Mountain Chestnut Oak acorns (often half yellow and half brown when they first fall) are NOT preferred by deer.
Headhunter
Well-Known Member
where i hunt in middle tennessee the white oak comes in second to chinquapin oak. The chinquapin rules.
stik
Well-Known Member
MattR said:
deer, squirrels or nothing else will eat them. they lay on the ground and rot.
Headhunter
Well-Known Member
not when acorns are falling. They may eat corn, but deer will acorns before corn when they are falling. I know a guy with a fenced in area (in a state where baiting is legal) and he does not even put corn out in early season anymore because the deer will basically not pay any attention to the corn. Money is not an issue to this person, the deer just eat acorns first.
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
white then red
I hunt a farm that has hundreds of 20+ year old sawtooths planted on it. This place is like a zoo IF there are no white oak acorns falling. Witnessed first hand last year, they will walk right over sawtooth acorns that litterally cover the ground to go to a white oak....But in a bad white oak year and later in the season, the sawtooths are incredible!!
