Author Topic: Acorns (Read 991 times)

bullet maker · « **on:** November 02, 2005, 03:59:00 AM »

Hi gang

About a week ago, one of the deer hunters, had a shot at a nice large doe deer, and missed. The location was in a dry creek bed, surrounded by large oak trees, that lined the creek. this is a bumper crop of acorns this year, in Okla. The hunter went down to the spot where the doe had stood, to make sure, there was no blood or hair, to make sure he had indeed missed the doe, as it was only, a 40 yard shot. (this was with a blackpowder rifle). He had indeed missed. But one thing that he found was very puzzleing, that is, their was a pile, of about 3 quarts, of freshly hulled acorns, lying in a pile, under a large white oak tree :shock: .

What do you think? have any of you seen this before? I have seen squirrles, eat the acorns, after peeling of the outer hard shell. But never have I seen this before, dont know what animal could have done it.

My thoughts is maybe a Bigfoot, piled them up their to attrack a deer.
Dunno, strange .

bullet maker

victorcharlie · « **Reply #1 on:** November 02, 2005, 04:35:24 AM »

A lot of times a squirrel will return to the same place to watch and eat a nut.....the results are piles under the spot......I wouldn't consider this ab normal............

Several years ago, I bought 200 baby chicks.......was going to keep them 10 weeks and put them in the freezer as fryers........got home the next day, and could tell there didn't seem to be as many as the previous day.........came home the second day and only had 20 left...........Had a pair of red tailed hawks......they would get a chick, return to the nest and after a few bites would drop them and instead of picking it up they would fly down and get another chick........they had quite a pile under the tree....

My guess would be a squirrel........

bullet maker · « **Reply #2 on:** November 02, 2005, 04:44:36 AM »

Quote from: victorcharlie

A lot of times a squirrel will return to the same place to watch and eat a nut.....the results are piles under the spot......I wouldn't consider this ab normal............

Several years ago, I bought 200 baby chicks.......was going to keep them 10 weeks and put them in the freezer as fryers........got home the next day, and could tell there didn't seem to be as many as the previous day.........came home the second day and only had 20 left...........Had a pair of red tailed hawks......they would get a chick, return to the nest and after a few bites would drop them and instead of picking it up they would fly down and get another chick........they had quite a pile under the tree....

My guess would be a squirrel........

Maybe, I didnt make myself plain enough. It wasnt a pile of eaten acorns. I`v seen them do that also. ----it was a pile of whole acorns, that had been hulled, with the meat whole, not bits and pieces. :shock: --rather words, to make a better example, let us use the nut pecans. it was like someone had shelled the pecans, and left the pecan halfs, in whole condition under a tree, rather words the fruit bare, with no shell on them.
thats the way the acorns were. If you were to come upon such a sight, you could literally, pick them up by the hands full and eat them right then, and not have to hull them.
I`ve never seen a squirrel do that, yes I agree I have seen them nibble on the acorns, first they eat the hull off as they are rotating it around with their hands, like a little buzz saw, and then they eat the meat as they go. But these acorns were already hulled ready to eat.

bullet maker

1911crazy · « **Reply #3 on:** November 02, 2005, 04:51:24 AM »

The dam things are smart enough to use bait. You should be able to find a spot where they sit and hide and wait to spring up on the deer when its attracted to the bait. It would look like they were bedded down. I never seen any unusual piles of bait/food yet but i'll keep an eye out for them.

bullet maker · « **Reply #4 on:** November 02, 2005, 05:17:44 AM »

Hi D MAN

Thats what I figure too. I wished that what ever was doing that --had been doing it when my deer hunter got their. course if he had seen it, he probly wouldn`t come back to hunt no more :-D :-D :-D

bullet maker

John · « **Reply #5 on:** November 02, 2005, 06:48:18 AM »

The deer sure eat acorns, but they do not hull them, and aren't used to hulled acorns. I would have some doubt with the availability of acorns now, that a pile would attract anything anyway...hulled or not.

But a pile of hulled acorns would certainly be cause for speculation.

Question, did you see the pile, or just hear about it from your client ? The reason for my question is that this time of year there's a type of fungus, mushroom, that makes clumps that would look like a pile of hulled acorns with a casual glance...very much like a pile, color, shape, everything....till ya boot em and see the stems and realize they are a clump of mushrooms.

While we're on the subject of what goes on behind your place....how's the pecan crop up there this year lookin.? Maybe if I get up there I can find me a pile of shelled pecans. Hummm....ya know I never thought of it before, but recon those "foots" might use that for people bait ? I might oughtta be careful iffn I get up there after some pecans. :-D

How ya been ?

bullet maker · « **Reply #6 on:** November 02, 2005, 11:51:27 AM »

No the guy brought them to me, and I saw them then. Course, he could have been pulling my leg, but I dont think so, he is the serious type, if you know what I mean.

About them pecans, your welcome to some, dont know if their wormy or not, trees aint never been sprayed but they sure do put on alot.

Yeah, I can see old bigfoot baiting us hunters with acorns. :-D :-D
However if it were a person they went to a lot of trouble. After all a bag of corn would work better.

bullet maker

1911crazy · « **Reply #7 on:** November 02, 2005, 01:44:10 PM »

The only thing I ever seen a squirrel do is I was way up in the national forest were no man has been in a longtime. I say this because i was sitting in an abandoned apple orchard with a brush pile infront of me. After a few hours of sitting there I had a chipmunk climb thru the brush pile and stand on a branch looking at me them he left. Moments later i had a red squirrel do the samething but he climbed back out and went up the apple tree infront of me and took an apple he had stuck half eaten in the vee of a branch and ate it somemore and stuck it back in the vee and left. I noticed it was 5pm when he did this. He actually saved the rest for later again. Even the little ones aren't stupid too.

Another point is to pay attention to the chipmunks too when they freeze and stare look in that direction to see what they are looking at too. I have seen blackbears comeby when the chipmunks freeze and stare and maybe they freeze when bigfoot comes by too. It could be a neat advanced warning sign to watch the chipmunks too. I also notice a quietness sometimes too.

I'm not sure about corn or acorns to bait me but some fresh deer chops broiled in butter would sure get my attention in the wilds.

1911crazy · « **Reply #8 on:** November 02, 2005, 01:51:45 PM »

Maybe we should try some pork fat over a can of sterno? The scent would drive bigfoot crazy?

bullet maker · « **Reply #9 on:** November 02, 2005, 02:58:28 PM »

Your right D MAN it might make him come runing.

bullet maker

1911crazy · « **Reply #10 on:** November 03, 2005, 09:12:14 AM »

Just some thoughts; Since it has a relationship to the smell of bacon frying and pays a visit at night everytime I cook bacon at my camp I figure why not make an attractant with left over grease from frying. I have the misses save all the bacon grease in empty coffee cans. It looks like the lard. If you use a coat hanger to hang it and put a very small cut in the bottom with a bottle opener and hang it over an open flame it should work.

Bulletmaker; This would work great for you too if you had a very light wind to carry the scent. If it was done in a metal garbage can with a lid with holes so the light and flames can be kept down so it stays dark without the glare from the fire it should work even better.

John · « **Reply #11 on:** November 04, 2005, 04:40:28 AM »

Bulletmaker, the pecans I'm referring to are a half mile or so west of your place across the "south" branch and past all the blowdowns in that treeline, and along the creek as it flows to the west toward Cherokee Central.

There are years when the ground is covered, and right now with the lake down a little it might be easy pickins where the little sloughs are dry. It's probably a little early right now for them to be falling though, but if it's a good year you can gather a five gallon bucket in a bit, and they ain't bad in size for natives....taste great.

bullet maker · « **Reply #12 on:** November 04, 2005, 03:35:24 PM »

Hey John

I know the area, your talking about, but its to far for me to go anymore, my walking legs, aint what they use to be.
Hope you get a bunch of them

bullet maker

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #13 on:** November 04, 2005, 05:07:50 PM »

Quote

indeed missed the doe, as it was only, a 40 yard shot. (this was with a blackpowder rifle).

Wasn't the rifles fault...believe me :grin:
Now...back to those hulled acorns..Dont believe that I have ever run across this.

bullet maker · « **Reply #14 on:** November 05, 2005, 06:08:50 AM »

I agree glanceblamm, he was shooting an inline, dont remeber the brand, the creek was getting dark and he couldnt see his fron sight that well. Thats what he tells me.
I shoot the cap and ball double barrell pedersoli, love it :grin:
missed my 6 point, but that was my fault, not the rifle. I as sitting in a tower stand and got to comfortable in a chair, when the buck came by---I was more or less stuck in the chair, and couldnt get out to shoot correctly :oops: had to shoot from the chair, result==missed shot :oops:

bullet maker