This weather...

[BSK]

Our Hickman County/maury county place we only have a small handful of deer with horns all small.

Because we got few bucks coming out of the bottomland ag fields up into our hill country, we didn't have a buck on our place this last hunting season that would break much more than 120. We almost always have at least one 140+ buck, and usually a couple. We did have a couple of mature bucks, but they were small-antlered hill country mature bucks.

 

[Antler Daddy]

I completely agree with everything you posted. However, in my situation getting deer to use my forest, no matter how well managed, has proven difficult when large agricultural bottomlands are nearby.

You need some of those golden acorns! Baiting states don't have these complaints.

 

[kbradley]

This weather is really starting to worry me. We have Bradford Pears in full bloom in Nashville. In February. Please tell me this is not going to be a year where everything blooms in March and then we get a big freeze in April that kills all the fruit/nut crops like in 2007. Another acorn failure in my area would be an unmitigated disaster after losing the entire crop last year. In the 35 years I've been keeping records, we've never had two total failures in a row, but there's a first time for everything.

That is one of the few drawbacks from living in the Great State of Tennessee . So yes it may be another one of those years .

 

[BSK]

You need some of those golden acorns! Baiting states don't have these complaints.

Sure they don't. Baiting has to be the most overrated practice I can think of. Well, next to "genetic" culling.

 

[TheLBLman]

Baiting has to be the most overrated practice I can think of. Well, next to "genetic" culling.

Perhaps the over-selling of "food plots" to hunters comes in 3rd?

 

[FTP]

There were NO acorns on the Cheatham WMA this Fall. Deer are in the fields every evening like I've never seen. I agree with BSK, another mast crop failure would be a disaster!

 

[Ski]

Deer are in the fields every evening like I've never seen.

I'm seeing them around here all times of day in the fields. They've got to be awful hungry to spend so much time out in the open in daylight. That's one good thing about this early green up. The deer needed it.

 

[Bone Collector]

this exact thought crossed my mind yesterday when it was 85 degrees on 2/23. Everyone was saying that it would get cold again before Spring and kill everything.

I've noticed blooms and buds on all sorts of trees. Will probably all be whipped out.

 

[BSK]

Perhaps the over-selling of "food plots" to hunters comes in 3rd?

Depends on the situation. I've seen food plots by Godsends in extensive hardwoods, and then virtually useless in big ag regions.

Now if you want to throw out "overpriced seed with big bucks on the bag" then I would tend to agree.

 

[Ski]

One thing to be cautiously optimistic about is that most foliage cycles according to photoperiod. And oaks are late bloomers.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

We've had complete failure of mast 3 out of the last 4 years. 2021 was the only acorns we've had in four years.

 

[sneakybow]

Lots of arctic cold poised that'll come down sooner or later. Blackberries are putting out buds already & blue birds have already shown up at my bird houses. Saw geese around ponds yesterday were paired up as well. Nats covered me up along creek yesterday running traps...

Good news is that La Nina is weakening.

LaBarge, WY. Deer out this way are already done for the most part. They're dropping dead left and right. Mid teens here yesterday, you all were in the 80s. Craziness. Turkeys will be done breeding for y'all well before season even opens with the new dates this year. Wind chill on Wed night was almost 40 below in places. At least we should be thankful they aren't burning off 5 tanker cars of vinyl chloride right down the road from us.

 

[tellico4x4]

View attachment 169606View attachment 169607
LaBarge, WY. Deer out this way are already done for the most part. They're dropping dead left and right. Mid teens here yesterday, you all were in the 80s. Craziness. Turkeys will be done breeding for y'all well before season even opens with the new dates this year. Wind chill on Wed night was almost 40 below in places. At least we should be thankful they aren't burning off 5 tanker cars of vinyl chloride right down the road from us.

Looks like I80 corridor took the brunt of snow. Dang, completely awful is about all I can say

 

[Specializedjon]

You're werecome Amereeca!

 

[Terrier]

My fruit trees and cherry bushes are doomed again this year. Almost everything is in full bloom now (what's left), and that last freeze a week or so ago wiped out everything up to that point.

 

[woodsman04]

This weather is really starting to worry me. We have Bradford Pears in full bloom in Nashville. In February. Please tell me this is not going to be a year where everything blooms in March and then we get a big freeze in April that kills all the fruit/nut crops like in 2007. Another acorn failure in my area would be an unmitigated disaster after losing the entire crop last year. In the 35 years I've been keeping records, we've never had two total failures in a row, but there's a first time for everything.

I'm afraid also. But there is no guarantee that it will freeze like 07. I think in 2012 we had this and it was basically already summer on April 25th.

 

[TX300mag]

I'm seeing them around here all times of day in the fields. They've got to be awful hungry to spend so much time out in the open in daylight. That's one good thing about this early green up. The deer needed it.

I'm wondering what that means, too. I'm not only seeing more deer than ever in fields but also regularly in group sizes rarely seen. Seeing 20+ deer together REGULARLY is unheard of in my area. Could their instincts be predicting something?

It could be just an unusually quick population bounce-back, but I hope it's not an overpopulation headed for a perfect storm.

 

[TX300mag]

I'm afraid also. But there is no guarantee that it will freeze like 07. I think in 2012 we had this and it was basically already summer on April 25th.

I've got videos somewhere of that April looking like fall all over again after that freeze. It was very unusual.

 

[BSK]

I've got videos somewhere of that April looking like fall all over again after that freeze. It was very unusual.

'07 was particularly bad because the temps in mid-April dropped into the mid teens. I certainly don't see anything like that coming. The Canadian Model has morning temps in the mid-20s next Saturday, but European Model only low 30s, and American model upper 20s. The American Model also has upper 20s for the following weekend (March 11-12).

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I'm wondering what that means, too. I'm not only seeing more deer than ever in fields but also regularly in group sizes rarely seen. Seeing 20+ deer together REGULARLY is unheard of in my area. Could their instincts be predicting something?

The older I get, the more I pay attention to nature. I talk all the time about meticulously watching deer behavior while on stand, and I know people think I'm nuts. BUT I can predict several steps ahead of what the deer is even thinking. If I'm watching a show with my wife or daughter, I'll tell them what the deer is thinking and what he's fixing to do. I know I'm crazy

Over the summer, I saw more chipmunks and squirrels than I have ever seen digging holes and burying things. I'm talking armadillo or hog damage in my yard. I kept thinking "what the hell is going on here???" Well, here came the drought - one of the biggest droughts here in a decade. ZERO acorns this year - burying food

I pay attention to that stuff