OK, I've got "Trees of Missouri," a book published by the Missouri Department of Conservation, and I quote...

"The red oak group is characterized by having acorns that take two years to mature. The acorns do not germinate until they have made it through winter with a moist, cold treatment."

The white oak group has acorns maturing at the end of their first growing season. The acorns do not need a cold treatment to germinate and usually sprout in late autumn...."

Indeed deer love acorns. They have a way of knowing the white oak acorns are sweeter than the red oak acorns. (Try & taste em yourself). And yes red oaks drop more frequently than white oaks do.

This being said it is important to realize that deer are picky eaters (if you can beleive it). When I used to hunt in our families apple & pear orchards (those were THE DAYS!) I would watch deer stand on theirhind legs and pull fruit from the trees when there was fresh dropped fruit laying right on the ground.

You WILL NEVER SEE acorns laying under a tree fully consumed - NEVER! Because the acorns get wet and the ground moisture that can't evaporate off the acorns (like the ones on a tree in the sun and wind) and they get rotten, worms get into them too. Experiment a little further by tasting a "ripe" one.

Ya gotta time the hunt just right to really successfully use acorn mast to a good advantage. Here's my hint for ya. Pay attention to the signals our little furry friend the squirrel gives us. They work the trees with the freshest acorns and when not scavenging the ground, they're our little helpers knocking nuts to the ground. Deer know this too - they told me so.

Hunting right around these squirrel rich trees is great when squirrel hunting. But when using this info when deer hunting, it's like hunting a food plot or any other food source - hunt the trails in and out!

Red oaks do take 2 years to mature. While a tree has immature acorns that are still under development, they will also have mature acorns ready to drop.

It is as if they have two generations of acorns on their limbs at the same time, if you see what I mean.

That way they almost always drop acorns every year.

There are always acorns still under developed and still growing at the same time that there are fully developed acorns ready to drop.

The white oak doesn't do that. Its acorns develope and fall in the same year while the red oak take two years to develope but the previos year's acorns fall that year.

I liked your story Matt or maybe it's the beer. Either way you told it well!

Wow Thanks for all of the replies everyone I aprriciate it a lot, I was out scouting today and found some chectnust tree's and a small nut with prickers on it??? and yes gibblet we do have a few beechnut trees I found some really good sign under the chestnut tree today so I am going to set up there tommorow. Thanks again for all the info

Red Oak acorns have a more acidic taste than white that certainly does not rule out red oaks they can be a vital food source.

Tim

I'm a tree climber by trade (27 years) andI'm in these trees all the time and trust me all redoaks don't drop every year. Some years they'll drop consecutively but not always. Weather has ALOT to do with acorn drop.
White oaks are usually every other year but once again not always. I've seen huge mature (150-200) year old white oaks go three years without dropping acorns. Like I said earlier acorn drop is tree specific, I can't stress this enough but it's true. Last year, here in Pa we had a kick ass year for all oaks. This year red oaks are loaded and not so good with the whites. Certain trees drop sooner than others depending on maturity.