Texas's vast geographic and habitat range produces dramatically different mast — East Texas Pineywoods white oak and water oak, Hill Country live oak and post oak, Cross Timbers post oak, and South Texas brush country mesquite (a different forage profile entirely). Mast quality varies sharply by region.
Categorical ratings (failure → excellent) per year. Overall is solid; white oak and red oak series are dashed.
| Year | Overall | White Oak | Red Oak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | fair | fair | fair |
| 2023 | fair | fair | fair |
| 2024 | good | good | good |
| 2025 | good | good | good |
Most recent first. Click through to a year-specific page for a permanent reference link.
Preliminary reports indicate productive East Texas and Hill Country mast.
Mast is plentiful enough to pull deer off plots and ag fields. Find the productive oaks and set up tight; expect deer to be less predictable on traditional stand sites built for travel routes.
Wetter conditions improved East Texas and Hill Country mast.
Mast is plentiful enough to pull deer off plots and ag fields. Find the productive oaks and set up tight; expect deer to be less predictable on traditional stand sites built for travel routes.
Mixed; East Texas Pineywoods saw white oak weakness.
Mixed conditions — some areas with productive oaks, others without. Scout for the pockets that produced and hunt the travel routes between bedding and mast. Plots and ag fields still hold deer where mast failed.
Drought-influenced; East Texas average, Hill Country below average.
Mixed conditions — some areas with productive oaks, others without. Scout for the pockets that produced and hunt the travel routes between bedding and mast. Plots and ag fields still hold deer where mast failed.
Locate specific white oak flats with active drop, hunt tight to the trees, and expect deer to be less predictable on traditional travel-corridor stand sites. With food everywhere, generic stand placement loses to oak-specific scouting.
Texas A&M Forest Service.
Texas A&M Forest ServiceAlways cross-reference with the most current published agency report. Mast surveys update annually in late summer to early fall.
Statewide mast reports tell you what to expect in general. Bield: Hunt logs every productive oak you find on your specific land — and turns multi-season data into stand sites that compound year after year.
