# 2020 Acorn Report(s)



## CornStalker (Aug 4, 2020)

Ok, for all the bino-wearing, mountain-climbing, acorn-tastin' hunters out there....what's the early acorn report? Any early climbing sign yet?


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## chrislibby88 (Aug 6, 2020)

I’ve been waiting on an acorn report too.  They usually have a thread rolling by now. Guess us out of town moochers will have to walk a little extra this year. Haha


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## ddd-shooter (Aug 6, 2020)

Haven’t looked up much this year so far, lol


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## Rabun (Aug 7, 2020)

I'll be in NE game this weekend and plan on checking it out. Will report back


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## Rabun (Aug 7, 2020)

NE Ga....dang spell check


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## devolve (Aug 7, 2020)

Gilmer county today. Walked a 30 acre section of HW. Nothing


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## splatek (Aug 7, 2020)

devolve said:


> Gilmer county today. Walked a 30 acre section of HW. Nothing



elevation?


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## devolve (Aug 7, 2020)

splatek said:


> elevation?


Under 2K.


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## chrislibby88 (Aug 8, 2020)

Maybe they will be up high. I love hunting high. I can’t imagine this year will be a bust for mass. Spring and summer have been pretty mild weather wise, plenty of rain, unless we got too much in the spring? We were weeks into a drought at this point last year.


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 8, 2020)

Gonna have to do some walking  this year. Acorns started good but some areas just didn't pan out. Some trees are loaded and some just have little knotted up acorns that are drying up now. Squirrels already cutting mountain oaks.


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## CornStalker (Aug 9, 2020)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Gonna have to do some walking  this year. Acorns started good but some areas just didn't pan out. Some trees are loaded and some just have little knotted up acorns that are drying up now. Squirrels already cutting mountain oaks.




Tree cutter, do you think some of these acorns never mature because of frost/freeze damage in the late spring and early winter?


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 9, 2020)

No because I don't think we had any frost that late up high. Down low where we did acorns are about the same. There's definitely acorns at all elevations that I've seen but are just hit or miss from one tree to the next. Rain has been good in most places. Some of the better acorn years have been on dry years.


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## Rabun (Aug 11, 2020)

Did a little scouting this weekend below 2000' primarily in white oak stands. Small underdeveloped acorns. Did find a couple reds that had been "pruned" way up in canopy but mostly found dug up stumps, YJ nests and logs. Was pleased to find a few rubs though


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## wildcats (Aug 12, 2020)

Its 2020 ...... anything is on the table this year.  Wouldn't shock me to find some the size of pumpkins.  Kidding of course.
Sounds like hit or miss.  I would rather hunt in those conditions than if every tree was loaded.


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## markland (Aug 19, 2020)

Just returned from Cohuta only got about 6 miles of walking in but nothing!   Searched mid and high found a few red oaks with acorns some dropping early but no white oak acorns except at my buddies house down at the bottom.  No bear sign no tracks no droppings anywhere I went.  Looks like it will be deer in SGA this opener for me.


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 19, 2020)

Here's what alot of the white oak crop looks like. They are continuing to dry up and fall.


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## goshenmountainman (Aug 20, 2020)

Went looking two days this week, finding alot of acorns on the ground that are dried up inside. Mostly red oak and some whites. Most of the places I have looked were void of hard mast but plenty of black gum and a few persimmon. Did find a big beautiful, fat timber rattler though. Looked like he  has been living good.


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## ddd-shooter (Aug 20, 2020)

Haven't looked much, but I'm seeing a lot of early dropping of empty shells as well, mostly 2000-2400 ft.


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## chrislibby88 (Aug 20, 2020)

goshenmountainman said:


> Went looking two days this week, finding alot of acorns on the ground that are dried up inside. Mostly red oak and some whites. Most of the places I have looked were void of hard mast but plenty of black gum and a few persimmon. Did find a big beautiful, fat timber rattler though. Looked like he  has been living good.


Same situation down in middle GA. I saw a few well developed swamp chestnut acorns on the limb, but there’s a lot of aborts on the ground. Found a few red oaks that are doing ok. Might be a slack mast year through the southeast.


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## trad bow (Aug 21, 2020)

Y’all think we had too much rain during the pollination period?


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## Thunder Head (Aug 21, 2020)

trad bow,
 Thats the only thing i can think of. We didnt have any late frost.
 I didnt mow my grass for almost a month during july / August. Might have been a critical time that made alot of acorns dry up. The saw tooth that hangs over my driveway is dropping lots of dried up acorns. It always does to some extent.

I have not been up to the mountains per say. In the foothills it seems to be hit or miss from one tree to the next. I prefer it that way though. So no big deal.


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## strothershwacker (Aug 21, 2020)

I've been studying the acorn crop since I was 11 years old. There are some definite factors involved such as rain, lack of rain, frost ect... but it could be some years are just recovery years for trees. Ye can do the same thing with corn & maters every year but some years are just bettern' others. I ain't educated enough to explain why, but I'm smart nuff to not overthink it. ? who knows?


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## ddd-shooter (Aug 21, 2020)

I do love a year with sparse acorns. Especially if you're bear hunting. They'll be moving all fall.


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## Thunder Head (Aug 21, 2020)

I found a big grove of white oaks in a burned area. You couldnt walk 5 feet without seeing a old pile of scat. It was late and the leaves were off the brush. Until the leaves fell. A bear could have stayed in that brush all fall and never be seen unless he was very close.
 I might have to do alot of walking to find good sign. I think the movement should be better this year.


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 21, 2020)

strothershwacker said:


> I've been studying the acorn crop since I was 11 years old. There are some definite factors involved such as rain, lack of rain, frost ect... but it could be some years are just recovery years for trees. Ye can do the same thing with corn & maters every year but some years are just bettern' others. I ain't educated enough to explain why, but I'm smart nuff to not overthink it. ? who knows?


Yep! Some years just better than others. I do think we may have had too much rain. Dry years are usually better for acorn production from what I've seen. It's rained almost every day up here  this year.


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## ScarFoot (Aug 21, 2020)

So if the acorn crop is sparse,  are you going to concentrate on any other particular food source or just try to find the few active feed trees?


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## Etoncathunter (Aug 21, 2020)

Sparse crop means I'll be busy all fall. Those bear come down out of the NF looking for grub and we'll be getting  more bear 911 calls then you can shake a stick at.


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## ddd-shooter (Aug 21, 2020)

Find the few trees producing is one way, but I like travel pinch points. They like to travel lazy, just like deer.


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## strothershwacker (Aug 22, 2020)

Went for a short walk today. First time in the woods in over a month due to my back injury. Slow moving but gitn, better. Any how I found some acorns down low and a lil' climbing sign here and there. Acorns are lookin a lil' scarce like every ones saying.


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## splatek (Aug 22, 2020)

strothershwacker said:


> Went for a short walk today. First time in the woods in over a month due to my back injury. Slow moving but gitn, better. Any how I found some acorns down low and a lil' climbing sign here and there. Acorns are lookin a lil' scarce like every ones saying.



Nice. You’re going to get a good one with that stick bow this year.


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## mguthrie (Aug 23, 2020)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Yep! Some years just better than others. I do think we may have had too much rain. Dry years are usually better for acorn production from what I've seen. It's rained almost every day up here  this year.


In years of drought trees get stressed and go into reproduction mode and over produce. Just the opposite in wet years.


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## chrislibby88 (Aug 23, 2020)

mguthrie said:


> In years of drought trees get stressed and go into reproduction mode and over produce. Just the opposite in wet years.


Makes perfect sense! I never thought about it like that.


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## MTwomey (Aug 27, 2020)

Went out to Cohutta yesterday. Found a few. Nothing to exciting, mostly looking like the ones TreeCutter posted. The ones we found were mostly at about 3k elevation. We were walking a south facing ridge near the road. Noticed some berries just getting started along the road side as well around the same elevation. I'm no Acorn expert, but from what we saw it seems lean.


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## strothershwacker (Sep 4, 2020)

Found a tree below 1000' loaded down.


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## strothershwacker (Sep 4, 2020)




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## splatek (Sep 4, 2020)

That looks like the crop on my girl's mom's tree down here in Gwinnett... that thing is chock full - I think the one limb has so many that the branch is bent because of it LOL


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## MTwomey (Sep 4, 2020)

I've noticed my reds at the house are getting pretty full. Home is in Ringgold at about 800ft


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## Buckman18 (Sep 9, 2020)

Walked a long way today from 2500 to over 4000 ft. Plenty of red oaks. Almost no white oaks. A little bit of Bear sign everywhere but I couldn't find much concentrated anywhere. So far, its looking like it could be a challenging bow season on the refuge I scouted today.

I'm gonna keep searching, if a man can find some white oaks that are hitting, it'll be a gold mine. Just a couple weeks ago I was seeing 2-10 bears every afternoon in clover. They're not there right now, all the sign has dried up. My best guess is the bears have temporarily left the refuge to hit private corn fields or maybe acorns that hit in the settlement. They'll be back, hopefully before bow season ends.


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## ddd-shooter (Sep 9, 2020)

Found a white that was healthy today. About 2400 ft. They can be found. But they’ll definitely be rare


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## tree cutter 08 (Sep 10, 2020)

Found a few whites and mtn oaks dropping a few weeks. Be checking them out again Saturday am. That's the only whites I've found in the mountains in miles of walking. High 2k range. Hogs and bears starting to hit mtn oaks as of this week.


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## chrislibby88 (Sep 10, 2020)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Found a few whites and mtn oaks dropping a few weeks. Be checking them out again Saturday am. That's the only whites I've found in the mountains in miles of walking. High 2k range. Hogs and bears starting to hit mtn oaks as of this week.


You think they will stay on the mountain oaks since whites are so scarce?


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## tree cutter 08 (Sep 10, 2020)

chrislibby88 said:


> You think they will stay on the mountain oaks since whites are so scarce?


no doubt they will. They are eating machine's. They will start on the reds pretty soon to. Maybe another week or so. Found one mtn oak this evening in a ivy thicket that was dropping good. I'd say I probably bumped him off it because it was super fresh sign.


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## chrislibby88 (Sep 10, 2020)

tree cutter 08 said:


> no doubt they will. They are eating machine's. They will start on the reds pretty soon to. Maybe another week or so. Found one mtn oak this evening in a ivy thicket that was dropping good. I'd say I probably bumped him off it because it was super fresh sign.


I guess my real question should have been do they prefer mountains over reds?


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## tree cutter 08 (Sep 10, 2020)

I don't think it really matters. When whites ain't there I've seen them eat both reds and mtn oaks. I've seen both trees completely stripped. Let the sign tell you which they prefer.


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## ddd-shooter (Sep 13, 2020)

Found some good whites yesterday morning at 2750. Good bear sign around but not climbing or demolishing trees yet. 
Hunting this evening at 2400. Lots of chestnuts, no white oaks. Couldn't get up to 3000 where I wanted to look. 

Supposed to get to the 40s next weekend and it just so happens next weekend is my historically best time to see bears in the early season. I was looking back on pics and kill pics earlier and noticed that trend.


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## twoheartedale (Jun 11, 2021)

I know it's early, but anybody notice anything?  Did the frost get them at lower levels?


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## mallardsx2 (Jun 11, 2021)

I have white oaks and red oak  both producing in Franklin county.


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## twoheartedale (Jun 11, 2021)

mallardsx2 said:


> I have white oaks and red oak  both producing in Franklin county.



What elevation?  I'll be up in a month with binos and I wanna use my time wisely.


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## jbogg (Jun 11, 2021)

twoheartedale said:


> I know it's early, but anybody notice anything?  Did the frost get them at lower levels?



I plan on taking the binos and trying to check a couple of high spots this weekend.  The whites might be to small up high to even see with binos yet, but I will be looking for storm damage on the ground as well.


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## Sautee Ridgerunner (Jun 11, 2021)

I think it’s gonna be a real low year.


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## Buckman18 (Jun 11, 2021)

Sautee Ridgerunner said:


> I think it’s gonna be a real low year.



Me too.


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## twoheartedale (Jun 11, 2021)

Sautee Ridgerunner said:


> I think it’s gonna be a real low year.



I'll start at the liquor store dumpster in town. Thanks.


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## ddd-shooter (Jun 12, 2021)

I actually think it'll be high. All the low stuff around the house was well budded out and even leafing when that last good frost hit. Wasn't anything up high even starting to bud by then. So I would think frost got the low, and the high survived. Idk. Guess we'll see. Still a lot that affects acorn production to deal with.


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## Buckman18 (Jun 12, 2021)

I put about as much stock into these early acorn reports, including my own observations, as I do college football rankings in June.

Way too many variables to consider this early.

Mid-late August is when you'll have a more accurate picture.


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## Raylander (Jun 12, 2021)

^^ This right here. Heavy, week long rains can cancel out pollination. Or, a good storm can really change the game


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## Sautee Ridgerunner (Jun 12, 2021)

Both are true. But one thing is for sure. Trees that dont have them now aint gonna have them later.


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## Rabun (Jun 17, 2021)

Wherever they are, I just hope they don’t all get blown out of the trees like last year


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## Doug B. (Jun 17, 2021)

I have seen a lot of tiny white oak acorns the last few days.  That don't mean they will mature and be sound acorns, but I hope they do.   

I know everybody likes to find spotty white oak acorns.  I do too.  It makes the hunting better.  But it is good for all game when there is a bumper crop and they don't have to worry where the next meal is coming from.  Course, that is easy for me to say.   At 57 years old I don't feel like I have to kill something every year anymore.  I do still have to hunt though.


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## strothershwacker (Jun 18, 2021)

1765' today. They look to be on track for normal sized healthy acorns.


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## Sautee Ridgerunner (Jun 18, 2021)

Ive been surprised to see a lot of reds.


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## Para Bellum (Jun 20, 2021)

Last night took care of a lot of em.  Tons of immature acorns on the ground this AM.


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## Sautee Ridgerunner (Jun 20, 2021)

Id bet a lot of the frost nipped ones are finally getting dumped


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## Doug B. (Jun 24, 2021)

I took this picture today.  This is a giant white oak and this is on the first limb.  If they all make it there will be a bumper crop this year.


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## chrislibby88 (Jun 26, 2021)

Doug B. said:


> I took this picture today.  This is a giant white oak and this is on the first limb.  If they all make it there will be a bumper crop this year. View attachment 1087288


What elevation?


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## Doug B. (Jun 26, 2021)

Around 2200'. It was at a house kinda in the open.  Sometimes a tree in the open will have acorns and none in the woods.  Maybe that's not the case this year.


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## ddd-shooter (Jun 26, 2021)

Doug B. said:


> Around 2200'. It was at a house kinda in the open.  Sometimes a tree in the open will have acorns and none in the woods.  Maybe that's not the case this year.


Studies have shown the best way to increase acorn production is to daylight the canopy around a producing oak. So there's that.


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