Hickory nuts and deer preference...thoughts?

weekender21

weekender21

Well-Known Member
I was surprised to witness deer flocking to a large hickory Monday. The tree is next to a large white oak and initially I assumed deer were somehow finding acorns that should have dropped and been consumed two months ago.

Luckily the activity was only ten yards away offering easy viewing and it definitely looked like the deer were consuming hickory nuts. When I climbed down I confirmed that was the case.

I wish I knew my tree species a little better. It’s a relatively large tree and drops nuts much smaller than a shag bark hickory. Maybe pignut or sweet pignut? Either way, the deer were drawn to this tree.

Sorry excuse for a picture but it’s the large branched tree with green moss on the right side of the picture. I’ll get better pics next time I’m in NC.

Earlier in the day I was mentally planning to extend this small plot and that tree was on my target list for removal, not anymore!

4c2b42364ccc4799888d27de78fd2683.jpg



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You didn't take a picture of the nuts they were eating? That would be a much better identifier.
 
That Hickory tree offers a great back drop for a ladder stand. Hickories are our favorite ladder stand tree. There are many hickories and they are hard to identify. We have had Forestry experts look at ours and though they are some type of pig nut they were not completely certain which kind. The deer in parts of the east at least either have a special pig nut to eat or have just learned to eat them. Hopefully it will never happen but in places where there are today lots of oaks mixed with Hickory and the deer don't currently eat Hickory nuts, I wonder would they learn to like Hickory nuts if a disease were to take out the oaks. Hopefully that day will never happen but.

I'm glad for you weekender that you witnessed the deer eating the hickory before it was cut down. It takes a half a lifetime to grow trees to that size. And a stand of them is a maintenance free food plot in itself where deer are showing a preference for them.
 
As Chainsaw said, they can be somewhat difficult to ID.... Hickories are complicated.

Pignut (Carya glabra) is also known to hybridize occasionally with some species of hickory. Trees that produce unusually large fruits (about 1½-2" long) have been described as variety Carya glabra megacarpa. A similar species, Carya ovalis (Sweet Pignut Hickory), usually has 7 leaflets per compound leaf and a fruit that divides into 4 segments all the way to the base. It also differs from Pignut Hickory by having slightly shaggy bark (curling away from the trunk in strips) on older trees. It has been proposed in the past that Sweet Pignut Hickory may be a naturally occurring hybrid of Carya glabra (Pignut Hickory) and Carya ovata (Shagbark Hickory).

Bitternut Hickory can be distinguished from other hickory trees by its bright sulfur-yellow buds, which are covered by a powdery coating. It also has smaller fruits than most hickory trees. Its nuts are rounded rather than angular, and they have large terminal beaks. While the husks of Bitternut Hickory have 4 narrow ridges that extend inward to about one-half to two-thirds the length of its fruits, other hickory trees have husks that either lack ridges or their ridges extend the complete length of their fruits. Pignut Hickory has fruits that are similar in size to those of Bitternut Hickory, but they lack conspicuous ridges; this tree also has fewer leaflets (usually 5) per compound leaf and its buds aren't yellow. The Pecan is also similar to Bitternut Hickory in several respects, but it has more leaflets (9-17) per compound leaf. Furthermore, Pecan has fruits with a more elongated shape, they are longer in length (exceeding 1"), and each of its fruits has ridges that extend from one end to the other.
 
Native Hunter said:
As Chainsaw said, they can be somewhat difficult to ID.... Hickories are complicated.

Pignut (Carya glabra) is also known to hybridize occasionally with some species of hickory. Trees that produce unusually large fruits (about 1½-2" long) have been described as variety Carya glabra megacarpa. A similar species, Carya ovalis (Sweet Pignut Hickory), usually has 7 leaflets per compound leaf and a fruit that divides into 4 segments all the way to the base. It also differs from Pignut Hickory by having slightly shaggy bark (curling away from the trunk in strips) on older trees. It has been proposed in the past that Sweet Pignut Hickory may be a naturally occurring hybrid of Carya glabra (Pignut Hickory) and Carya ovata (Shagbark Hickory).

Bitternut Hickory can be distinguished from other hickory trees by its bright sulfur-yellow buds, which are covered by a powdery coating. It also has smaller fruits than most hickory trees. Its nuts are rounded rather than angular, and they have large terminal beaks. While the husks of Bitternut Hickory have 4 narrow ridges that extend inward to about one-half to two-thirds the length of its fruits, other hickory trees have husks that either lack ridges or their ridges extend the complete length of their fruits. Pignut Hickory has fruits that are similar in size to those of Bitternut Hickory, but they lack conspicuous ridges; this tree also has fewer leaflets (usually 5) per compound leaf and its buds aren't yellow. The Pecan is also similar to Bitternut Hickory in several respects, but it has more leaflets (9-17) per compound leaf. Furthermore, Pecan has fruits with a more elongated shape, they are longer in length (exceeding 1"), and each of its fruits has ridges that extend from one end to the other.
Click to expand...

Yeah, bitternut was my only other guess, nuts are slightly larger than a dime.

I’ll get better evidence next time.


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Chainsaw said:
That Hickory tree offers a great back drop for a ladder stand. Hickories are our favorite ladder stand tree. There are many hickories and they are hard to identify. We have had Forestry experts look at ours and though they are some type of pig nut they were not completely certain which kind. The deer in parts of the east at least either have a special pig nut to eat or have just learned to eat them. Hopefully it will never happen but in places where there are today lots of oaks mixed with Hickory and the deer don't currently eat Hickory nuts, I wonder would they learn to like Hickory nuts if a disease were to take out the oaks. Hopefully that day will never happen but.

I'm glad for you weekender that you witnessed the deer eating the hickory before it was cut down. It takes a half a lifetime to grow trees to that size. And a stand of them is a maintenance free food plot in itself where deer are showing a preference for them.
Click to expand...

Great info, thanks. They definitely know how to eat them in western NC!

I was in a maple 30’ up and still got noticed a few times, I’d never get away with a ladder stand once the leaves are gone. Not at a feed tree anyway. That tree is definitely staying though!


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THE LLC said:
You didn't take a picture of the nuts they were eating? That would be a much better identifier.
Click to expand...

I actually picked one up on the way out. It made it back to the rental car but not sure what happened after that.

Next time.


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carya pallida

I am surprised l never hear much about pallida. It has a thin shell and is edible.
Do deer eat them? Prefer them? I have never heard.

http://ents-bbs.org/viewtopic.php?f=376&t=8851&hilit=Pallida
I have mostly seen it referenced as little more than a small tree and yet it makes 160 feet. It seems to be common in some areas

"Savage Gulf is the number one location for hickories. It holds records for pignut and pale, and is just behind in red, shagbark, and mockernut, but I imagine it may contain the true records of those three as well. For some reason, it lags a bit behind in bitternut height."
https://www.tn.gov/.../east-region-/na-na-savage-gulf.html
 
Chainsaw said:
That Hickory tree offers a great back drop for a ladder stand. Hickories are our favorite ladder stand tree. There are many hickories and they are hard to identify. We have had Forestry experts look at ours and though they are some type of pig nut they were not completely certain which kind. The deer in parts of the east at least either have a special pig nut to eat or have just learned to eat them. Hopefully it will never happen but in places where there are today lots of oaks mixed with Hickory and the deer don't currently eat Hickory nuts, I wonder would they learn to like Hickory nuts if a disease were to take out the oaks. Hopefully that day will never happen but.

I'm glad for you weekender that you witnessed the deer eating the hickory before it was cut down. It takes a half a lifetime to grow trees to that size. And a stand of them is a maintenance free food plot in itself where deer are showing a preference for them.
Click to expand...

We’ve had discussions on hickory before. I don’t see much deer use but lots of squirrels and turkey use so I’m assuming deer will eat them here. One thing for sure in a hickory grove is using ladder stands as you suggest. Climbers are a no no. Way to slippery. And trying to screw in a bow holder or other attachment is like trying to put one in concrete. Hickory is a very hard wood and so are the nuts. I was so impressed with the hardness of hickory that I put hickory for flooring in my entire house.
 
I have a yard full of shagbark. Several years ago I watched a young buck try to eat hickory nuts but the nut kept slipping from between his teeth, but he kept on trying. That convinced me that deer can't eat hickory nuts.
But last year I saw what looked like a deer swallowing hickory nuts...not sure what exactly was going on but he seemed like he was eating them. Not certain if he made cud from them or not.
Hickory bark seems to take on different character from tree to individual tree. Some are much more shaggy than others. Maybe sub-varieties??
Many of them are huntable with hang-on stands and one of the best ways to climb them is with bolts. Treehopper hand drill or a cordless drill for presets. Better than screw-in steps and a LOT less expensive per tree. Dozens of trees can be pre set for less money.
 
I've not seen deer eat them myself, but I don't doubt anyone who has seen it. However, my dad used to have a brahma bull that could really put em away. You could hear him cracking them 200 yards away.
 
Our most deer producing stand ever sits twenty-two feet high in a hickory tree. We have taken well over 75 bow-killed deer from this stand including some of our better bucks. "High on the Hickory" is a morning stand that the deer visit for the hickory nuts after they leave the apple trees and the corn before that and is within sight of their beds. The stand is a home made seat stand lag screwed to the tree and as Tap does, it is accessed using bolts placed in holes using the Tree Hopper drill.

I love our apple trees, all 3100 plus of them but those huge old hickory trees here produce their share of deer as well. Some of our most action filled hunts happened amongst old hickory stands. It is notable that we have only a few oak trees, I don't doubt that the oaks would outperform the Hickories but the hickories are here. And they fit the bill.
 
Have any of you eaten hickory nuts? It's said that some like shagbark and sand are sweeter than pignut and bitternut. I plan to try some this fall. I can only think that deer may prefer some over others.

I have one of those Treehopper drills too. Using that and bolts is a great way to get up a tree.
 
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