Acorns Will Be Scarce

GYPSY MOTHS ARE STAGING A COMEBACK! Right now, they're climbing every tree and devouring every tasty leaf, especially at higher elevations, but they move fast. They're an army — Agent Orange without the chemicals — and they're defoliating trees. The damage hasn't been this bad since the 1980s when they first swept across the northeast leaving dead trees in their wake.

It's hard to believe a caterpillar can do so much damage in so little time, but you can see it for yourself. Take a walk in the woods where the invasive pest is hard at work, and close your eyes. You'll hear the sound of a gentle rain falling. On second thought, don't. Much of what is falling around you (and on you) are the droppings they produce as they gorge themselves on leaves.

What this means to hunters is that acorns will be few and far between this fall. Deer are in for a difficult winter. And the negative economic impact will reach far beyond timber companies. It will affect private property owners too, and it will be huge.

Read my observation about the latest infestation in "Acorns Will Be Scarce" in the

June 28 issue of the Jamestown Gazette.

To access more of my writing on hunting topics, go to the home page of my blog, Mission: Hunter.