Looks like we will have a bumper crop of beechnuts this year in central NY. The trees are full of them. Only happens every 3-5 years. Can't wait for October 14 (bow opens).

They are loaded in the southern tier as wellNot seeing alot of acorns

Somebody please tell me that they've actually seen deer eat beechnuts (as I have often read...). I have seen deer eat everything else, but have never seendeer eat them; and of all the deer stomachs I've opened up, I have never seen beechnuts. There are lots of beechnuts around (in good years), but theonly critters I've seen eat beechnuts are turkeys and squirrels.
-fsh

I have a stand in thick beechnut patch. - probably 30 or 40, 50yr old trees surrounding One almost dead - old, old hollow Beech. The Turkeys really really love the beachnuts, and on the rare years when the nuts are thick - it attracts some deer too - usually on their way to the Apples not 400 yds away. For us its not a major draw - but the years when we get decent nut drop - we always see more game. I haven't checked our crop yet - I probably should.

FH

Did ya'll know that Chestnuts, Chinkapins and all of the Oaks are listed as part of the Beech family?

Up here deer love beech nuts. As well as bear,turkey.grouse.raccoons, and alot of other animals. This is believed to help them build body mast
for the long winter months. What ever it is they love them.

I have seen deer eat beechnuts and have killed several hunting over them.
We have several good stand areas on one of our farms especially...The deer come out of the swamp and head to the fields the beech trees are between the fields and the swamp and they pass through the beech trees for a snack before they hit the fields.

We have a stand among some beechnut trees on my club lease. Maybe I'll hunt it this year.