| Author |
Message |
Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
| | Posted on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 10:25 am: | |
Just wondering what you folks are seeing as far as the mast crop? I haven't hit the mountain where I usually hunt yet but the red/white oaks seem to be producing pretty well and a beech tree in my back yard is loaded. It looks like it will be a good mast year at least in my area.
BTW, I was talking with my 1st cousin (Forestry major at VA Tech) asking her about the dry weather and the acorn production. She said that trees very often produce more fruit in a dry year because the tree is under stress and needs to produce an offspring. Also, she said that it is easier for trees to pollinate in dry weather. Nature is an amazing thing... She really didn't have any ideas on whether the mast fruit would be good or not based on the dry weather but I have broken some acorns open and found them to be in good shape (not rotten)
So, how does it look in your area? |
Big Bird
| | Posted on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 10:46 am: | |
That's good info. White oaks seem to be okay, but it may be just a bit early up here to tell. I did ask a forestry prof here at VT about it. He said that a late frost will affect production too by killing the acorn blooms. I do seem to remember some sub-freezing weather late in the season up here in Montgomery County. |
knight_va
| | Posted on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 11:14 am: | |
I know most of the soft mast got it bad from frost this year... I havent been on the mountian yet either....But like u Freddy I have learned to only real way to tell is to hoof it around the hills...I have seen good growing years produce little mast & the same type of year produce good mast...Its just to blame hot for me to hit the Mountain yet.....But times gettin closer!
Max |
TScottW99
| | Posted on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 3:08 pm: | |
what i've seen around here the mast crop looks good. don't know about up in craig county though bland county looks bad. bland and the area got hit bad with a freeze pretty late and i think the mast crop up there will be nilch this year. Scott |
jason
| | Posted on Thursday, August 01, 2002 - 10:19 pm: | |
Scott,
You need to hunt high this year in Bland and Tazewell. Been out some scouting for ginseng and though we had a late freeze and I mean FREEZE, the tops of ridges and mountains are doing pretty good. I guess, the freeze wiped out almost everything down low, but plants and trees near the top hadn't matured as much and missed the bulk of it all. My 2cents. |
daddyjan
| | Posted on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 8:47 pm: | |
Down here in the flatlands of Southampton Cty Va. the hard mast on the farms i hunt is looking realy good i dont pay much attention to Red oaks unless its in a places that has other mast the White oaks are loaded. On two farms i hunt there are few white oaks but the ones that are there are loaded.There are also several Perssimon tress on two of these farms and they have got fruit hanging by the bunches , the wild grape vines i now of are loaded as well.Apples and the like are abundant but the fact that it has been so dry has cause most of them to drop early there are apples all over the ground at the orchard up the road. I have one stand in anceint grove of Red oak ( its actualy an old Slaves grave yard on this plantation , i always say a prayer before entering) there is also a huge Perssimon tree there im talking a fifty foot tall tree,,i fertilized it well in Feb. so it is loaded w/ big bunches of big perssimons.I know where most of the after crop harvest food is on my hunting lands it should be an exciting and hopefully productive fall .I start bow hunting deer and turkey Oct . 5th im hanging stands this weekend in the spots i know will be productive thru Oct ..plus ill use my ole man climber to do the quick in and out hunts.> JMF |
CottonTop
| | Posted on Thursday, September 05, 2002 - 6:29 am: | |
Freddy the oaks are loader down in the southern counties.Henry,Franklin and Patrick are in real good shape.They are starting to fall early this year because of the dry weather.Bow hunting is going to be a challange.Guess we can set up on trails from the bedding areas to the oak woods.Persemmons and honeyshucks are very plentiful also.That should make for a good smokepole season.Larry!! |
Dale
| | Posted on Monday, September 23, 2002 - 5:05 pm: | |
Went squirrel hunting Saturday in Craig County. Didn't find any mast on the ground yet, but did find a fair amount of mast still in the trees, based on the squirrel activity. Hunted low to mid way up North Mountain. Was on top of Mill Mountian at the Star Friday evening and it is just covered in huge acorns. The white oaks at my house in Roanoke have been dropping acorns for about 3 weeks now. The Red Oaks are producing at my house this year and are plentiful. What's everybody seeing? |