The 2015 mast survey conducted by the WVDNR is out and it found that the oaks didn’t produce very many acorns this year. The beech, hickory, and walnut trees were the big producers this year. Soft masts like apple and grape produced plenty of fruit this year but black cherry was down.
Squirrel hunters should concentrate on the hickory stands this year. Squirrels love hickory, beech and walnuts so it should be a good year for them. Deer hunters on the other hand might want to focus on the fields. The oak production is way down this year compared to the abundant acorn crop last year.
According to the mast survey “Compared to the 2014 survey the mast index for all species combined was up slightly. Last year beech, hickory and walnut were scare while oaks were abundant. This year, indices for oaks are down and indices for beech, walnut and hickories are up. Compared to last year, indices for all oak species decreased over 50 percent indicating a substantial decrease in oak production.
Scarlet oak decreased 76 percent compared to 2014. White, chestnut, black, red and scarlet oaks should be scarce across the landscape. Statewide, beech did great with a 234% increase compared to the poor crop in 2014. Walnut and hickory followed a similar trend as beech, with increased production of nuts. Walnut and hickory increased 38 and 119 percent, respectively.”
The eastern panhandle saw the largest variation of any region in the state from last year with a 27% reduction in total mast production. The mast survey also found that there is very little difference in the mast conditions between high and low elevations. Hunters will definitely have to do their homework to find the food sources this year.
The abundant mast last year in 2014 led to a higher survival and reproduction rate for the wildlife. I’ve already been seeing pictures of some really nice bucks taken so far. With the low buck kill last year many of the younger bucks made it another year and have bigger antlers as result.
In the area I hunt here in central West Virginia the deer are hanging out in the fields. The fields and field edges are were I’m planning on spending most of my time the next 2 months. It reminds me of 2 years ago when there wasn’t hardly any mast at all and all of the deer were in the fields from what I’m seeing so far.
In 2013 I was thankful enough to take the big buck I was after on Thanksgiving in a field bottom. I’m hoping for the same this year. Mast production or lack thereof plays a major role in harvest totals.
The 2015 mast survey states the same thing, “The total white-tailed deer harvest should be higher in 2015 than it was in 2014. Although antlerless seasons have been reduced in some counties in 2015, increased reproduction and survival as a result of the bumper oak mast crop of 2014 means deer numbers will be higher.
In addition, the lack of oak mast in 2015 means deer will be more visible in fields and more susceptible to harvest, which will lead to an increase in total deer harvest. We are predicting a higher archery harvest in 2015. Oak mast heavily influences deer movements and harvest rates. The lack of oak mast in 2015 will make deer easier to pattern and easier to harvest.
The buck harvest should be higher in 2015 than in 2014. The 30% reduction in the 2014 buck harvest means that many bucks survived the season and some of them should be available for harvest in 2015. In addition, the percentage of yearling bucks in the harvest in 2014 was near 30%. This means many bucks are surviving to reach older age classes and the chance to kill a large-antlered buck has increased.”
Be sure to make time to look around and find where the deer are hanging out this year. The fields would be the first place I’d look. If you happen to find some acorns on the ground the deer will become concentrated in those areas with the scarce crop this year. The red oak family produced better than the white oaks from what few acorns I’ve seen.
Good luck and stay safe out there this year.
The 2015 mast survey can be found on the WVDNR website at www.wvdnr.gov It’s always a good thing to look at every year and see which trees produced.