NEW61375

I'm starting to get a bit worried about our acorn drop this year. We haven't been getting much (if any) rain for a while now in VA. Unbelievably hot the pastfew days.Anyone know from experience/memoryabout how much rain oaks require and does it have to be spread throughout the summer and early fall or would a few good storms help us even if it came late? I've delt with some hot seasons in the past but I honestly can't remember one this dry. At least the mosquitos have been MIA for the most part.

NEW61375

I went to an arbor forum for someinfo but just in case ayone cared, approx Aug. 10 -25(eastern) are good times to see acorns starting to cluster in trees and if you are not seeing any, rain now probably won't help much. I start threads to talk to myself.

LebeauHunter

In other parts of the South (Tx., La., Ms.) it has rained well over the average this summer.
Rainfall is a constant. So what you didn't get, we got. Our trees are loaded.

Didn't want you talking to yourself.

FroMan

I figure this fall/winter plots and feeders will be the ticket to success. Last year we had so much mast here in Arkansas that the plots were somewhat ineffective in my part of the state.

However, with our April freeze and our hot summers (always) this year our acorn crop might dwindle out fast...leaving a good source of food browse in food plots.

Good luck.

nchawkeye

NEW...I remamber thinking the same thing about 4 years ago, we had a bumper crop...Just too early to tell.

Virginia Mike

I think it is too early to tell here in VA yet. I looked back in some of my journals and found some hot, dry summers that we still had a great mast. Then I found others that were terrible. If I had to guess, I would think it is not going to be a good mast year here in VA. We will know in another 3 weeks or so.

bryant1

I haven't found many trees that are starting to cluster in Florida for the same reason. But on the bright side, I dont care that much because it will mean more deer on my corn and food plots

TN Deer Hunter

Here in Northwest TN we are not going to have a mast crop because of the late freeze we had stunted all the mast and nut producing trees. The wildlife office said that some but few trees will produce ths year and that next year it will have the most effect so if you hunt over a food plot. and other sources of food you are going to have one heayll of a deer season..and then on toop of that we are in a drought we have not had a significant rain in 2 months now it is the driest it been since they started keeping records n the 1800's only going to get about 60 bushel per acorn on corn where we average about 160 to 170 bushel per acre and if we don't get any rainin the next week the beans are gone. The early beans have already shed therepods andwill not produce and fixin to get cut for hay because we have no hay ths year either. and then the latebeans are difinately goneif we don't get no rain.

Slo-Pitch

New:
I am in eastern Va also... Looks to me like I will be hunting soybean fields this year... heck its the only thing for them to eat.

NEW61375

We had a late freeze here as well, it was only for a few days though so I hope that won't effect it too much. White oaks are kind of funny anyway, some years they drop others not but adverse weather (late freeze/summer drought) probably won't help. Just have to wait and see. Our fall plots will be pretty decent, so there is always a plan B.