are chestnut trees really all the hype?

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nocoolnamekyle
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are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby nocoolnamekyle » Fri Mar 17, 2023 12:37 pm

i recently found some chestnut trees on some public i hunt. i want to know if anyone one has really seen them as a deer magnets that all the guys that do habitat work make it out to be? also would love to hear if someone has harvested a deer off chestnuts?


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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby backstraps » Fri Mar 17, 2023 10:31 pm

Years ago I hunted a place that had several large chestnuts in a small group
Early season deer pounded them better than any fresh dropping acorn or green food

I was able to take a few off those trees while hunting there

I grow chestnuts at my house now. Deer love them, eat the leaves, rub the saplings and vacuum up the nuts!
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Fri Mar 17, 2023 11:15 pm

Yes they are, bear love them too.
They sound falling rocks and attract deer from afar.
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby nocoolnamekyle » Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:04 am

backstraps wrote:Years ago I hunted a place that had several large chestnuts in a small group
Early season deer pounded them better than any fresh dropping acorn or green food

I was able to take a few off those trees while hunting there

I grow chestnuts at my house now. Deer love them, eat the leaves, rub the saplings and vacuum up the nuts!

What was early September? The state they are in has a October opener. Wondering if they will have shifted off them by then.
Edcyclopedia wrote:Yes they are, bear love them too.
They sound falling rocks and attract deer from afar.

That's good to hear I may need them to travel some distance as I don't have the bedding pin pointed.
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby nocoolnamekyle » Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:04 am

backstraps wrote:Years ago I hunted a place that had several large chestnuts in a small group
Early season deer pounded them better than any fresh dropping acorn or green food

I was able to take a few off those trees while hunting there

I grow chestnuts at my house now. Deer love them, eat the leaves, rub the saplings and vacuum up the nuts!

What was early September? The state they are in has a October opener. Wondering if they will have shifted off them by then.
Edcyclopedia wrote:Yes they are, bear love them too.
They sound falling rocks and attract deer from afar.

That's good to hear I may need them to travel some distance as I don't have the bedding pin pointed.
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby backstraps » Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:06 am

nocoolnamekyle wrote:
backstraps wrote:Years ago I hunted a place that had several large chestnuts in a small group
Early season deer pounded them better than any fresh dropping acorn or green food

I was able to take a few off those trees while hunting there

I grow chestnuts at my house now. Deer love them, eat the leaves, rub the saplings and vacuum up the nuts!

What was early September? The state they are in has a October opener. Wondering if they will have shifted off them by then.
Edcyclopedia wrote:Yes they are, bear love them too.
They sound falling rocks and attract deer from afar.

That's good to hear I may need them to travel some distance as I don't have the bedding pin pointed.



Our opener is last Sat of Sept and they were hitting them hard up into first week Nov
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby ehlusive » Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:59 pm

Are these called buckeyes sometimes?
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby brancher147 » Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:10 am

They are devoured by deer and bear as mentioned. We have a few surviving in the mountains near me but not enough to be a real draw anywhere that I have found. Chinese chestnuts in people’s yards are a similar draw to game.
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sun Mar 19, 2023 6:00 am

Dunston chestnuts were pretty popular with habitat groups 10 or so years ago when I was into it. They are blight resistant.Michigan was the very northern edge where they could survive. I planted some Chinese chestnuts and they didn’t do well up here. Sawtooth oaks same thing. I found someone that had a northern strain of sawtoothes. Few of those have done well
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby KRONIIK » Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:53 am

ehlusive wrote:Are these called buckeyes sometimes?


https://sciencing.com/difference-buckey ... 23161.html
Nope.
Totally different species and not even related, despite some similarities.
I learned this when I found what I thought was a chestnut tree and did some research to find out it was either a buckeye or a horse chestnut instead.
I forget which it turned out to be; all I recall is that I was disappointed that it wasn't a true chestnut. It is a very big tree.

I never did find out if deer even eat buckeyes or horse chestnut fruits, but they are somewhat (or HIGHLY) toxic to humans per the linked article.
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby nocoolnamekyle » Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:13 pm

brancher147 wrote:They are devoured by deer and bear as mentioned. We have a few surviving in the mountains near me but not enough to be a real draw anywhere that I have found. Chinese chestnuts in people’s yards are a similar draw to game.


there are a lot of white oaks in the area and only about half a dozen of these chestnut trees. if they arent a draw maybe they are something to focus on when the white oaks aren't dropping. So after thinking maybe these weren't chestnuts, I did a little research on buckeyes and horse chestnuts and I believe they are still chestnuts. maybe someone can tell me otherwise by this picture.
IMG_6287.JPG
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby KRONIIK » Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:29 pm

nocoolnamekyle wrote:
brancher147 wrote:They are devoured by deer and bear as mentioned. We have a few surviving in the mountains near me but not enough to be a real draw anywhere that I have found. Chinese chestnuts in people’s yards are a similar draw to game.


there are a lot of white oaks in the area and only about half a dozen of these chestnut trees. if they arent a draw maybe they are something to focus on when the white oaks aren't dropping. So after thinking maybe these weren't chestnuts, I did a little research on buckeyes and horse chestnuts and I believe they are still chestnuts. maybe someone can tell me otherwise by this picture.IMG_6287.JPG


I think you're probably right about those being "real" chestnuts, or at least a species somewhat related to the American native one.
The spines on the hull look to be "fuzzier" and less spiky than the horse chestnut images that come up on Google.
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby brancher147 » Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:35 am

KRONIIK wrote:
nocoolnamekyle wrote:
brancher147 wrote:They are devoured by deer and bear as mentioned. We have a few surviving in the mountains near me but not enough to be a real draw anywhere that I have found. Chinese chestnuts in people’s yards are a similar draw to game.


there are a lot of white oaks in the area and only about half a dozen of these chestnut trees. if they arent a draw maybe they are something to focus on when the white oaks aren't dropping. So after thinking maybe these weren't chestnuts, I did a little research on buckeyes and horse chestnuts and I believe they are still chestnuts. maybe someone can tell me otherwise by this picture.IMG_6287.JPG


I think you're probably right about those being "real" chestnuts, or at least a species somewhat related to the American native one.
The spines on the hull look to be "fuzzier" and less spiky than the horse chestnut images that come up on Google.


I don’t know or ever seen a horse chestnut. The fruit looks very similar to American chestnut. If there are any nuts left on the ground after they fall it’s likely not American chestnut if there are deer around. They eat them quick. Do you have a picture of the tree/bark/bud? Horse chestnut has opposite branching and chestnut is alternate branching that’s the easiest way to tell
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Re: are chestnut trees really all the hype?

Unread postby nocoolnamekyle » Tue Mar 21, 2023 10:53 am

brancher147 wrote:
KRONIIK wrote:
nocoolnamekyle wrote:
brancher147 wrote:They are devoured by deer and bear as mentioned. We have a few surviving in the mountains near me but not enough to be a real draw anywhere that I have found. Chinese chestnuts in people’s yards are a similar draw to game.


there are a lot of white oaks in the area and only about half a dozen of these chestnut trees. if they arent a draw maybe they are something to focus on when the white oaks aren't dropping. So after thinking maybe these weren't chestnuts, I did a little research on buckeyes and horse chestnuts and I believe they are still chestnuts. maybe someone can tell me otherwise by this picture.IMG_6287.JPG


I think you're probably right about those being "real" chestnuts, or at least a species somewhat related to the American native one.
The spines on the hull look to be "fuzzier" and less spiky than the horse chestnut images that come up on Google.


I don’t know or ever seen a horse chestnut. The fruit looks very similar to American chestnut. If there are any nuts left on the ground after they fall it’s likely not American chestnut if there are deer around. They eat them quick. Do you have a picture of the tree/bark/bud? Horse chestnut has opposite branching and chestnut is alternate branching that’s the easiest way to tell


IMG_5457.jpg
this is the only picture I took of the bark. should have taken more lesson learned.
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