Late Drop Chestnuts: Secret Weapon for Whitetails

Chestnuts are fantastic for attracting and feeding deer, that's pretty undisputed. Everyone that has them planted can tell you deer visit them just about every day to clean up the nuts while they're dropping.

But what about when they stop dropping?

All good things must come to an end and while chestnuts are hotspot for deer activity while they're dropping they do only last so long. Typically you can expect 4-6 weeks of attraction from chestnuts. When that is will depend on what kind of chestnut you have planted. For Hybrid Chestnuts you can expect nuts to be dropping from about mid Sept-early Nov, for Late Drop Hybrid Chestnuts expect production Nov-Dec. Hybrid chestnuts line up nicely with early season in most states and Late Drop Hybrids peak later in the season, around the same time as the whitetail rut in many states. 

What does all this mean for you as a hunter? 

Well it means if you can choose the type of chestnut that best suits you and your property.

 Need more early season food? Plant Hybrid Chestnuts.

Need more late season attraction? Go with Late Drop Hybrids. 

Want to have nuts hitting the ground from Sept-Dec? Plant both kinds together! 

Personally, we prefer to plant both Hybrid Chestnuts and Late Drop Hybrid Chestnuts together to give deer maximum nutrition and attraction all season long. It makes for an excellent place to hunt whether it's early bow-season, the peak of the November rut, or a cold December morning. Mixing in other trees, like our Main Attraction Crabapple can extend the activity even longer stretching into January or beyond!

Mixing together Hybrid and Late Drop Hybrid Chestnuts can be just the thing you need to keep deer coming back to your property day after day.