late season food sources advice/strategy

[oldfella1962]

hunting public land that has no agricultural land/food plots what are some food sources that might be good from now until the end of the season? I haven't got to hunt much in November and I know food sources change along with the weather. That said last week I was out Saturday afternoon on an oak ridge (mostly small white oaks) adjacent to a creek bottom. I had a doe come along but turned and never came past me while she was meandering uphill searching for & eating acorns. I thought white oak acorns dropped earlier in the fall - are the ones that fell and are on the ground still a good food source? Was she eating the water oak and turkey oak acorns that might be there among the white oaks? What type of acorns would be most plentiful this time of year? I can hunt areas that are mostly water oak, white oak, blue-jack oak, turkey oak, and a couple of spots that have all these types together. One small spot has a few post oaks by themselves. My hunting area is south of the "fall line" so I have mostly sandy soil, so we have turkey oaks and blue-jack oaks on the sandy hill tops.
I have some areas of pines near the creek bottoms with green-briers here and there but they are mostly chewed down by now. So, any thoughts on where my best odds might be for this time of the year?

 

[watermedic]

Still some red oaks holding acorns. The wind was knocking some out of the trees in 49B yesterday. The white oak crop was heavy this year in our area. Still a bunch under the leaves if you scratch around.

Main thing is you cant get them from the couch.

 

[Kris87]

Up here where I am, late season is mostly water oaks and privet. And whatever woody browse they can find. Seen em eat a lot of dogwood leaves.

 

[deast1988]

Doe I killed this morning had, green browse, some acorns an kernel corn in her guess neighbors are feeding . But I was in red oaks when they came through.

 

[oldfella1962]

Still some red oaks holding acorns. The wind was knocking some out of the trees in 49B yesterday. The white oak crop was heavy this year in our area. Still a bunch under the leaves if you scratch around.

Main thing is you cant get them from the couch.

Oh I know - I'll be out in the woods all weekend if I can! Yeah I forgot about that wind yesterday and today - I'm guessing the same place I hunted last Saturday should be really hot, since that doe was nosing through leaves for stray acorns. I have learned one new thing here on the forum and it's working well so far lately.....follow the squirrels and they will lead you to the acorns/deer. If it's too cold to sit still early in the morning I'll spend it doing recon just for squirrel activity, then hunt the best of those areas once it warms up enough so I can sit without shaking. Factor in the training area I plan to hunt has been closed all this week, hunting pressure was zero. With any luck I won't need a Sunday plan!

 

[BowanaLee]

You can't go wrong hunting a creek or river bottom privet hedge thicket this time of year. They'll be as thick as hairs on a dogs back in there. About got me one a few days ago but bad luck or fate spared his life.

 

[oldfella1962]

You can't go wrong hunting a creek or river bottom privet hedge thicket this time of year. They'll be as thick as hairs on a dogs back in there. About got me one a few days ago but bad luck or fate spared his life.

What is privet? Does it grow all over Georgia? Can someone post a picture or link so I can learn about it please? I've heard it mentioned a lot but not sure what it is.

 

[Hunter922]

What is privet? Does it grow all over Georgia? Can someone post a picture or link so I can learn about it please? I've heard it mentioned a lot but not sure what it is.

You have likely seen it a million times in Ga. This time of year it is a sure bet that at some time during the day deer will be around or in privet hedge thickets. GREAT doe killing spot this time of year..

 

[BowanaLee]

Privet hedge thickets are mostly found along creeks or rivers but not always. They're green year round.

 

[oldfella1962]

No, nothing like that where I hunt. I googled Chinese privet too so I know what the leaves look like. This is the kind of privet in Georgia right? The invasive type? If so I might do some recon in areas I don't hunt often to see if I can find some. I'm always trying to find new food sources to hunt.

Weird but deer are tearing up some blue jack oak acorns. That's a "red" oak and supposedly deer prefer members of the white oak family but nobody told the deer they weren't supposed to like them! Anyway I grabbed a branch and shook it and it rained acorns. And trees are still loaded with them, and every tree is tore up underneath. Now all I need is a chance to go hunting.

 

[Ohoopee Tusker]

No, nothing like that where I hunt. I googled Chinese privet too so I know what the leaves look like. This is the kind of privet in Georgia right? The invasive type? If so I might do some recon in areas I don't hunt often to see if I can find some. I'm always trying to find new food sources to hunt.

Weird but deer are tearing up some blue jack oak acorns. That's a "red" oak and supposedly deer prefer members of the white oak family but nobody told the deer they weren't supposed to like them! Anyway I grabbed a branch and shook it and it rained acorns. And trees are still loaded with them, and every tree is tore up underneath. Now all I need is a chance to go hunting.

I've seen and killed lots of deer under blue jacks while white oaks were dropping everywhere. I learned a long time ago, the feed sign is more important than the acorn type.

 

[BowanaLee]

No, nothing like that where I hunt. I googled Chinese privet too so I know what the leaves look like. This is the kind of privet in Georgia right? The invasive type? If so I might do some recon in areas I don't hunt often to see if I can find some. I'm always trying to find new food sources to hunt.

Weird but deer are tearing up some blue jack oak acorns. That's a "red" oak and supposedly deer prefer members of the white oak family but nobody told the deer they weren't supposed to like them! Anyway I grabbed a branch and shook it and it rained acorns. And trees are still loaded with them, and every tree is tore up underneath. Now all I need is a chance to go hunting.

Yup, Chinese privet. No blue jack acorns around here. You must be in south Ga ? I'm around metro Atl. Heres what it looked like where I hunted today and where I almost busted one a few days ago. 1st pic is behind me and 2nd in front. Small tree in center of 1st pic is my honey locust tree. They wear the pods out late season too. Struck out today.

 

[oldfella1962]

I hunt on Fort Gordon Ga just west of Augusta. It's just below the fall line so it's almost almost all sandy soil. It's also the edge of where the upper coastal plain meets the piedmont. I did see some privet on the way home though, near homes and roads and other developed areas. We have something similar to privet in the creek bottom areas called carolina holly on fort gordon but deer don't eat that, but will hide in it. It usually grows wherever you find river cane. But it's very particular - it won't grow just anywhere but where it grows, it really grows and thick as can be.

I have this book "trees of north america eastern edition" or something like that and you would be amazed how that fall line defines the edge of a trees range whether north or south. I hunt just south of the fall line but live less than 10 miles away just north of the fall line. Many species of trees do or do not grow on either side of that line. Google up almost any tree and generally it will fall into one of four categories:

1. all of georgia has it
2. none of georgia has it
3. north of the fall line has it
4. south of the fall line has it

 

[Brewskis]

Question for you, Bowana. Do you just hunt the edges of the privet like your pics seem to show, or do you ever go into the middle of it?

I ask since I just scouted for an upcoming quota hunt that I'll be bow hunting, and there's a large area of privet that is slap covered up with 1-2 day old rubs and scrapes well inside the privet. I was debating getting into the thick of it, and climbing high and hoping for a shot opportunity within any gaps in the privet while any deer are preoccupied. Or alternatively, just picking an edge where the privet transitions to hardwoods/pines, and climbing there?

Speaking of climbing, how high are you in those pics? Looks like 25'+!

 

[Kris87]

Brewskis, if you're able to scout it again, look for young privet. They much prefer the newer trees that are less than waist high than the full grown ones you see here. Must be the taste.

 

[BowChilling]

Today woulda probably been the best day this month to sit all day.

 

[bowhunterdavid]

Brewskis, if you're able to scout it again, look for young privet. They much prefer the newer trees that are less than waist high than the full grown ones you see here. Must be the taste.

Yep every deer i saw this weekend was eating young low growing privet.

 

[Brewskis]

Thanks guys for the tip. Most of it seemed to be the taller variety, but I'll take a better look when I head back tomorrow.