A question about nuts and deer?

[lpcjon2]

Well I have just figured out that I have an enormous Hickory tree in the middle of my yard, this tree produces an obserd amount of nuts. Would these be good deer bait, and should I gather them up and throw them around my area?

And I may have to trim some of the larger branches from the tree(to close to the house),is hickory good for any trad items(risor, arrows and such)?.

And a friend has Black Walnut trees and they are dumping lemon like fruit by the ton as well, would these alse be worth picking up and tossing around my hunting area?

[frassettor]

Take it from a fella that has 30 Plus mature Hickories, have the Mrs bake cookies with them! I never heard of deer eating them, but who knows, mabey they will

[Cookus]

I promise you that every squirrel within the vicinity of your stand will love you if you put the nuts (either)out!   I can also assure you that it's like a 3 ring circus!

[Huntschool]

Well, at first, since you are in Jersey, I was not sure which kind of "nuts" you were talking about...  LOL (from an ole Jersey boy)

Your friends walnut first.  You have a gold mine here.  Get thos nuts and rub them all over your arms and legs.  They are great scent killers.

DON'T DO THAT... walnut husks are great dye.  Let them brown off a bit and soak em in water with a bit of alcohol and man can you dye some shafts......  Don let anyone talk you into eating those things until they shed their husks and you crack the hulls... you will pucker like ya bit a green persimon...

Hickory:  Good for self bows etc.  The nuts you could gather will not amount to a hill of beans compared to the natural fall of oak in the deer woods....

By the BY...  sorry ya had to go back to NJ.

[lpcjon2]

Thanks Bruce I am sorry I had to return to NJ also. I do like the way the hickory nuts smell.Maybe I can boil them and reduce the liquid and make a cover spray.

[Huntschool]

Now there is a thought... but watch out for the squirrels... LOL

[Bill Carlsen]

Deer prefer  acorns and beech nuts. But one year up here in NH we had none of those and I had on several occasions watched deer eat the hickory nuts. My guess is that if you like squirrel stew you are in business.

[YORNOC]

If the deer has them, its a buck.

[hayslope]

Tim

Like the advice you've received so far.......deer will not be eating the hickory nuts or walnuts....unless of course, you want to "shell" them for the deer.......they just aren't used to eating them.  The hickory nuts are very good in cookies or cakes......IF they aren't loaded with worms!

The walnut husks do eventually end up where you can make a great wonderful dye for whatever you'd want to use it for.  My wife uses them all the time for dying wool.

My guess is to look out for beech........this seems to be their year compared to the acorns.........and like someone said before.....beech nuts are like "crack" to deer.  I know a guy in PA that has had a stand near a giant beech tree for many, many years......its at the edge of a thicket.  This stand has been the most consistent stand on the guy's property for one reason.......the big beech will always drop nuts......even in "bad" years.  Natural baiting........what more could you ask for!

[adeeden]

Black walnuts and ice cream go hand in hand, but man there a pain to crack!

[Friend]

The deer especially avoid nuts from ole shag bark hickories. They are far more difficult to climb.

[Looper]

Friend, you're thinking about pig nut hickory. A deer will shimmy right up a shag bark hickory.

Yea, deer won't go for hickory, but the squirrels definitely will. Deer love white oak acorns. If you can find a big stand of white oaks loaded with acorns, it'll be a good spot.