Don’t Forget the Mast Trees
Posted By
Hunter Kailos
at
10/7/2011 12:00:00 AM
Don’t Forget the Mast Trees
Unlike the upper half of the Hoosier
state, which is mostly dominated by ag fields, here in the southern
half we’re mostly forested. Our area consists of predominantly
wooded hills, with pasture hay and row crop fields dotted around.
Deer rely heavily on the carbohydrates produced by mast crops in this
area, and even in areas which are dominated by row crop fields if
there is mast available you are likely to find deer feeding on it.
Fall mast crops that hunters focus on
here in Indiana include hard mast such as the oaks. Typical fall soft
mast that hunters focus on in this area is apple and persimmon. Both
types of mast are an important component of the diet of the whitetail
deer here in Southern Indiana, which is why they should not be
overlooked as great food sources to hunt near whether back in the
timber or near an ag field.
With season now underway here in
Indiana it’s time to see how the fall mast crop is looking here in
the southern half. First we’ll focus on the oaks since this is what
hunters are most familiar with. Oaks fall into two major groups: red
and white oak. For now I wont go into detail on the difference
between the two groups (check out www.midwestwhitetailproperties.com
website for future information about the major differences) but in
general deer tend to prefer the white oak acorn over those of the red
oak group, which includes both red and black oak trees. The most
abundant oaks that hunters encounter in the southern Indiana woods
are white oak, black oak and red oak.
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Unlike last years bumper crop of white oak acorns this year they seem to be pretty spotty, you may find the occasional tree that has a lot but in general this is one of those years where production is low. With that said if you find that occasional white oak tree that is dropping acorns this will likely be the place to be hunting.
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Black oak production this year is good,
although they are not the preferred acorn by deer they still eat them
when they are available. Since the black oak acorn is not the
preferred acorn they tend to resort to these acorns later in the year
when they have eaten most of the others, so these are ones to keep an
eye on come late season for sure.
Red oak production this year seems to
be better than normal, many of the red oak trees I’ve encountered
have bumper crops. Although red oak acorns are not the preferred
acorn by deer they will eat them when they are available. With red
oak production being so good this year you should check your hunting
ground for good deer activity around these trees.
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On the second evening of our 2011
Indiana bow season I was hunting a red oak that was pouring out the
acorns. Well over an hour before sunset two does and a 2 ½ year old
eight point came in and I was fortunate enough to harvest one of the
does. This particular tree was situated about 100 yards from the edge
of an alfalfa field. It is an ideal situation to catch deer staging
back inside the woods prior to their entering the field at dusk.
Apple production this year in southern
Indiana seems to be normal. Apple orchards are always a good place to
hunt and are reliable food sources for deer. If you have an orchard
nearby this can be a great place to catch early season deer feeding
during daylight hours.
The persimmon is one of the most common
fall producing soft mast trees in southern Indiana, however it is a
tree that relatively few hunters take advantage of. Persimmons can be
found along field edges and even deeper into the woods. They can
offer some great hunting opportunities throughout the year. Typically
persimmon trees are consistent producers of fruit but this year the
persimmon production seems to be spotty. If you are able to find a
tree with a lot of fruit it will likely be a great place to hunt.
Deer love these sweet fruits, if you’ve got persimmon trees on your
property be sure to check them out. Over the years I have harvested
numerous deer well within the timber by hunting near a persimmon tree
that deer were feeding under.
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Hopefully with this information you’ll
be able to narrow your search for some good hunting opportunities
this year. Mast production is often dependent on springtime weather,
which can be slightly different from one county to another, but you
will find that identifying the mast food sources that deer are using
will often put deer within range well before the end of shooting
light and it might be just what you need to catch a mature buck right
near his bedroom.
God Bless & Good Hunting!
Brady Miller
