Post by drs on Aug 16, 2009 9:57:08 GMT -5
By Phil Potter, courierpress.com
Without a doubt, this year's weekly rains have saved the Tri-State's ice-ravaged trees from disaster. The wounded woods won't begin to recover for at least another three years but things could be a lot worse. If a drought had clouted them with a second-round blow, there's a good chance more than 60 percent would be dead by now.
The bad news is most trees have produced a lesser nut and mast crop than in a normal wet year. While there are fewer "woods groceries" to sustain wildlife, there are at least some and that may make the difference of survival provided that there aren't an unusually number of harsh days from November into late April.
Squirrel hunters have noted the sparseness of hickory nuts, wild cherries, poplar buds, white oak acorns and residual blackberries. They also report more forms of fungi cropping up and note that squirrels, deer, coons and blackbirds are heavily raiding sweet corn patches and field corn rows.
Along with a lack of mast is a lack of squirrel hunters, so success rates have varied widely— indicating that while there seems to be a decent number of young squirrels, the overall populations remain a bit lower than expected. The best way to find out how your neck of the woods is faring is to go squirrel hunting. Count squirrels, look for mast sites and target these areas for fall deer and turkey seasons.
www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/15/trees-hang-on-but-nut-and-mast-crop-down/
Without a doubt, this year's weekly rains have saved the Tri-State's ice-ravaged trees from disaster. The wounded woods won't begin to recover for at least another three years but things could be a lot worse. If a drought had clouted them with a second-round blow, there's a good chance more than 60 percent would be dead by now.
The bad news is most trees have produced a lesser nut and mast crop than in a normal wet year. While there are fewer "woods groceries" to sustain wildlife, there are at least some and that may make the difference of survival provided that there aren't an unusually number of harsh days from November into late April.
Squirrel hunters have noted the sparseness of hickory nuts, wild cherries, poplar buds, white oak acorns and residual blackberries. They also report more forms of fungi cropping up and note that squirrels, deer, coons and blackbirds are heavily raiding sweet corn patches and field corn rows.
Along with a lack of mast is a lack of squirrel hunters, so success rates have varied widely— indicating that while there seems to be a decent number of young squirrels, the overall populations remain a bit lower than expected. The best way to find out how your neck of the woods is faring is to go squirrel hunting. Count squirrels, look for mast sites and target these areas for fall deer and turkey seasons.
www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/15/trees-hang-on-but-nut-and-mast-crop-down/
I'm really impressed with the Gamo that I picked up last year.
