chrislibby88
Senior Member
Deer eat acorns, but not all are equal. Thought I would put together a heirarchy of preferred acorns found in middle GA.
Always pay attention to feed sign under the drop zone of any oak. The largest, most acorn loaded white oak is only of interest if deer are using it, and if they are using it then there will be sign. A deer feeding is obviously the best sign, but they tend to not hang around if they know we are watching. Look for tracks, disturbed earth and leaves, busted acorn hulls, fresh scat, and high squirrel activity. If you see all of these then hang a stand and start hunting ASAP.
In order of importance
1: Swamp Chestnut- large sweet species in the white oak family. Possibly the least bitter of all acorns, also the largest. These trees get absolutely hammered when they are dropping in the swamps and river bottoms of middle GA. And from I have witnessed deer will stomp over any other acorn to get to these when the they are dropping good. If you find a swamp chestnut with disturbed ground, tracks, and fresh poop under it climb a tree and get ready. Swamp chestnut acorns usually drop a little later than white oaks, and seem to dump hard and fast from what I have seen.
2: White Oak- the most well known of all oaks, universally accepted as the most preferred of all acorns for deer, second only to swamp chestnuts in my experience. Any white oak dropping healthy acorns is noteworthy, but if you find a hot tree, or a cluster of hot trees with fresh poop and feed sign get ready to hunt. Where I hunt white oaks start dropping late Sept to mid October (depending on weather patterns), and they usually drop a steady rate and provide a few weeks of good hunting.
3: Red Oak- for this list I’m gonna use red oak as a blanket term covering northern and southern red oaks, scarlet oaks, black oaks, pin oaks, etc. The acorns of red oaks are much more bitter tasting than white oaks due to high tannin content. This makes them less tasty, but acts as a preservative and keeps them fresh on the ground for months. The bitterness fades as these acorns age, making them more palatable the longer they sit on the ground. Some trees will be hammered as soon as they start dropping but typically red oaks are left alone while white oaks are available, then become a highly valuable late season food source once other acorns are either consumed, rotted, or have germinated and become less attractive. Red oaks usually start dropping with the white oaks, but may be a few weeks behind. They also have a two year mast cycle, meaning it takes two seasons for the acorns to mature from flowering. Red oaks can carry a first season immature crop and a second season mature crop at the same time.
4: Water Oak- this one is highly variable tree to tree, and may hold a controversial position at number 4 but let me explain. Water oaks are usually one of the first trees to start dropping, making them a great early season food source. You will start seeing feed sign under these trees in late August and early September, all the way into spring. They are the first acorns on the ground, which makes them highly desirable in the early season, and usually some of the last ones left too, which makes them valuable again in the late season. Some trees seem to dump acorns hard and fast, while others trickle acorns slowly for months. The acorns are small, and very bitter, and like red oaks, they last a long time on the ground. Deer will usually bypass these acorns once more preferable species start dropping, but I have witnessed many deer feeding under certain water oak “sweet trees” even when better acorns are available nearby. This is probably the most abundant oak tree in middle Ga, so there are a lot of these that aren’t of interest but if you find one and the ground underneath it looks like a tiller came through then start paying attention.
4.5: Live Oak- I don’t hunt the coastal areas of south and southeastern Ga, but I hear these can be very hot. They drop early, so like water oaks, they are the first acorns on the ground and are very desirable after a summer of only greens.
5: Laurel Oak- from what coastal hunters have told me they are on par with water oaks. Some trees can be hot, some are ignored when other acorns are available. —seeking more info on these.
6: Overcup Oak. The tree looks very similar to a white oak, and may be misidentified, but the acorns are unmistakable. The cap closes around the acorn, hence the name Overcup. These trees are less common on most of the properties I hunt, but I do find some feed sign under them. While I wouldn’t personally rank these as a super important food source they are still worth checking for feeding sign, and a hot tree is worth hunting.
7: Trash Oaks- willow oaks, post oaks, blackjack oaks, etc. These trees are only important in the sense that they can be misidentified as more valuable trees, and on an off year when white and red oaks fail to produce acorns. I have never personally seen feed sign under these trees or witnessed game species eating them. Willow oaks are very similar to water oaks, but with longer, thinner leaves, and smaller acorns. Post oaks can be mistaken for white oaks to the untrained eye, and are usually poor acorn producers from what I’ve seen, and the acorns aren’t a desirable food source when better acorns are available.
Also of note: Mountain Chestnut Oak- a north Ga exclusive, not to be confused with swamp chestnut oaks, is also considered a trash oak. These trees are very abundant in the mountains, and reliably produce lots of acorns of little value. They are only utilized on years of total red and white oak mast failure, and bears will occasionally climb them in late summer before white oaks are mature enough to eat.
Honorable mention: Sawtooth Oak- this is an imported Asian oak species. One of my local WMAs planted a good number of sawtooths in wildlife openings, and a lot of folks choose to plant these on their private land. These things drop early, late august/early Sept and the deer will tear them up. These are a great early season food source, and preferred over water oaks (or almost any other acorn when available, however the early drop means they are usually gone by time white oaks start dropping).
Y’all, please tell me if any of this is wrong, or if I left anything important off, I included the common trees in my local area, but there are several tree species found only in North GA and the coastal plains that I didn’t include, and a few obscure trees like the chinkapin oak that aren’t common enough to be of major interest to most hunters. If you have anything to add, or disagree with let us know in the comments, and I will update the list as more info is added. Hope this is of use to someone, I know I could have used it years ago.
Always pay attention to feed sign under the drop zone of any oak. The largest, most acorn loaded white oak is only of interest if deer are using it, and if they are using it then there will be sign. A deer feeding is obviously the best sign, but they tend to not hang around if they know we are watching. Look for tracks, disturbed earth and leaves, busted acorn hulls, fresh scat, and high squirrel activity. If you see all of these then hang a stand and start hunting ASAP.
In order of importance
1: Swamp Chestnut- large sweet species in the white oak family. Possibly the least bitter of all acorns, also the largest. These trees get absolutely hammered when they are dropping in the swamps and river bottoms of middle GA. And from I have witnessed deer will stomp over any other acorn to get to these when the they are dropping good. If you find a swamp chestnut with disturbed ground, tracks, and fresh poop under it climb a tree and get ready. Swamp chestnut acorns usually drop a little later than white oaks, and seem to dump hard and fast from what I have seen.
2: White Oak- the most well known of all oaks, universally accepted as the most preferred of all acorns for deer, second only to swamp chestnuts in my experience. Any white oak dropping healthy acorns is noteworthy, but if you find a hot tree, or a cluster of hot trees with fresh poop and feed sign get ready to hunt. Where I hunt white oaks start dropping late Sept to mid October (depending on weather patterns), and they usually drop a steady rate and provide a few weeks of good hunting.
3: Red Oak- for this list I’m gonna use red oak as a blanket term covering northern and southern red oaks, scarlet oaks, black oaks, pin oaks, etc. The acorns of red oaks are much more bitter tasting than white oaks due to high tannin content. This makes them less tasty, but acts as a preservative and keeps them fresh on the ground for months. The bitterness fades as these acorns age, making them more palatable the longer they sit on the ground. Some trees will be hammered as soon as they start dropping but typically red oaks are left alone while white oaks are available, then become a highly valuable late season food source once other acorns are either consumed, rotted, or have germinated and become less attractive. Red oaks usually start dropping with the white oaks, but may be a few weeks behind. They also have a two year mast cycle, meaning it takes two seasons for the acorns to mature from flowering. Red oaks can carry a first season immature crop and a second season mature crop at the same time.
4: Water Oak- this one is highly variable tree to tree, and may hold a controversial position at number 4 but let me explain. Water oaks are usually one of the first trees to start dropping, making them a great early season food source. You will start seeing feed sign under these trees in late August and early September, all the way into spring. They are the first acorns on the ground, which makes them highly desirable in the early season, and usually some of the last ones left too, which makes them valuable again in the late season. Some trees seem to dump acorns hard and fast, while others trickle acorns slowly for months. The acorns are small, and very bitter, and like red oaks, they last a long time on the ground. Deer will usually bypass these acorns once more preferable species start dropping, but I have witnessed many deer feeding under certain water oak “sweet trees” even when better acorns are available nearby. This is probably the most abundant oak tree in middle Ga, so there are a lot of these that aren’t of interest but if you find one and the ground underneath it looks like a tiller came through then start paying attention.
4.5: Live Oak- I don’t hunt the coastal areas of south and southeastern Ga, but I hear these can be very hot. They drop early, so like water oaks, they are the first acorns on the ground and are very desirable after a summer of only greens.
5: Laurel Oak- from what coastal hunters have told me they are on par with water oaks. Some trees can be hot, some are ignored when other acorns are available. —seeking more info on these.
6: Overcup Oak. The tree looks very similar to a white oak, and may be misidentified, but the acorns are unmistakable. The cap closes around the acorn, hence the name Overcup. These trees are less common on most of the properties I hunt, but I do find some feed sign under them. While I wouldn’t personally rank these as a super important food source they are still worth checking for feeding sign, and a hot tree is worth hunting.
7: Trash Oaks- willow oaks, post oaks, blackjack oaks, etc. These trees are only important in the sense that they can be misidentified as more valuable trees, and on an off year when white and red oaks fail to produce acorns. I have never personally seen feed sign under these trees or witnessed game species eating them. Willow oaks are very similar to water oaks, but with longer, thinner leaves, and smaller acorns. Post oaks can be mistaken for white oaks to the untrained eye, and are usually poor acorn producers from what I’ve seen, and the acorns aren’t a desirable food source when better acorns are available.
Also of note: Mountain Chestnut Oak- a north Ga exclusive, not to be confused with swamp chestnut oaks, is also considered a trash oak. These trees are very abundant in the mountains, and reliably produce lots of acorns of little value. They are only utilized on years of total red and white oak mast failure, and bears will occasionally climb them in late summer before white oaks are mature enough to eat.
Honorable mention: Sawtooth Oak- this is an imported Asian oak species. One of my local WMAs planted a good number of sawtooths in wildlife openings, and a lot of folks choose to plant these on their private land. These things drop early, late august/early Sept and the deer will tear them up. These are a great early season food source, and preferred over water oaks (or almost any other acorn when available, however the early drop means they are usually gone by time white oaks start dropping).
Y’all, please tell me if any of this is wrong, or if I left anything important off, I included the common trees in my local area, but there are several tree species found only in North GA and the coastal plains that I didn’t include, and a few obscure trees like the chinkapin oak that aren’t common enough to be of major interest to most hunters. If you have anything to add, or disagree with let us know in the comments, and I will update the list as more info is added. Hope this is of use to someone, I know I could have used it years ago.
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