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Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
#6888837
09/16/17 01:37 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
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Simple Searcher
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I have a friend that lost a huge 12 pointer last year. The deer showed no signs of an injury so he called a biologist to check out the deer. After an on-site semi-necropsy, they found nothing visibly wrong any organs/tissue etc, and no injuries. When they opened the deer’s stomach to see what it had been eating it was packed full of acorns. He explained that it looked like it was a bag full of ground up acorns. Short of doing a bunch of lab work (that they didn’t care to do), they just speculated that maybe the deer was unable to digest such a mass of acorns. Anyone ever heard of this?
"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
[Re: Simple Searcher]
#6888885
09/16/17 02:43 AM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 29,609
SapperTitan
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
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#6888888
09/16/17 02:45 AM
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 340
mr. buck
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absolutely heard of it with cattle but never with wt. we didn't have too bad of an issue in Kentucky, but family in Louisiana lost multiple head every year there was a big acorn crop.
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
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#6888902
09/16/17 03:04 AM
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Joined: May 2016
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Wacm
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I've been watching them in my yard doing this the last couple of days. None dead though.
I've once spotted a sounder of pigs bedded under some cedar bushes. I parked my truck and got the wind right and stalked in to 25 yards. The first arrow struck a pig. He didn't go far and the others just laid there. I slung another arrow and a piglet was started squeeling. They just kiind of stood up. That's when I noticed their bellys hung low. I got two more as they scurried off. It was just like you said. Full off ground acorns. Hogs are very very wary in my area. They didn't want to move cause they were duped full of acorns.
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
[Re: Simple Searcher]
#6888974
09/16/17 08:24 AM
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,012
Old Stony
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I shot a buck a few years ago that seemed to be really full. I checked belly contents and he was absolutely packed with acorns...most of them whole.
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
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#6889340
09/16/17 10:03 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
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TexasKC
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It's called oak toxicity. It can kill cattle but I have never heard of it affecting deer.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
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#6889398
09/17/17 12:18 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,904
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Thanks TexasKC, I did some Googling of oak toxicity in deer. Interesting that deer, cows and goats can gorge themselves to the point of death.
"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
[Re: Simple Searcher]
#6889456
09/17/17 01:53 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,795
dogcatcher
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Thanks TexasKC, I did some Googling of oak toxicity in deer. Interesting that deer, cows and goats can gorge themselves to the point of death. Wild animals are "smarter" than domesticated livestock, but every so often I guess there has to be a "dummy" in the bunch
Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back. _____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
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#6889653
09/17/17 11:53 AM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657
colt45-90
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Texas colt45
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they have been watching human's
hold on Newt, we got a runaway
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
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#6889712
09/17/17 01:47 PM
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Joined: Jan 2012
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TXHOGSLAYER
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I'm so lucky...all the hogs eat up the acorns before the deer get a chance
LETS GO BRANDON
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
[Re: Simple Searcher]
#6890092
09/17/17 09:56 PM
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,879
sbushee
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How did they find that 12 pt after it died?
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
[Re: sbushee]
#6890240
09/18/17 12:13 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,904
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How did they find that 12 pt after it died? It was a regular and hadn't been seen for a few days, so he went looking around. I do know that he found it right away before the buzzard got to it.
"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
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Re: Deer gorging themselves on acorns?
[Re: Simple Searcher]
#6891398
09/18/17 11:37 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 199
waderaider1
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when the acorns drop deer will gorge on them. acorns in and of themselves probably did not kill the buck. if gorging on acorns was detrimental to the deer we would not be hunting them. there wouldn't be any. unless it choked and asphixiated i would look for another cause.
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