huntncoach
Well-Known Member
That's about what we had on our lease when I was there last week. Hoping those acorns grow some over the next few weeks!
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Acorns
- Thread starter TNTreeman
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BSK
Well-Known Member
Honestly, I doubt it. They should be nearing maturity now.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Saw several white oak acorns on the ground in one of my pastures this morning. They were normal size. Looked up at the tree, and didn't see a one in the tree.
I would agree that Hickman has bounced back well from the outbreak of 2019. May take another year to realize I think though, but there are a ton of young deer this year…as well as baby turkeys.
I have a half dozen huge white oaks in my yard. Last year they were loaded. This year they are totally bare.
Squirrels are wearing out the hickorys though. They are LOADED
Squirrels are wearing out the hickorys though. They are LOADED
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
We are seeing the same
BSK
Well-Known Member
Last year we had a crazy number of 3 1/2 year-olds, so I'm hoping we see a nice uptick in mature bucks this year.
Yogi965
Well-Known Member
Had a sawtooth oak in Knoxville raining acorns today
BSK
Well-Known Member
Sawtooths in Nashville are loaded. Native oaks hit or miss. Farther west, say west of Dickson, acorns are few and far between. Unless you can find an oak in a bottomland wet area.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
East TN has received tons of consistent rain. Y'all should be loaded. The red oak in my yard just west of Nashville is raining acorns, but only because they are under-developed and stressed
JN
Well-Known Member
I have already had a few trees start to drop acorns around my place in NE TN. We had a slight dry spell in may then it seemed like it rained almost every day the month of July. It is looking like this year will be a lot of acorns again which makes one of the properties I hunt almost void of deer. It was logged of the oak trees several years ago leaving mainly poplar and maple trees. In good acorns years the deer don't seem to show back up till mid November then usually late dec they are hitting the fields really good.
BSK
Well-Known Member
East TN Bowhunter
Well-Known Member
Would love to see a pic of that deer and hear the story on what you learned and do differently since?
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
He was a very low scoring deer for his age at 4.5. Far below average for our area, but would still shoot him to this day due to him being mature. What was so special about him was that I was on a 7 year drought of killing a buck and he ended it. I have debated changing the mount for a larger set of antlers, but keep talking myself out of it. What this deer made me to do, was go back to the drawing board and study!
This is hard to explain. Not understanding how deer use the terrain was my ultimate weakness. Thinking I did and only hunting stands on certain wind directions is what led to me being unsuccessful. For this deer, I was able to watch him for a while and see how he moved just below the top of the ridge about 20 yards with the wind coming from up above at a quarter-to in the way he was moving. Once he got out of the hardwoods and into the thick clear-cut, how he let his guard down to some degree (akin to deer being much more relaxed when it is dark). Afterwards, I had numerous occasions come to mind of HOW I had gotten busted in the past. Asking WHY he was doing what he was doing and what other bucks had done in the past. WHY did I get busted this time and that time? WHY did this work when similar encounters didn't?
I take notes of all my hunts, so I went back and studied those notes with a terrain map of where I was sitting each sit I had an encounter, the wind direction and the buck's movement (I take notes of where they come from and where they were headed)….for each encounter. I did this for every 3.5 or older buck in my notes that I had seen over the years. I did comparisons of what set-ups worked and what set-ups didn't. Not only specifically where my tree was on the map, but other potential spots along their paths that probably would have worked too. It became clear to me once I mapped all that out. Of course, we all transition as hunters and it took me a couple years to iron out some things. Definitely still have many wrinkles and always will – just keep trying to be better with each hunt. But since then, I have killed 9. Thank goodness for good note taking - never would have had all these experiences.
BSK
Well-Known Member
You sound almost as anal about your record keeping as I am. Poor you.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
Cool story....it's awesome when things come together....but one thing you said triggered my memory.
"For this deer, I was able to watch him for a while and see how he moved just below the top of the ridge"
Being able to actually watch a mature deer do what he does is an awesome experience....I'll never forget the very first time I decided to let a particular buck walk...not a giant but a solid 3½ year old but I just sat there and watched him...then couple years later I let a mature buck walk because his main beam was broken....twice that season I got to just sit and watch him as a 4½ or 5½ year old...watched his manerisims and how he carried himself....then watching a mature buck you'll also see how they can stand motionless in one spot with zero movement for several minutes.... anyway...I'm rambling now....but your comment reminded me of those special (rare) moments where your actually able to just sit, learn from and watch a mature buck... because honestly...the majority of time....when a mature buck presents himself ...we normally go into kill mode and start going through a mental checklist to complete the process.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Completely agree. Observing them and their mannerisms is one of the best ways to understand why they do what they do. Last year, while looking for the buck I had shot (the one I didn't find until 2 months later), I was following the blood trail. While looking down, I heard and saw out of the corner of my eye a deer walking right under my stand I had just left (about 50 yards away). It was one of the oldest deer we had last year at 4.5. Half of his rack was broken off. Nonetheless, I was able to watch him and his mannerisms for over 20 minutes. You mentioned observing them motionless for several minutes - no doubt, and I've seen them do that for over 15 minutes. Crazy stuff
East TN Bowhunter
Well-Known Member
I was hunting an East TN WMA last year during the early bow quota hunt and was set up on the back corner of a standing corn field and had a decent sized rub right underneath me. I watched 14 does and yearlings come out into the corn and munch away without a care in the world 30 yrds from me for over 2 hours before dark. About 20 mins before complete darkness I saw a nice 7-8 point buck come to about 8ft from the edge of the field across from me about 75 yards away and he completely froze up. For those last 20 mins of light he stood in the exact same spot and looked both ways up and down the field edges, almost like he was watching over the does and also waiting until complete darkness to come out and join them in the corn. When it got almost to dark to see him, he slowly made his way out. It was a very cool experience that I wont forget just how still he was being for so long and just how cautious he was. I almost thought I was imagining seeing him he was being so still for so long but everytime he turned his head I knew I wasn't dreaming. LOL Thanks for the story JCDeerman! I need to take more detailed notes on wind directions and sightings and stand locations as well.
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JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
No doubt. We as humans live in a world where we've got to go-go-go. We've got things to do and places to be. They are the exact opposite. They have all the time in the world. Eat and reproduce, while staying alive. They take their time for sure most days
