North Carolina acorn crop

2023 North Carolina mast crop report.

Annual snapshot of acorn and hard-mast production for North Carolina during the 2023 hunting season — and what it meant for stand-site selection.

Annual mast report

2023

Poor

White oak

Failure

Red oak

Poor

Other mast

Poor

Regional notes

Mid-Atlantic and Southeast white oak failure; deer concentrated heavily on remaining food.

Hunter implication

Concentrate on remaining food sources. Food plots, ag fields, persimmons, and isolated mast pockets become high-traffic stand sites. Expect competition from other hunters who notice the same thing.

How to hunt this year

How to hunt a poor mast year in North Carolina.

Concentrate on remaining food sources. Food plots, ag fields, persimmons, and any isolated mast pockets become high-traffic stand sites. Expect more competition from other hunters who notice the same thing.