Preferred Acorns For Deer
Do deer prefer white oak acorns over red oak acorns? What's the difference and does it matter? Dr. Dave answers.
Dr. Dave Samuel June 09, 2023
Eric W. from West Virginia writes to ask about acorn mast. Some years we get lots of white oak acorns, and some years we get red oak acorns. Which is best for deer? Also, how big does an oak tree have to be before it produces acorns?
Eric, the species that deer seem to like the best are the white oaks. I live in West Virginia, too, and in my area the whites are always eaten first. However, they will also eat a lot of red and black oak acorns when available. Deer also eat fresh oak leaves. Where you have a lot of deer, they will eat the entire crop rather quickly, in a month or so. Where deer numbers are lower, the acorns on the ground will remain and be eaten through the fall.
A white oak tree that is around 10 inches in diameter will produce acorns. When they get to 12 inches or 14 inches in diameter, then they really begin to produce.