Hail the mighty oak!

Wise hunters pay close attention to the acorn crop each fall, because it will dictate where to hunt for deer, bear, and to a lesser extent turkeys.

Cameron and Potter counties have five main naturally occurring species of oaks. Although there are a few small populations of other native oaks, chestnut, white, northern red, black, and scrub oak are all fairly prevalent.

White oaks have rounded lobes on their leaves and have lower tannin levels, making their acorns more desirable for wildlife. Red oaks have pointed leaf lobes with bristles on the tips of the lobes. Their acorns have higher tannin levels, making them more bitter.

White oak acorns drop in late summer and early fall. On years of good production, these acorns are the most important factor in locating deer during the first part of archery season. However, by the time the rifle seasons for deer and bear come along, the majority of white oak acorns have normally already been consumed.

Red oaks produce acorns more consistently than white oaks. The acorns are also larger and fall from the trees later in autumn. This causes red oak acorns to be the prime deer food later on in the fall during the rifle season. They are sometimes present in an abundance throughout winter, providing good energy for whitetails during their most stressful time of the year.

Chestnut oak or rock oak produces the largest acorns. This tree tends to grow on the steep, rocky, poor soil hillsides. It generally is an inconsistent acorn producer. It seems that deer and bear prefer this acorn over that of red oak. In a year with heavy chestnut oak acorn mast, rugged chestnut oak covered hillsides will be the place to hunt for bear and deer.

Black oak trees are not as common, but are especially prevalent in some southern areas of Cameron County. The acorns are much smaller and have vertical stripes. Black oaks have very bitter acorns, but they are heavily utilized by wild game in the absence of other oak mast.

Scrub oak or bear oak grows only to a height of about 15 feet. Its acorns are quite small, but highly preferred by wildlife. Scrub oak populations

are small and scattered. Thickets of this shrub can be found in some areas, especially in old burns, offering both food and heavy cover to wildlife.

When scouting, realize

that acorns are

number one on the wildlife food list this time of year. Pay attention to which acorns are prevalent. Often, the most preferred acorns are consumed early, causing game animals to switch to other oak species. Taking all these things into consideration will help you scout and plan for a memorable hunting season.

Pictured from left are acorns from the five most common oak trees in Cameron and Potter counties: chestnut, northern red, white, black and scrub oak. The chestnut oak acorn is particularly impressive, measuring 1 5/8 inch by 1 inch.