RE: how to read acorns
I would say that a squirrel might take the cap off an acorn before running off with it. It seems to me thata deer would eat the whole thing. But the cap may be seperating when it falls. I've seen lots of whiteoak acorns on the ground capless. If you are seeing broken bits of acorn husks lying around, that's probably squirrels. Again the deer eat the whole thing.