Do deer like black walnuts?

[Gencountyzeek]

Im at my grandfathers cleaning up around his yard for him and i have to rake up and haul away a ton of black walnuts that have dropped. I can probably fill half my bed of my truck if i wanted with them. Id like to drop them off in a spot in my woods that i cleared for nut trees and apples. Anybody have knowledge of deer liking them?

[NYBowhunter]

I know your intentions are to have them grow into trees but be careful, get caught dumping that much in one spot and i can see where a DEC officer will think that your baiting. 

[chas0218]

23 minutes ago, Gencountyzeek said:

Im at my grandfathers cleaning up around his yard for him and i have to rake up and haul away a ton of black walnuts that have dropped. I can probably fill half my bed of my truck if i wanted with them. Id like to drop them off in a spot in my woods that i cleared for nut trees and apples. Anybody have knowledge of deer liking them?

Dump them and work them into the ground and not much DEC can say being it's planted. It's like planting cow corn on your property not much they can say if the ground is worked up.

[Gencountyzeek]

When i was done typing this i assumed id get the illegal baiting angle. Im putting them in a spot i have no stands, my intrest is do deer eat black walnuts or not? And im not going to take a bed full, maybe a 5 gal bucket or two. I will try to mush them down with my tractor.

[growalot]

That's a lot of blk walnuts...you should do some checking around...big bakery item(small ) and restaurant chef thing...not common and local. $$ or traded for goods......We have a bunch of blk walnut trees...I never get a nut...critters scarf them up the second they hit the ground...

[WNYBuckHunter]

I hate black walnut trees. I used to live in a house that had a pole barn that sat under a black walnut tree. I cant tell you how many times Id be working under my car and one of those damn things would fall and hit the steel roof and scare the bejesus out of me. A few times it made me jump up and I banged my head on the bottom of the car. Another time I was mowing the lawn and the mower sent one of them through the window of my camper.

[turkeyfeathers]

Neighborhood trees have dropped them like I've never seen them before. One neighbor fills garbage can after garbage can. 

 

[Gencountyzeek]

4 hrs of rakeing and shoveling, but they are all moved out. Heres a pic of the final pile.

Edited October 17, 2017 by Gencountyzeek

[rachunter]

I always wonder if deer would them there plentiful on Long Island. Let me know if they go for them. 

[Gencountyzeek]

I brought a buckets worth home. Ill mow down an area i have upfront that never gets hunted and spread these around and run them over with the tractor. See how many make it.

[sodfather]

My father has 4 large Black walnut trees in yard and I spent my entire childhood picking them up every year. 5 years ago we got him this for Christmas and he loves it . Works great he bought one for my mom 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

8 minutes ago, sodfather said:

My father has 4 large Black walnut trees in yard and I spent my entire childhood picking them up every year. 5 years ago we got him this for Christmas and he loves it . Works great he bought one for my mom 

Bet that works good but the best thing for dealing with a walnut tree is this  ...lol

[Gencountyzeek]

That pile was from 2 trees. He mainly wanted them up because they are getting squashed all over his drive way. Sounds like ur driving on a rumble strip when pulling in.

[philoshop]

I've never seen a deer eat a black walnut so I can't say for sure if deer like them or not, but the squirrels definitely like to bury them. Whether or not they actually come back to retrieve them is open for debate. They're bitter as heck compared to English walnuts, which are what people generally cook with. My brother collects mountains of them from his yard and spreads them in areas around his property where he doesn't want weeds to grow.

[moog5050]

I don't think deer prefer them or eat them at all.  I could be wrong.

[growalot]

blk walnuts take seasoning to be good...they need to be hauled and then allow the nut to dry for a few weeks in a dri warm area...then you'll have a rich sweet nut that is considered gourmet. My mother made the best blk walnut bread ever and we cured walnuts every fall

https://black-walnuts.com/explore-recipes/

https://black-walnuts.com/learn-about-black-walnuts/

Quote

How to Gather and Sell Black Walnuts

Many generations of Americans in the Midwest and East-Central states have enjoyed harvesting Black Walnuts during the fall. Memories are made, values are passed down and money is earned, and you too can be part of this long time tradition.

1. Find a tree or several trees with Black Walnuts. Be sure to get permission to collect nuts that aren’t from your yard (many folks are happy to let people have them).
2. Gather the nuts soon after they fall and while the hulls are mostly green. Collect them by hand or with our Nut Wizard – a handy nut-gathering tool with a long handle and barrel-like end that picks Black Walnuts up like magic! You do not need to remove the hulls.
3. Put collected nuts in bags or a truck bed for hauling.
4. Take the nuts to the nearest Hammons hulling location within a couple of days of collecting. The operator will run the nuts through a hulling machine to remove the outer green hull. You’ll be paid for the weight after hulling.
5. Enjoy extra spending money and memories made picking up Black Walnuts with your family and friends.

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2017 by growalot

[ncountry]

I hunt a few spots that have a lot of walnut trees. The ground can be covered with them and I've never seen a deer touch one.. 

[goosifer]

I have several wild black walnut trees on my property that produced nuts this year. It seems like a lot more trees produced this year vs. years past. I guess weather conditions were good this year? Or do black walnut trees not produce every year for different reasons?

[nyantler]

Deer are not fond of the perfume smell that the Black walnut shell gives off... and the squirrels will scarf them all long before the deer can get at them. I had a tree in the yard and never saw a single deer near the tree let alone eating the nuts. I am sure if the nuts were around late in the winter and not already taken by the squirrels they might eat them as a last resort however.

 

[Zag]

I don't think a deer would eat them if it was the last thing on Earth. I bet I have 50 bw trees on my place. I quit picking them up my 3rd yr at our house, now I just now em over, sounds like a machine gun.

[Gencountyzeek]

Well if any sprout and make it, the squirels will have another nut to choose, from the oaks,beech, and hicory nuts i already have. Thanks for the replys

[Lawdwaz]

9 minutes ago, zag said:

I don't think a deer would eat them if it was the last thing on Earth. I bet I have 50 bw trees on my place. I quit picking them up my 3rd yr at our house, now I just now em over, sounds like a machine gun.

Lock the wife, kids and dog in the house and drop the blade..........

[OtiscoPaul]

I've seen deer lick dew off hanging walnuts...that's it.

They kill other trees with their roots by exuding the same chemical that makes them black.

Boo walnuts I got em all around my property.

Edited October 18, 2017 by OtiscoPaul

[growalot]

One afternoon I spent well over 30 mins taking pictures of these guys under the What we called the 100.00 walnut tree(blk)...there was a bet involved...Anyways They will crunch old dried nuts and they do actually enjoy the leafs and leaf buds..but hey...

 

[sailinghudson25]

They'll take a long long time to grow to the point where they'll produce mast...

American chestnut, red dogwood, alder, white cedar, and fruit trees will bring in deer much quicker.  Saw oak is a quick producer too.

 

Your best bet is cultivate them and then transplant them.  Many of them will not survive competition.  Even vines just choking them out.