The storm blew down tons of bows from the red oak trees near the edge of the yard.
Nearly every one of these bows had immature acorns on them.
That’s actually quite good news for most of the wildlife in this area.
The oak trees produce a huge percentage of the mast in every given year, and everything from deer mice to white-tailed deer rely upon acorns as a food source in the fall and winter months.
Of course, a good mast year also means that deer season will be much more challenging.
Deer will be able to stay deep in the woods near stands of oak, where they can easily forage acorns and stay hidden from most hunters.
In bad mast years, deer will be forced to leave the forested territory and wander out into the open, where they can easily be shot.
Yes, I noted cleaning up after the storm a bumper crop of acorns from all varies of oak trees. This area has lots of corn fields that generally bring the deer from the deeper wooden areas. I do not hunt myself but to recognize the need for hunting. The Spirtuality of the American Indian in the process of hunting should be understood in my opinion to those harboring ill feelings of hunters.
Thier custom is to thank animal for its life to sustain thiers. It is a type of prayer and quite respectful of taking life to sustain their own.
I personally do not have a problem with hunting as long as they eat what they kill. I knowa few larger breeder (not to many left) who depend on thier deer kills to feed thier dogs.
Guess that means the ticks won’t be as bad next spring.