Red oaks are hugely important to deer, as they produce mast more reliably and drop acorns later in the fall that are high in fat and protein, providing a critical food source for whitetails—especially those that don’t live in farm country—well into winter. Red oak acorns (left) tend to be rounder in shape compared to the typically more elongated white oak acorn. Some trees, for whatever reason, produce acorns that don’t taste as good or are rotten inside, and deer will turn up their noses at them, especially at the beginning of the acorn drop, when there are plenty of other trees dropping better-tasting nuts.