Going Public With Your Deer Hunting – Part I – Hunt the Food

All three part are here, great stuff!!!

http://www.simplytraditional.net/2012/07/04/going-public-with-your-deer-hunting-part-i-hunt-the-food/

http://www.simplytraditional.net/2012/07/17/going-public-with-your-deer-hunting-part-2-hunt-the-terrain/

Thanks Dave! Part 3 will focus on some tips for hunting whitetails on public land once the pressure heats up. Some tricks I have used successfully in the past that have paid off with success.

Please post it here, when it's available.

The final of the 3 part series has been posted. Please follow the link below and we love comments on the site if you find the article useful.

http://www.simplytraditional.net/2012/07/25/going-public-with-your-deer-hunting-part-iii-hunting-pressured-whitetails/

http://www.simplytraditional.net/2012/07/25/going-public-with-your-deer-hunting-part-iii-hunting-pressured-whitetails/

Good stuff BowhunterGA. I have a question on the part 1 topic of food you talk about a Chestnut acorn are you referring to a Swampchestnut? We have these in LA & MS they put off a acorn that is almost as big as a 50 cent piece. The deer seem to prefer these over any other acorns where I hunt.

To be honest I will have to perform some additional research to be sure but I do not think they are the same species. The acorns from these oaks here are like you said, large, in fact VERY large. But the deer here avoid them completely. They have a high acid content that makes them very bitter and to be honest I am not sure even the squirrels will eat them. You can pretty much count on the rotting on the forest floor each year.

I have heard from another person that said the same thing, that deer would eat the Chestnut oak acorns where they hunt so I guess it could even be soil or climate types that make a difference?

Here is the best pic I had of an acorn. The trees normally grow in river or creek bottoms.

It must be a different type of tree because deer will walk past a white oak if a good swamp chestnut oak is dropping.

Cbigbear, that is a different acorn. It seems that from reading this is a common discussion and the swamp chestnut is loved by deer but the ones we have at the higher elevations is ignored. Here is a photo of the acorns that drop from the chestnut oaks I am talking about. Still looking for a species.

Those acorns look similar but it could be a different species. Down here I find the bigger the nut the better.

I think it is cool to hear all the different things Whitetails will eat in different locations. I grew up in north central North Carolina and the Chestnut Oak acorns there were the same, deer ignored them. However, I have seen them walking through Tobacco fields and nip the buds out of the Tobacco plants. (I grew up on a tobacco farm) Now if you have ever worked in tobacco, one thing you learn quickly is the juice from a green tobacco plant is about the most nasty, bitter, vile taste you can ever get in your mouth. But I have seen deer eat it on very rare occasions.

Going to have to keep my eye out for these Swap Chestnut Oaks when hunting in different regions. Cool info to know!

Ms Skeeter wrote:It must be a different type of tree because deer will walk past a white oak if a good swamp chestnut oak is dropping.

It is a different type. I believe they are called mountain chestnuts. I went bear hunting in north GA a couple years ago and was amazed by the number of acorns on the ground. My buddy, who was my guide, said the deer wouldn't touch them.

Down here in the swamp, deer absolutely kill the swamp chestnuts. I love to hear that popping sound when they're eating them.

They eat tha far out chesnut acurns in alabama, its usually kinda hard to find one in norht alabama, but if you walk around youll find one, also they love white oaks to and theyre is alot more of them in tha northern parts of alabama than the chesnut. these two are predominantly the species im hunting for when scouting but in north alabama we got alot of different oaks and more than any we got tons of red oaks and the deer will tearem up bout october. the deer may rather have a chesnut or a white oak but thet will eat what is in abundance. now in south alabama ever where you look is a chesnut oak, so they eat tons of chesnut acurns. aaaand that "poppin" sound is indeed music to a bowhunters ears

A very good series of articles. Looks like he and I are on the same page. It was still good to read because sometimes I need the reassurance that I am doing what needs to be done. Always looking for a new twist to add to my arsenal of knowledge.