North Carolina acorn crop
Annual snapshot of acorn and hard-mast production for North Carolina during the 2022 hunting season — and what it meant for stand-site selection.
Annual mast report
2022
White oak
Red oak
Other mast
Regional notes
Strong Piedmont and Coastal Plain production; mountains average.
Hunter implication
Mast is plentiful enough to pull deer off plots and ag fields. Find the productive oaks and set up tight; expect deer to be less predictable on traditional stand sites built for travel routes.
How to hunt this year
Locate specific white oak flats with active drop, hunt tight to the trees, and expect deer to be less predictable on traditional travel-corridor stand sites. With food everywhere, generic stand placement loses to oak-specific scouting.