# Going to be a rough winter for squirrels.



## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Hadn't paid any attention to the black walnut trees til yesterday after a person called and asked if'n they could come and get some nuts. Last year they took over a bushel of nuts and believe me I was every thankful not having to pick them up myself... nothing worse then hitting the nuts with the lawnmower...
Last year and years pass there have always been an over abundance of nuts from the trees so I'm thinking sure no problem...
Well, I went out and checked to see if the nuts had started to drop; and there weren't any.....
I mean nothing on the ground. I looked over the trees and could find may 20 or so nuts on the 3 trees that are close to the house.. Even took a walk to some other black walnut trees growing in the woods and nothing...... So I thought well check out the hickory nut trees seeing I'm in the woods and it was the the same as the walnut trees - very few nuts...

Which brings me to the point that - with the lack of nuts it's going to be a rough winter for the squirrels......


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## 012345 (6 mo ago)

Natures way of keeping things in check.


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## 67drake (May 6, 2020)

I was just at my project house yesterday, and a guy meeting me there had his daughter with. They commented on how many acorns were on the oak tree outside of the house, LOTS! Last year I don’t think I saw even one on the same tree. 
Looks like a bumper crop of walnuts on one of my trees on another property too.


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## oldasrocks (Oct 27, 2006)

So don't let them suffer. Eat them.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Put out a feeder and fatten them up. Harvest as needed. Squirrel and dumplings, was my favorite dish as a kid.


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## Snowfan (Nov 6, 2011)

Thanks for reminding me. I need to go collect some for dying traps. I have been considering other options, though.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

Hickory nut crops have a three year cycle-- heavy production--moderate & low production. I think Walnuts (same family) do the same...Oaks produce acorns in response to weather conditions--kinda like an unfortunately timed frost can ruin fruit production....The synchronous seed production by a group of trees is called "masting."


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## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

Interesting. DH and I were just commenting last night - our black walnut tree was absolutely loaded and we've never seen it drop so many black walnuts as there are laying on the driveway and grass. It's literally a carpet of dropped nuts in that part of our yard. Must be a regional thing.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Don't know bout cycles, etc but this is the first year that there hasn't been bags and bags of walnuts. I only checked the hickory trees cause I was in the woods and was curious if they were lacking nuts also...
As for the squirrels, there are my neighbor's cats that come though bout twice a week. Also I've seen a weasel off and on touring the area. Lastly I've got a 22 that's counted to the demise of many rodents....


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

67drake said:


> I was just at my project house yesterday, and a guy meeting me there had his daughter with. They commented on how many acorns were on the oak tree outside of the house, LOTS! Last year I don’t think I saw even one on the same tree.
> Looks like a bumper crop of walnuts on one of my trees on another property too.


Yep my trees do the same. Every few years heavy load of acorns. Like you shovel off the deck, other years just a handful.


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

The black walnut trees around here are loaded.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

The walnuts along my driveway don't have many this year either.
Normally, they are a pain in the rear. This year not too many.


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## 012345 (6 mo ago)

If the food shortages that everyone is saying will happen is real it will be a super tough winter for squirrels!


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## JRHill02 (Jun 20, 2020)

We have almost zero acorns this year and we've not seen it this bad before. Along the river there are spots with walnut trees that drop them on the highway and its popular with squirrels, turkey and deer getting the broken ones. This year there are very few. Usually we feed acorns by the bucketful to the piggies and they love 'em. And its a natural parasitic and nutritious.

The tree squirrels are ravenous emptiers of the bird feeder with the sunflower seeds for obvious reasons. We call it dog TV.


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## jimLE (Apr 18, 2018)

Hardly a pecan in my area.but I think it's got to do with the very dry summer thoe.but there's lots of little to large acorns as usual thoe


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Black walnuts aren't doing great, but this is a total mast year for oaks. Have to run serpentine between house and the barn, and I am pretty sure that I heard one of the cats yell out, "INCOMING!" as he shot across the yard.

I know that persimmons aren't nuts, but both my persimmon trees have loads of fruit hanging on them. Goats don't care if the fruit is ripe or not, and they will eat any fruit they can reach.


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## Zoomyn (Apr 12, 2019)

Bumper year in upper Minnesota, kinked tail grey left me these beside the grill - I'd talked to her a few days while making lunch : )


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## Miss Kay (Mar 31, 2012)

I'm sure it depends on your state but we had a horrible drought this year and there are very few nuts this year. Our forest is mostly hard woods and the oaks just do not have any acorns to speak of this year and the hickory is not much better. I hate it for the turkey and deer.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Nothing on my walnuts this year.
Was setting up a game camera today and with all the oaks around not one acorn on the ground.
This is the second year production has been almost none existing
Any ideas why


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

JJ Grandits said:


> Nothing on my walnuts this year.
> Was setting up a game camera today and with all the oaks around not one acorn on the ground.
> This is the second year production has been almost none existing
> Any ideas why


What was your weather like this spring/summer? Did you get a frost that killed the flowers? Did you have a hot, dry spell where even the grass became brown and crunchy? Was your weather really wet with a lot of rain early in the season? 

There are many factors which could influence pollination and fruit (nut) set and it's hard to cover them all. Weather is a big factor. A lot of areas had wonky weather this year.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Actually, weather was pretty much same as usual.
I keep a pretty good eye on it. Probably more than most.
Spent 46 years in the Landscape/ Nursery industry.
Have seen a few unusual things such as lilacs flowering in late summer, early fall. We were harvesting beans, peppers, and the last of the grape tomatoes up to a week ago.
Temps were up some but not out of line. Wildflowers and flowering shrubs did very well.
Just a very low mast year, just like the last.


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