Rainfall, wind, frost, disease, and many other factors can influence acorn production. But depending on the species, the effects might not be seen for two to seven years later. Similarly, one tree might produce an abundant harvest while a similar tree a few yards away might be barren.

Of the many different varieties of oak trees in the South, three species are of primary importance to deer hunters: the white oak, the southern red oak, and the water oak. All of them bear varying degrees of significance, depending on which is most abundant on a given hunting property.

In general, the white oak is by far the most important. A white oak's acorns are less tannic and therefore, more palatable than the other two types. Deer prefer them over the acorns of other varieties. White oak acorns are typically the first to be eaten and as such should be the focus of hunters during the early season.

With last year's heavy white oak crop, many acorns remained on the ground all through the winter. In fact, many went uneaten and became rotten and moldy, though in most years they get devoured fairly early.

White oak trees can be identified by their scaly or shaggy bark, as well as by their leaves that are multi-lobed and rounded on the edges. White oaks get hit hard by deer, and the evidence they leave behind can be easily seen -- cracked shells and a ring of trampled leaves around the tree.

As white oak acorns become scarce, deer focus their attention on the acorns of both red oak and water oak. Red oaks' leaves have pointed lobes, while water oaks' leaves are kind of spatula-shaped. Through deer may browse on the acorns of these two trees opportunistically, they really focus on them starting in about late November.

THE SAWTOOTH OAK ADVANTAGE

Early-season bowhunting in the South often means hot weather and dry conditions. Succulent browse is scarce, fall food plots havent't come in, and white and red oak acorns have not yet fallen. This is when a planting of sawtooth oak trees can be of benefit to both hunters and deer. Sawtooth oaks are an Asian variety that have become naturalized in North America and do very well in the South. The advantage of having these trees on your property is that they produce heavy acorn crops and the acorns are huge. Given a choice between white oak and sawtooth acorns, deer will still take the white oaks, but sawtooth oaks produce much earlier in the season than any other variety. Consequently, they are deer magnets during those first few weeks after opening day. These trees also produce much earlier in their life than the other varieties. Sawtooth oaks produce acorns in as little as four to five years is they have plenty of sunlight, are watered well after transplanting, and are given fertilizer once they are established. Fertilizer application should not be done until the second growing season's leaf-off period. A 10-10-10 fertilizer is generally suggested for landscape trees like sawtooth oaks. I have cultivated many sawtooth oak trees by collecting the acrons in the fall, planting them in milk jugs and potting soil and transplanting them in the spring when they are already 12 to 16 inches tall. You can also buy seedlings from nurseries. A relatively quick return on your investment and a sure way to attract deer during the early bow season make sawtooth oaks worth of a second look.

This is when it becomes important for hunters to set up an ambush based on this food source. It's easy to tell when deer have been feeding on these acorns, as nearly every dead leaf around the trees will be tuned over.

Since these oaks' nuts are much smaller than white oak acorns, they fall in between the leaves and become buried. Deer and other wildlife scavenge on them voraciously.

Many sources of food and natural browse are important to a deer's diet. In the South, planted food plots certainly have their place, but acorns offer a great natural forage base.

If you take a few hours to identify the various species of trees on your property and plan a strategy based on their location, you'll surely be in a better position to score when deer season rolls around.