Zach's Grandpa
Old Mossy Horns
At least where I live in Caswell Co. We've had less than two inches of rain since the first of May and less than three inches since the first of April. If this continues there will also be a shortage of corn.
Doubt there will be much of an acorn crop
- Thread starter Zach's Grandpa
- Start date
lasttombstone
Kinder, Gentler LTS
Feeling the same thing here in Granville. But the hickory tree off my front proch is loaded......... untill they all dry up and fall off.
I was really hoping for some rain out of this system today but not a drop.
I was really hoping for some rain out of this system today but not a drop.
The persimmon trees are shedding their crop. I can't believe we'll have any soft mast, that late freeze got all my trees.
No japanese persimmon blooms , mulberry blooms, very few apple or pear blooms, fig trees got knocked back terribly.
No japanese persimmon blooms , mulberry blooms, very few apple or pear blooms, fig trees got knocked back terribly.
agsnchunt
Old Mossy Horns
I have 2 apple trees and at a glance it appears I have 3 apples.
Rescue44
Old Mossy Horns
I'm going to have to knock a lot of pears off branches. Have too many for the limbs to support. As usual.
Hunterreed
Twelve Pointer
Third year in a row we have seen late freezing spring weather here in cabarrus. Three years of no figs,apples,very few pecans,but acorns were plentiful last year. Maybe extra rain made the difference. May have been year before like 2019 it was so dry August, September there was no white oak acorns here and there are usually some in the off years. I know it's a real pain to have a garden when you cant get plants to grow until may. I still haven't got a tomato yet and plants have been in the ground since middle of April.
Clark
Ten Pointer
Great - maybe they will come to my corn?
appmtnhntr
Twelve Pointer
We’re on year 4 of a failure here in my valley. About 20k acres of public land and 10k of private bottomland farms.
The squirrels got gone first. Then the turkeys.
Now the deer are older but fawn recruitment is way low.
The coyotes have eaten themselves scarce and I don’t see bobcat sign much anymore either. I don’t shoot does around the house because of the problem with recruitment.
Bears are the biggest killer of fawn deer in the appalachians between may and July.
My surrounding property owner gave me permission to start some barrels this fall. Hope to weed out some of the nice ones coming off the Pisgah Sanctuary.
30/06
Twelve Pointer
It is dry out there. Food plots we have in river bottom doing well but summer plots on hill aren’t doing well. Didn’t look like you got anything yesterday either. Been wet for several years, guess it was bound to change.
Bad acorn years make for much easier hunting.
Bad acorn years make for much easier hunting.
Justin
Old Mossy Horns
Old wives tail about dry springs and lack of mast production.
Dry springs, especially dry windy springs, are prime for white oak and hickory nut crops. Rain cuts down on pollinations. Oaks and hickories are wind pollinated and do best with dry springs.
Dry springs, especially dry windy springs, are prime for white oak and hickory nut crops. Rain cuts down on pollinations. Oaks and hickories are wind pollinated and do best with dry springs.
We had the catkins freeze this year so that knocked a lot of pollination levels down. They rebloomed at a much lesser rate and my sawtooth oaks have a fair amount making right now, I'm not sure about the local reds and whites.
I was surprised to see as many persimmon fruits on the ground since they had to re-bloom as well and I figured that the crop would be much less than what it had the potential to be.
With this drought it is making sure that the possums and coons will be looking elsewhere for a early season treat. Maybe the grapes will be ok with this drought.
I was surprised to see as many persimmon fruits on the ground since they had to re-bloom as well and I figured that the crop would be much less than what it had the potential to be.
With this drought it is making sure that the possums and coons will be looking elsewhere for a early season treat. Maybe the grapes will be ok with this drought.
surveyor
Old Mossy Horns
It's been an odd spring.
Apple trees below average.
Plum trees above average.
Blackberries are producing but they are small.
Blueberries are normal.
Grapes are dominating, but they are still too small to judge output.
Walnuts are good, but pecans seem light.
Haven't been out to the oaks to check on them.
Apple trees below average.
Plum trees above average.
Blackberries are producing but they are small.
Blueberries are normal.
Grapes are dominating, but they are still too small to judge output.
Walnuts are good, but pecans seem light.
Haven't been out to the oaks to check on them.
dobber
Old Mossy Horns
Dont the trees go into survival mode and produce more "seeds"
less is more.. when there are few, find them and the deer will be there.. Much prefer hunting a down year than a loaded year.. silver lining
Hunterreed
Twelve Pointer
Most of the fields are in corn this year where I'm hunting, less than 20 percent is soybeans. Usually it's closer to 50/50 so its going to be the year of the corn piles for me. I will feed 500 pounds a week and the ground will still be bare every 6 days. These deer will suffer from not having soybeans to eat all summer and I couldn't do enough to replace hundreds of acres of forage, if hard mast is an off year I will see a difference in numbers 2022
oldest school
Old Mossy Horns
a whole lot of factors that may contribute to this years reported kills.
CWD being the biggest wild card.
No acorns and no baiting will cause some interesting hunting.
CWD being the biggest wild card.
No acorns and no baiting will cause some interesting hunting.
My apple trees and grapevines are full. Cornfield in front of my house has exploded the past 2 weeks.
Deer have found the orchard this year and don't seemed to worried about our coming and going.
They still haven't planted the sweet potatoes in the other fields on the farm. That should help once they get going.
Deer have found the orchard this year and don't seemed to worried about our coming and going.
They still haven't planted the sweet potatoes in the other fields on the farm. That should help once they get going.
JONOV
Old Mossy Horns
Any truth to the idea that they're cyclical, and a heavy mast season one year means a low mast production the following year?
Or is all that a result of weather's randomness and lower probabilities for consecutive years with excellent conditions for mast production?
Bean
Eight Pointer
I’ve never heard that but it makes since seems like every time we have a real wet winter then spring is dry as a bone my acorn trees explode
I have always heard that some are cyclical (white oaks, etc),,,,
but I am NOT a botanist,,, I am NOT an arborist,,, I am NOT educated on it except sports writing,,,,,,,
Justin
Old Mossy Horns
honestly, no idea on whether they’re cyclical or not. I’ve seen some trees rain acorns yearly, some not. It could have something to do with stored energy in the root system over the winter, coming into spring when its time to flower. You don’t necessarily need a dry spring, but a couple dry days while they’re flowering, or even the outflow of a spring storm stirring the wind good, could help.
UltraSlug
Six Pointer
What do you mean no baiting??
luckybuck
Old Mossy Horns
Ours got froze out as did the peaches and apples here in the brushies...