In general acorns are about 5% or less protien and 10% or more fat. Deer hit them primarily for the fat content. Browse such as honey suckle, tender saplings, etc. are just the opposite, being higher by a factor of 2 or 3, protien to fat ... ranging 10% or more in protien and less than 5% fat.
Interestingly enough, where I hunt in SE Alabama , on about 3150 acres, the acorn crop this year is sparse. I'd estimate less that 50% of what it was last year. White oaks and Chestnut oaks are dropping right now, with a few water oaks dropping as well. I am finding a lot of empty, rotted out acorns and very few loaded trees. So hunting around the relatively few acorn trees that are bearing has been great ... 3 does in the freezer and flat missed a stud buck. Massive rack but could not determine if he was a 9 or 10 pt. He came to feed at about 6:10 in the a.m. Still very, very low light at 6:30-ish. He started to leave about 6:40. Had a great broadside shot at about 25 yards. But still low light. Heard the bolt "slap" something, then a delayed "whap". Buck jumped back 4-5 yards and stood there for a second or two then trotted off. Sun came on up and I saw what I probably hit. There was a small cluster of small limbs leaning near the ground off of a dog wood that was between me and him, about 20 yards from the tree I was set up in. Onme was freshly clipped and drooping. I just did not see them in the soft light. Sure thought I was clear.
Looked for any signs of a hit anyway. Nada. Found my bolt (clean) stuck about 6' off the ground in a black gum about 20 yards past and at 2 o'clock from where the buck had been standing. Definitely a glancing blow off of something. Probably that limb. Climbed back up in the tree and bagged a fat doe at about 10:30 feeding under the same tree.
Have seen a bunch of young bucks but only 3 good ones. Two were just too far for me to try ... 45-50 yards or so.
Headed back tomorrow.
Last edited by Mojotex; 11-02-2013 at 08:08 AM.