"Gobbler" Sawtooth Oak in Michigan

[Hamilton Reef]

I have a stand of older red pine and jack pine that I hope to have harvested and chipped. I then will recyle the area into a variety of food and mast production. One experiment I'm conducting is planting the variety of "gobbler" sawtooth oak next to pin oak to produce the smaller acorns that both the turkeys and deer can use within my QDM property.

With all the advertized pro points of the gobber variety of sawtooth oak, there is the one con of mid-Michigan as the northern limit for this oak. I live in Muskegon County along Lake Michigan within the fruit tree belt as an weather buffer. This should be a plus for the gobbler sawtooth oak survival. I will also be using the tree protectors for the first couple of years to help the seedings get a better start.

Has anyone else tried this gobbler variety of sawtooth oak in Michigan? The Project Help spring catalog from the NWTF is a source of food plot items the QDM could use as well.

[Grouse Hunter]

I dont have any experience with Gobbler saw tooth. I would reccomend planting white oak. White oak is preferred by wildlife, because it tends to be sweeter. It is also native to michigan and does quite well up in that area. Get a hold of your local soil and conservation district. You can find them under USDA in the gov. section of the yellow pages. They have a spring tree sale and they get their trees from a local source. White oak will be enjoyed by turkeys and deer, but it production is great only every 5-7 years. Other years its just average.