We’ve all experienced it. We head to the grocery store to pick up a few things, only to see that there’s a sale on our favorite meats. If you’re like many people who love a good sale, you stock your cart with raw chicken, steak, or even breakfast meats in an effort to save yourself both time and money in the long run. And in the midst of grabbing as many packs as you possibly can, you think to yourself: “How long can meat stay safely frozen?” And, “Does frozen meat go bad?”

Whether you ask these questions in-store or at home when shuffling through your freezer and finding a tucked away pack of steaks, the topic of frozen meats is one that may deliver different answers depending on who you ask. But we’re here to finally put the question to rest, as the USDA states that as long as all foods are stored at 0 °F or lower in your freezer, they are safe to eat indefinitely.

It’s important to note, though, that while food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe, the quality of the food once defrosted can still suffer over time. It may not make you sick, but it won’t necessarily taste like freshly-cooked meat, either.

So, to help you stay on track and make sure you’re making the most of your freezer space, we’ve broken down what you should keep in mind when it comes to freezing both raw and cooked meat, poultry, seafood, and more.

How to safely store meat in the freezer

If you’ve decided to place your meat in the freezer, ensuring that you’re doing it the right way is the first step to maximizing freshness. As the USDA notes, you want to remember that the quality of your meat at the time of freezing determines its frozen state condition. If you can’t use it quickly, freeze items sooner rather than later. Food frozen at peak quality will taste better once thawed than foods “frozen near the end of their useful life,” according to USDA food safety guidelines.

While lengthy freezer storage can affect the quality of any food, it’s also worth noting that raw meat and poultry maintain their quality longer than cooked meat and poultry do. This is because of the moisture lost during the cooking process. Either way, once it’s in the freezer, you want to ensure that all foods are stored at 0 °F or lower to retain the color, vitamin content, texture, and — of course — flavor. Freezing to 0 °F also inactivates any microbes — meaning bacteria, yeasts, and molds — that may be in food.

But what about actually storing meat? Can it be tucked away in its original packaging? The simple answer to that is yes, it is safe to freeze your meat and poultry in the original packaging. If you plan to keep your meat or poultry frozen in its original package for a longer period of time (more than two months) or happen to see a tear in its original packaging, however, the FDA notes that you’ll want to overwrap the packages with airtight plastic wrap, freezer paper, or heavy-duty foil, or simply place the package inside of a plastic bag.

Can meat go bad in the freezer?

Freezing meat is a simple and effective way to stock up on your protein of choice, and meat doesn’t technically “go bad” while in the freezer. As the USDA website states, “Because freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only.” So, here are a few things to keep in mind to help determine the quality of your meat once unfrozen.

How to defrost meat safely

Keep in mind that your thawing process affects the freshness of your meat, too. As the USDA cautions, never thaw foods out on the kitchen counter or in your garage, basement, car, outdoors, or on the porch. Any of these methods can make your food unsafe to eat. There are three safe ways to thaw frozen foods. The first and most recommended is slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator — overnight or over a day or two, depending on the size. A quicker method is to put your meat in a leak-proof plastic bag and let it sit, fully immersed, in cold water. After thawing in cold water, cook immediately. Finally, you can defrost food using the microwave, but again, plan to then cook it immediately. Also, when microwaving to defrost, the food can actually start to cook in some areas.

Is freezer burnt meat safe to eat?

Contrary to popular belief, if your meat (or frozen food in general) develops freezer burn, it’s actually not unsafe to eat. It may not taste great, but just cut the freezer-burned areas off either pre- or post-cooking and enjoy the remainder of your meal. If it is heavily freezer-burned though, the quality will most likely be compromised and you may want to toss it.

How long does meat last in the freezer?

To reiterate, since freezing your food at 0 °F or below keeps it safe pretty much indefinitely, you can defrost and eat any frozen meats or poultry (that has been stored correctly) at any given time. That doesn’t mean, however, that its quality will stay good forever. For the best quality, the FDA recommends that you consume frozen meats, poultry, and seafood within the following timeframes:

Beef, Lamb, Pork, and Veal

If you plan to stock up on fresh meats like beef, lamb, pork, or veal anytime soon, you’ll want to know that — depending on the cut of meat — they can retain their quality in the freezer for months on end. Steak, particularly, is recommended to stay frozen for six to 12 months, while chops have a recommended freezer life of four to six months. Roasts on the other hand, can still offer a quality taste after being frozen from four to 12 months. Other meats like tongue, liver, and chitterlings only retain their quality for three to four months.

Processed pork — such as bacon and sausage (whether pork, chicken, or turkey), hot dogs, and lunch meats — tastes best when kept frozen for one to two months, while raw hamburger, ground, and stew meats can last between three to four months.

Poultry

Like the above, fresh poultry items have a timeframe for the quality of freshness, too — but it depends on which part of the poultry you’re freezing. If freezing whole chicken or turkey, it can last in your freezer for up to one year. Chicken and turkey parts can last for nine months while giblets are suggested to be stored for a shorter time span of three to four months.

Fish and Shellfish

As fish and shellfish include multiple options, the time span of their quality differs, too. Lean fish can stay in your freezer for six to eight months, while fatty fish is recommended to stay tucked away for two to three months. The FDA recommends consuming frozen cooked fish within four to six months, and smoked fish within two months. And finally, fresh shrimp, scallops, crawfish, and squid can stay in your freezer and retain their quality for three to six months.

Cooked and Leftover Meats

If you’re left with an overflow of cooked meats after a delicious meal, don’t worry; those can be frozen, too. The FDA also says that meat leftovers — including cooked meat, meat dishes, and gravy and meat broth — can all be stored for two to three months in your freezer. Cooked poultry on the other hand, depends on what you’ve cooked. Fried chicken and plain, cooked pieces of chicken can last for four months; cooked poultry dishes for four to six months; meats covered with broth or gravy up to six months; and lastly, cooked chicken nuggets and patties for one to three months.

Ultimately though, no matter what type of meat or poultry you choose to freeze, if it is thawed in the refrigerator, you’re safe to refreeze it without cooking it. As the USDA cautions, though, any foods left outside the refrigerator for longer than a two hour time span (or a single hour in temperatures above 90 °F), should not be refrozen.

Ready to cook up some of that meat and poultry from your freezer while it will still taste its best? Get some inspiration from our lists of light dinner ideas, easy chicken dinner recipes, and ground beef recipes for busy weeknights.

GOOD BAIT FOR A GOOD CRAYFISH CATCH

To catch lots of crayfish, you need a good, productive, crayfish trap. But without bait, even the best trap isn’t much good. To catch crayfish, you need bait. That’s a simple and accurate statement. Here comes the difficult question.

WHAT IS THE BEST BAIT?

Ask several persons this question, and you’ll get several answers. Here is my simple answer to this question:

FISH MAKES THE BEST CRAYFISH BAIT

Traditionally crayfish traps in most countries are baited with fish. Swedes use sunfish, shiners and herring while Louisiana Cajuns often entice the crawfish with gizzard shad and pogies (menhaden). A commercial crayfisherman on the West Coast catches his crayfish with salmon heads and other oily fish. Lately, I had good luck using salmon trimmings from the local grocery store. For free!

Yes, fish makes an enticing bait that usually surpasses all other baits. But that doesn’t mean other sources of bait won’t work. For years I bought cheap chicken necks and wings and had very good success with them. One store trimmed their chickens leaving the backs of the birds at a reasonable price. I brought home thousands of crayfish with chicken backs.

But, as I said, each person has his own opinion about bait. A description about crayfish catching from Finland, a country that knows plenty about catching crayfish, included as good bait “a stealthily shot neighbor’s cat”. But it also mentions squirrels, chickens and other assorted animals as well as fish from the lake where the fishing takes place.

Loading the boat with baited traps

But here is a warning. Crayfish bait must be fresh! Contrary to some people’s opinions, crayfish don’t like spoiled, smelly or sour bait, be it fish or meat. I found that out the hard way recently. I had several pieces of turkey necks left over from a successful 1400 catch in the mountains. After four days of keeping the bait unrefrigerated, I froze it after arriving home. Then, some weeks later, I defrosted the old bait and used it in a lake known for its large amount of crayfish. To my great surprise and disappointment, I caught very few crayfish under conditions that usually had been very productive.

Analyzing the conditions that led to the dismal catch, I came to the conclusion that it was the spoiled bait. I recalled that, as I was baiting the traps, the bait felt slimey and obviously was too far gone to be considered fresh. It was just plain foul fowl!

A few weeks later I returned to the same lake. This time I brought fresh bait in the form of fresh salmon trimmings from the local food store. With traps located in the same general area, I now had a good catch. I finally believed my friend and crayfish expert who had told me that crayfish demand fresh bait. It’s simply a myth that they eat rotten food.

Another rule about bait is this:

THE MORE BAIT, THE MORE CRAYFISH!

Again and again I find that the more bait I put in a trap, the more crayfish I catch. What probably happens is that as soon as the crayfish have eaten all the bait, they simply start looking for a way out of the trap. That explains why a Finnish article about crayfish catching stated that up to 75% of the crayfish in an overnight trap eventually escape. Well, wouldn’t YOU start looking for the exit if you either had had your fill or if you found that all the food was gone?

Many crayfish traps have some kind of an escape stopper, some quite efficient, some not. But here is the solution to crayfish escaping a trap. It has been well documented that as long as a trap has good bait in it, crayfish who have already entered the trap, will stay there while new crayfish still will be entering the trap. Once I discovered this secret, I found that my traps were much more likely to be full of crays, whether the trap had an escape stopper or not. So, keep your traps filled with good bait, and you will catch more crayfish. The traditional spiral netted Swedish traps can not be equipped with escape stoppers. Consequently, when I use those traps, I make it a rule to empty them at least every four hours all through the night. That way I get lots of crayfish, but very little sleep…

When you empty traps that have to be checked every three of four hours, be sure to bring some fresh bait. Often the traps are simply empty of bait. And empty traps don’t catch crayfish. This rebaiting can be tricky in the dark, but it pays off.

Some trap manufacturers supply their traps with a little container for bait. The idea is to let the scent of the bait entice the crayfish without letting them actually eat it up. In theory that sounds fine. Recent experience tells me that this sometimes can be a productive method for catching crayfish. Canned cat food based on fish products has often proved to be an effective bait. Most experienced crayfish catchers I know prefer to use bait in the trap that crayfish can sink their teeth into. This most likely will result in a larger catch. The advantage with containerized bait, though, is that it will last longer as the crayfish can’t actually get to it.

MANUFATURED BAIT

Down in Louisiana’s Cajun country, crayfish catching has gone commercial and professional. With an annual production of 30-50 million pounds of long clawed red swamp crawfish, they are harvested on more than 120,000 acres of wetland that also produces large quantities of rice and other grains.

While fish bait is often used in the south, manufactured bait is now increasingly common. Several feed companies, e.g. Purina, now produce formulated baits containing cereal grains and by-products with commercial flavorings. Sized at 1.5 to 3 inches and a 2 inch diameter, they are easy to handle and are sold in 50 lb. bags that don’t require refrigeration

But when the water temperature is below 70 F, manufactured bait is not very productive. During the cold months, fish bait is better, but after lakes warm up, manufactured bait is often even more productive. Trapper Arne has experimented with manufactured bait and found it true that during the warm weather months, manufactured bait works quite well. And it certainly is easier to handle, doesn’t go sour and won’t mess up your hands when baiting traps.

But when using manufactured bait, it is a good idea to use a bait container in the trap. Bait lying on the bottom of the trap is often attacked by the crayfish from the outside of the trap. Keeping bait in a container lures the crayfish inside and makes the bait last longer. The artificial flavorings in manufactured bait, or the oily fish too for that matter, gives off a “smell” that spreads to the whole crayfish community. This is what lures them to find the source of the smell and into the trap they go. We hope.

The easiest way to identify a tree is through their leaves, bark, fruits, and tree seed pods identification. While some have distinct leaf colors and shapes, others cannot easily be identified with the leaves, especially during certain parts of the year.

However, it is pretty easy to identify trees with their seeds, especially the ones with distinct seed pods. Some of the trees, like those in the bean family,9 have long pods that make it relatively easy to identify them.

Have you ever wondered which trees release those ‘helicopter’ seeds? This complete guide has everything you need to know.

A seed pod is a distinctive way for a tree to propagate, and nature has some very interesting varieties! By using the tree seed pods identification charts below, you’ll be able to pinpoint lots and lots of tree species.

75 Species of Trees With Seed Pods

We know how important trees are in slowing down and reversing climate change and so you might be thinking “How much carbon does a tree capture?” Did you know that some trees store more carbon than others? Learning these different species is more interesting than you think.

Most trees with seed pods are easy to identify because they classify the tree and let you know which botanic family it belongs to. There are so many trees with seed pods that are distributed worldwide.

Even though some grow in their native region, most of them have been spread worldwide. The growth of trees in an area highly depends on the conditions required for the tree to thrive.

For example, you will find most palm and mangrove trees along coastlines because that is where they find their conducive environment to thrive. The chart below is a comprehensive list of trees with seed pods of different kinds.

Identification Guide: Tree Seed Pods Identification

Sometimes, it helps to know what an entire tree or most parts look like. That way, you can automatically identify the tree with any part, including tree seed pods. The tree types and pictures below will give you a foundation on most tree types and what their seed pods look like.

How To Identify Tree Seed Pods: Identification Chart With Tree Seed Pod Identification Pictures

Tree TypeSize1. Maples1.18” to 2” (3 – 5 cm) long2. Catalpas8-20″ long and ¼-½” wide3. Southern Catalpa12-inch (30-cm) long4. Ash2” (5 cm) long5. Hickory2-5 cm (0.8-2.0 in) long and 1.5-3 cm (0.6-1.2 in) diameter

Tree TypeSize6. Chestnut10-30 cm long and 5-7 cm wide7. Sweet Gum1 1/4″ – 1 1/2″ in diameter8. Kentucky Coffee Tree5” to 10” (12 – 25 cm) long and up to 2” (5 cm) wide9. Eastern Redbud3.5 inches long, 0.5 inches wide10. Apples8 mm (0.3 inch)

Tree TypeSize11. Black Locust3 to 4 inches in length12. Northern Catalpa24” (60 cm) long13. Mimosa4” to 8” (1.2 – 2.4 cm) long and 1” (2.5 cm) wide14. Acacia10” (26 cm) long15. Honeylocust6-14″ long and 1-1½” across at maturity

Tree TypeSize16. Buckeye1-2” diameter17. Beech0.5” to 1” (1.12 – 2.5 cm) long18. Sycamore1” (2.5 cm) in diameter19. Silver Maple1.18” to 2” (3 – 5 cm) long20. Elm0.5” (1.22 cm) across

Tree TypeSize21. Cladrastis Kentukea2.5-4” long22. Carob Tree13 – 30 cm in length and about 2.5 cm wide23. Desert-Willow8 inch24. Basswood5 to 10 mm (0.2 to 0.4 in) in diameter25. Yellow Kowhai2.2 inches in length

Tree TypeSize26. Coral Tree12-inch- long27. Western Redbud1½ to 3½ inch long28. Blue Palo Verde1.5 to about 4 inches29. Purple Orchid Tree15 to 30 cm long30. Koa Tree6″ (15 cm) long and 1-1.5″ (2-4 cm) wide

Tree TypeSize31. Japanese Angelica4 mm in diameter32. Yellowwood Tree2½ to 4″ long33. Conifersbetween 1” and 6” (2.5 – 15 cm)34. Silver Birch1-1 1/2 inches long35. Catclaw Acacia3-5″ long

Tree TypeSize36. Screwbean Mesquite2-6″ (5-15 cm.) in length37. Persian Silk Tree4-8″ (10-20 cm.) long, ¾” (2 cm.)38. Royal Poinciana12” and 24” (30 – 60 cm) long39. Cape Wattleup to 10 cm in lengt40. Trumpet Treesabout 3″ (7.6 cm) long

Tree TypeSize41. Horse Chestnut1” to 2” (2.5 – 5 cm) in diameter42. Pine Tree0.78” to 23” (2 – 60 cm)43. Spruce Tree1” and 6” (2.5 – 15 cm)44. Fir Tree10” (25 cm)45. Jacaranda Tree3” (7.5 cm) across

Tree TypeSize46. Hornbeam1″ long47. Linden0.2” (0.5 cm) in diameter48. Tree of Heaven1-2″ long49. Common Hoptree2-2.5 cm (0.79-0.98 in) across50. Tulip Tree3” (7.5 cm) long

Tree TypeSize51. Tipu Tree50-60mm long52. Green Ash2” (5 cm) long53. Australian Black Bean Treeup to 20cm in length54. Lilac Tree¾ inch-long55. Southern Magnolia Tree1″-3″ in length

Tree TypeSize56. Sausage Treegrow up to 10 cm in diameter and 60 cm (2 feet) long57. Ludlow’s Tree Peony4¾-7 × 2-3⅓ cm58. Orchid Tree6-9″ long59. Red Maple Tree¾ to 1 inch60. Golden Rain Tree1¼- 2½ inches long

Tree TypeSize61. Cacao Treelength up to 35 cm (14″) and a width at the centre of 12 cm (4.7″)62. Eucalyptus Camaldulensis Tree2-5 mm (0.079-0.197 in) long and 4-10 mm (0.16-0.39 in) wide on a pedicel 3-12 mm (0.12-0.47 in) long63. Kalumpang Sarawak Treeabout 10 centimeters long64. Pandanus Treea diameter of 4-20 cm (1.6-7.9″)65. Korean Spindleberry1/2” across

Tree TypeSize66. Delonix Regia30 – 75 cm long, 5 – 8 cm wide67. Koelreuteria Paniculata3-6 cm long and 2-4 cm broad68. Ceiba Pentandra15 cm (6 in)69. Albizia Lebbeck Tree12 – 35 cm long70. Joshua Tree2.5-2″ long

Tree TypeSize71. Guanacaste Tree3 – 4 1/2″ long72. Australian Tree Hakea4-5 cm in diameter on average73. Mangrove Tree6″ (15 cm)74. Kapok Tree15 cm (6″) long75. Paulownia Tomentosa Foxglove Tree3-4 centimeters (1+1⁄8-1+5⁄8 in) long

There are advantages and disadvantages to having a tree. Some would be excited to know about the pros and cons of redbud trees. Despite the limited lifespan of these lovely, vibrantly colored trees, they have greatly benefited us and the environment. Spend some time learning about these trees, and prepare to have your mind blown by what you discover.

Popular Types of Trees With Seed Pods

Not all the trees on the list above are common and easy to come across in residential areas. However, you could come across some of them in forests or deserts. Below is a list of the most commonly planted seed pod trees. You have probably come across most of the trees on this list.

Popular Tree TypeSeed Pod DescriptionSizeMaple TreeWing-shaped, papery – helicopters, samaras3 – 5cm longOak TreeCup-shaped cupule, green-brown – acorn1-6 cmPalm TreeBall-likeDepends on the speciesCatalpa TreeCylindrical-shaped, cigar-like, green, dark brown when mature30 – 60 cmLocust TreeSpirally twisted, flat, dark brown, large, with oval seeds10 – 20 cm longAmerican Elm TreeFlat, oval-shaped, disc-like, papery, light green1.22 cm acrossAsh TreePaddle-shaped, oval, large, brown, papery5 cm longBeech TreeAngular-shaped, three sides, brown, hard shell with spiky burs- cupules1.12 – 2.5 cm long

Maple Tree Seed Pods Identification

Maple trees come in different species. They are easily identifiable by their bark, leaves, or seed pods. However, the easiest way is through the papery wing-shaped seed pods, often called samaras.

These samaras are joined at the center, and once they detach from the tree, they have a unique whirling motion. Maple seed pods will therefore be called helicopters, whirligigs, and whirlers. The seed pods grow between 1.18 and 2 inches long.

Once the seed pods have detached from the tree, the whirling action takes them far away from the tree, dispersing the seeds in different places. Maple trees have distinctive features,6 including leaves with pointed lobes. The bark has a gray-brown or reddish-brown color that you cannot miss.

Another identifying feature of the maple tree species is that they grow tall, some growing up to 150ft. Some popular maple tree species are the Red Maple, Silver Maple, and Japanese Maple.

All these trees have different features in color and growing conditions, but they all have samaras with helicopter action. Some grow along river banks, and others can survive pretty well in relatively dry areas. Maple seeds are also edible; the smaller the seed, the sweeter it is. The sizes differ in different species.

Oak Tree Seed Pods Identification (Oak Tree Seeds With Pods)

The fruit of an oak tree is called an oak nut or acorn. It has a tough protective shell that looks like a cup and has a cap. It is, therefore, quite easy to identify oak trees through the cupules or seed pods.

Various oak tree species have distinctive acorns. The acorns differ in shape and size depending on the oak tree species. Some have a smooth cap, others a scaly one, and others have hair.

It also differs in shape; some are oval, while others are ball-shaped. The common colors in mature acorns among the oak tree species are black, red, and brown. However, all the acorns will be green before maturity.

The seed pods have two seeds inside, varying in size from small to large. Small acorns are about 0.5 inches, while the bigger ones can go up to 3 inches in diameter. Oaknuts are edible, with the sweetest ones being from Pin Oak, Cork Oak, and Burr Oak.

However, tanning in acorns is toxic to human beings. It also makes raw oak nuts bitter and untasty. The best way to remove the tanning is to soak the nuts in water and drain them until it is clear.

Identification: Palm Tree Seed Pods

One of the trees that you may find almost everywhere is a palm tree. Ever wonder how many types of palm trees are there?

Palm trees belong to the Arecaceae family and have over 2600 species. The trees grow in warm countries near tropical beaches. However, some species can also grow indoors in cold or temperate climates.

The most common palm tree species are the Pygmy date palm and the coconut palm, which are common along coastlines. There is also the Christmas palm tree and Mediterranean dwarf palm, among others.

It is not easy to miss a palm tree because of its unique characteristics. Every part of the tree can be used to identify it, including the trunk and the seed pods. Palm trees have feather-like, fan-shaped leaves that are long and evergreen.

The trunk is also a good identifier as it has fibers and grows extremely tall in some species. Date palms will grow to about 75ft, while coconut palms can reach 100ft. There are also dwarf palm trees that grow up to 9ft, making it easy to have them as houseplants.

The tallest palm trees are about 200ft, equivalent to a 25-story building. One palm tree species with easily identifiable seed pods is the coconut tree. It has a huge green or yellow fruit that turns into a hard brown seed when it matures. It also has spiky hairs on it and can be quite heavy.

Related Reading: What Are Carbon Offsetting Companies and How To Find the Best One?

Catalpa Tree Seed Pods

Catalpa seeds have long seed pods that dangle from the tree and are very easy to identify. The tree has trumpet-shaped blooms that are white or yellow in color, and the leaves are heart-shaped. These flowers are fragrant, and the tree bark is usually brown or greyish in color.

The Northern Catalpa and the Southern Catalpa are the most common species of the catalpa trees.10 The seed pods appear on the trees in fall and could go to Winter and Spring. However, they are very distinctive because of their slender and long features.

The trees grow very fast and do well in warm temperate places. The trees also live long and could grow up to 50ft above the ground. It has a rounded canopy that spreads out, making the tree perfect for backyards as an ornamental shade tree.

It is easy to distinguish between Northern and Southern catalpas through the seed pods. While the Northern ones grow up to 24 inches long, the others only grow to 12 inches. The pods are green but eventually turn brown and split open, exposing winged seeds.

The seeds are then carried by the wind and dispersed all over. While the catalpa seeds are not toxic to human beings, they lack nutritional content or good taste. Therefore, people do not eat them even if they look like beans.

The shape and structure of the seed pods have earned the tree names like cigar tree, smoking bean tree, and Indian cigar tree. Each node on the catalpa tree has three leaves with a smooth margin and a heart shape. It is a perfect tree to plant in residential gardens.

Locust Tree Seed Pods (Black Locust Tree Seeds and Honey Locust Tree Seed Pods)

Locust trees have many identifiable features ranging from the trunk, flowers, leaves, and spirally twisted seed pods. The tree has white flowers that dangle in clusters and can grow up to 100ft.

Its trunk has thorns, and the leaves are large and pinnate. Locust trees grow very fast and belong to the Fabaceae family. The two most common types of plants are the Honey locust and Black locust trees.7

Even though most of the locust tree species are full of long and sharp thorns, some species are thornless. Therefore, the best way to identify locust trees is through the long and distinct seed pods that hang from the tree.

The seed pods on locust trees can grow up to 20 cm long and have oval seeds inside. It is important to note that different locust tree species have different seeds. While some are edible, and even animals enjoy eating them, others have very toxic compounds.

Locust trees also produce highly durable hardwood that can be used to make furniture and small boats. The trees are also excellent for shade and look beautiful when the flowers bloom in the fall.

American Elm Tree Seeds With Pods (Elm Tree Seed Pods)

Elm trees are popular in residential areas because of their wide canopy that provides shade and the wood it produces. The trees have rot-resistant wood that is flexible but does not split. It is, therefore, excellent for making musical instruments and bows.

While it has many identifiable features, the elm tree’s best feature to use when trying to identify the tree is its seed pods. They have samaras, which in this case have a light papery casing and are round and small.

They grow in clusters and have a light green color that makes them easy to identify. Once the samaras have matured, a single seed forms inside and detaches from the tree in Spring. The tree’s bark is also quite distinct, with furrows and a grayish-brown color.

The trunk and the branches will have a lace-like texture that makes them easy to identify. There are various species of elm trees, with the most common ones being the American, Florida, and Chinese elm trees.

The Chinese elm has a slightly different bark from the rest, but it also has papery samaras. Therefore, the best way to identify elm trees is through the seed pods’ structure and shape.

Ash Tree Seeds With Pods (Ash Tree Seed Pods)

Ash tree seed pods are flat,8 oval, and papery, making it very easy to identify the trees. They look like dried leaves as they hang from the tree branches. They can grow up to 3 inches tall, and the fruit matures in the fall.

The ash tree seed pods are also called samaras. The samaras grow on female trees only because it is the one that produces fruit. Due to the fallen samaras’ mess on the ground, most people prefer to plant male ash trees in their backyards.

The tree has compound leaves with five pairs of leaflets on each one. The leaflets are pointed, and each leaf has a terminal leaflet. The standard height of ash trees is between 60 and 80ft. The bark is grayish-brown in color, and the leaves are about 12 inches long.

The tree seed pods identification on ash trees is made easy by the brown color of the matured seed pods. Before maturity, the pods are green and easy to recognize because of their length. Ash trees come in various species like the Green and White Ash trees. While each has its characteristics, both species have the same types of seed pods on their female trees.

Beech Tree Seeds With Pods

Beech trees are colorful shade trees that form a round, dense crown with branches and leaves. They have beechnuts that make the tree easily identifiable. The flowers are in clusters and start green-yellow in color. However, they later turn into beautiful Autumn shades of yellow, golden brown, and range.

The tree has 13 species, the most common being European and American beech trees. The trees are resistant to diseases and pests, which makes them excellent trees for huge landscapes.

The leaves have an elliptical shape and look glossy with a green color when young. They grow up to 6 by 4 inches. You can see a serrated look on the leaf if you sift through it. The beautiful bright colors on the tree are one of the most direct beech tree identification.

On the other hand, the fruit has a brown color with a shell with three sides and spikes all over it. It is an easy seed pod to identify. Beech trees have a dense crown, which is why it needs enough room to grow. The trees can also grow up to 80 ft.

Tree Seed Pods Identification Florida: Popular Types of Tree Seeds in Florida

Florida has a good climate that makes it possible to have various tree species throughout the landscapes.11 You will find different seed pod trees within Florida. Some trees are planted in backyards, and others in forests and landscapes.

Some of the seed pod trees you will likely find in Florida are palm trees, oak trees, magnolia, and maple trees. All these trees are identifiable through their distinctive seed pods. While some have samaras, others have cupules.

The trees from the Fabaceae family will have long seed pods with multiple seeds inside and split open to disperse. Additionally, some trees in Florida have edible fruits, and others have toxins.

When living in Florida, it is important to know which seed pods belong to which tree. That helps you know which trees will do well in your backyard and which will likely give you much work to maintain.

The full chart above on the various types of seed pod trees and the explanations on popular trees will help you identify tree seed pods in Florida. You can plant a tree with full knowledge of what to expect when the fruit matures.

Trees With Seed Pods in Colorado

The most common tree with seed pods in Colorado is the catalpa tree. It has bean-like pods that have winged seeds inside. It is, therefore, easy for the wind to disperse the seeds, which is why Colorado has many catalpa trees in different locations.

Aside from the Western Catalpa, Colorado has other seed pod trees like Golden Rain, Cottonwood, Blue Spruce, Oaks, and Fir. All these trees have distinct seed pods that distinguish one tree from the other.

Nowadays, more people are taking an active role in protecting the environment. They may be searching for tree seed pods because they are concerned about how many trees cut down each year and want to learn how tree planting carbon offset may help.

Understanding these seed pods is the first step; the next is learning how to grow them. People are making sure that what they are planting endures and fulfills its function – to beautify and fight climate change.

It is crucial to be aware of the benefits of planting trees if you want to achieve environmental sustainability. Remember that internal transformation must precede external change. By using an eco footprint calculator, you should be able to pinpoint the acts that had an adverse influence on the environment and make decisions to lessen those effects.

Related Reading: How Many Trees Are in the World?

With the help of this guide, you will be able to identify different types of trees by looking at their pods and other features like the leaves, bark, and color. Colorado provides an excellent climate for all these different tree species to thrive.

Most tree species are identifiable through leaves, flowers, bark, and trunk. However, some require more than that to know which tree it is.

This tree seed pods identification chart can help you identify trees and protect them to help the planet.

Frequently Ask Questions About Tree Seed Pods Identification

Many hunters like to talk about the gear they bring on their hunts. The true gear nerds, like us, may even obsess over carefully-calculated spreadsheets that account for every item that enters their pack. (You can get a copy of our gear list spreadsheet.)

Once you know WHAT to pack, don’t overlook HOW to pack and WHERE to store each item that you bring. Consistency in the “how” and “where” will make a big difference in the comfort of your load, as well as in the efficiency of how you hunt.

In this video, owner of Exo Mtn Gear, Steve Speck, shows how he packs the K3 3200 for a multiday backpack hunt.

Weight Distribution

You must consider where the heaviest items you are carrying will be loaded in the pack. In general, you want to keep the heaviest items as close to your back as possible, and in the middle to upper-third of the pack, vertically.

Lighter and bulkier items, such as a sleeping bag, should be stored at the bottom of the bag, making a nice “base” to keep heavier items (such as food) propped up in the bag.

This rule of weight distribution is one reason, among many others, that we designed our hydration bladder sleeve at the back of the bag — keeping the weight close to your back. And also why we have an included water bladder hanger, keeping the water in the middle-to-upper section of the pack.

If you position heavier items further away from your back (your center of gravity) it will feel as if the load is “pulling away” from you. And if you have heavy items at the very bottom of the pack, those items can add increased pressure and fatigue to your lower back.

By strategically placing items in the bag to manage weight distribution, your pack will truly feel better than a pack that isn’t loaded properly.

Accessibility

In addition to weight distribution, consider how accessible an item needs to be. Ask yourself, “How often do I need to access this item? When do I need to access this item?”

In the example of your sleep system (sleeping bag, sleeping pad, etc), you should only need to access those items once a day, and specifically at the end of the day. For those reasons, it makes a ton of sense to store them at the bottom of the pack. In comparison, your puffy jacket — much like your sleeping bag — is a light and compressible item, but your jacket may need to be accessed and stored multiple times throughout the day. It wouldn’t make sense to bury your jacket in the pack and have to dig it out of the bottom of the bag when you sit for that morning glassing session after you’ve hiked up a ridge.

Your kill kit (knife, rope, license, etc) is another gear item that you don’t need frequent access to and can be stored out of the way. In contrast, you likely use your stove at least a couple of times each day, so it makes sense to store your stove in an easily accessible location.

Protection

Consider protection “from” as well as protection “for”. Meaning, you need to store some items in a way that protects them FROM other items. For example, in the video, Steve talks about storing his tent stakes separate from his sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and pillow, so that a tent stake can’t accidentally puncture one of those sensitive items.

When it comes to protection “for”, you are ensuring that small items are secured in a way where they won’t get lost. If you just tossed your headlamp in the main area of the pack, it could be difficult to locate, or may get lost when you pull out another item (such as a jacket) and don’t realize that the headlamp fell out of the pack at that time. Our packs feature several pockets that offer protection and dedicated storage for small items, and you can extend that functionality with the secure K3 Stash Pockets.

Consistency

As you spend more time with your pack and gear, you will develop a pack-loading and gear storage strategy that meets your needs and preferences. With time, this consistency will allow you to hunt more efficiently.

You will spend less time loading your pack before the hunt begins. You will spend less time wondering where something is when you need it during the hunt. And you will spend less time getting your gear in order and establishing camp at the end of the day. All of this time and energy saved will allow you to focus on enjoying the hunt itself.

By GunSpot

There is nothing more frustrating that having a really great gun on hand and no way to shoot it. That’s been the case for us with the Model 2020 Waypoint rifle we’ve been using (see GunSpot’s pieces on taking the Waypoint out on a hunt and also running the rifle through the NRL Hunter Match), as it has been very difficult to acquire ammo — something we know all of you are facing as well.

Recently, we were fortunate to be able to acquire some Deer Season XP 125-gr. 6.5 Creedmoor rounds from Winchester Ammunition, and could not wait to get it and the Waypoint rifle out to the range. We wanted to know if this was a legitimate long-range hunting round.

Fuel for the Fire

The Deer Season XP loading has been specifically designed for deer hunting, to take down an animal as quickly and humanely as possible. The loading is offered in a variety of chamberings, ranging from .223 to .30-06 to 7mm Magnum. Bullet weights range anywhere from 64 to 250 grains.

The projectile itself features an “Extreme Point” with an oversized impact diameter. The means more energy transfers to the target which is better for taking down deer. The round has a large diameter polymer tip as well as a tapered jacket for the flat-based projectile.

In 6.5 Creedmoor as tested, it has a muzzle velocity of 2,850 feet per second, while the energy is 2,254 ft-lbs. When we went out and shot our first groups at 100 yards, we hooked a Magnetospeeed to our rifle and only had a 7.4 feet per second standard deviation, which is very, very impressive.

Palpable Performance

This round is clearly built to deliver energy on target and put down an animal, but the real question is, how does it fly? Is it accurate? We started zeroing our Model 2020 Waypoint with this bullet and we ended up with a very tight group at 100 yards. Was it as tight as match ammo would produce? No, but it’s still a very accurate round. And remember, this is a round designed to take down an animal first and foremost.

But how accurate is it? To really wring it out, we decided to test it out over some long-range distances. Frankly, most hunters on average probably never shoot farther than maybe 250 yards on a deer. You can shoot farther for sure, but I’d imagine most hunters in the country don’t feel confident past 300 yards. So, we figured this round has probably never been tested by reviewers at 1,000 yards. We decided to give it a shot.

Now, we did have some doubts about this bullet and the reason being that it has a flat base. Flat-based bullets will deliver plenty of impact, but they don’t fly as well as boat-tailed bullets. As a result, we went in with relatively low expectations, expectations that were soon proven wrong.

After we got the rifle zeroed, we first decided to try a target at 405 yards. Grant hit this with no problem. Then we moved on and hit targets at 617, 760 and 1082 yards. Once we moved on from the 1082 yard mark, we noticed the bullet was harder to predict.

For a flat-based hunting round to be accurate out to nearly 1,100 yards is no small feat. We were pleasantly surprised by how well this round performed at distance. Grant felt comfortable enough that as long as the shot was well-placed, he could definitely hit a deer-sized target consistently at 600 yards and put it down.

Conclusion

All in all, we were excited to get the chance to test some ammunition during this ammo crisis. The 6.5 Creedmoor Deer Season XP is an awesome cartridge that any hunter would be lucky to use. And now we know as long as the hunter is skilled enough for the shot, it could be used to take down deer effectively out to 600 yards. Is it the best long-range hunting round? We hope to find out this fall!

Just remember to get out and practice shooting long distance as much as you can. Even though the round is capable, you might not be. It is unethical to take a shot at an animal that you are not confident in. So, practice, shoot smart and be a good steward of conservation. And pick up some of this ammo as we can assure you it will do its part!

Editor’s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the “Go To Forum Thread” link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!

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Featured in this video

California monarchs

Q: Are there two populations of monarch butterflies in California?

A: The bottom line is that it’s unclear, but we continue to track the research, as we are responsible for their conservation and successful migration.

In addition to the declining population of migratory western monarch butterflies, scientists are seeing an increase in resident monarchs that breed year-round. Resident monarchs have been reported in higher numbers in coastal areas from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area. Historically, the migratory monarch population overwintered in coastal groves from October to March. During the rest of the year, monarchs migrated and bred throughout states west of the Rocky Mountains. In the past, winter breeding may have occurred at a low level. However, over the past few years it has expanded concurrent with the decline of the migratory population. A 2021 scientific study estimated that there were approximately 12,000 resident monarchs — more than six times the remaining migratory population.

Scientists are currently looking into which factors are influencing the transition to year-round breeding. One hypothesis is that the expansion of nonnative tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) in home gardens may induce winter breeding. Climate change could also play a role as warmer winter weather exposes monarchs to temperatures that can cause them to break reproductive diapause early.

It is unclear whether resident monarchs represent a separate population from the migratory population or if there is intermixing. If they are distinct populations, questions remain over whether the resident and migratory populations can persist side by side. Finally, scientists are still trying to determine if the transition to year-round breeding represents a persistent trend or is a short-term adaptation to local conditions.

As a trustee agency, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is tasked with protecting California’s flora and fauna, including terrestrial invertebrates like monarch butterflies for their ecological value and enjoyment by the public. California Fish and Game Code (FGC) section 1021 directs CDFW to “take feasible actions to conserve monarch butterflies and the unique habitats they depend upon for successful migration.”

Turkey hunting guides

Q: I’m a fairly inexperienced turkey hunter but I’m interested in learning more this fall. Other than word-of-mouth, do you have any suggestions on how (and where) I might find a good guide?

A: Yes! CDFW maintains a list of licensed guides for both hunting and fishing. You can find the list on our website, and sort by services offered, species targeted and/or county, as well as by name or permit number if you’re looking for a particular guide. Guided hunts are often worth the investment for new hunters – you’re paying for their shared knowledge and experience, and it greatly increases your chances of a successful outing! Good luck!

Lake and streambed alteration

Q: My neighbor is dumping dirt in the creek by our home. Is this legal?

A: It might be. California Fish and Game Code (FGC) section 1602(a) requires notification to CDFW of any activity that would substantially alter the bed, bank or channel of a river, stream or lake, or dispose of material where it could enter into a river, stream or lake. Therefore, it would be illegal for your neighbors to alter the creek bed by your home without notifying CDFW. CDFW requires a Lake and Streambed Alteration (LSA) Agreement when a project activity may substantially adversely affect fish and wildlife resources. For more information, please visit CDFW’s LSA Program online.

FGC section 5650 outlines prohibitions on water pollution including discharge of any of the following into California waterways:

(1) Any petroleum, acid, coal or oil tar, lampblack, aniline, asphalt, bitumen, or residuary product of petroleum, or carbonaceous material or substance.

(2) Any refuse, liquid or solid, from any refinery, gas house, tannery, distillery, chemical works, mill, or factory of any kind.

(3) Any sawdust, shavings, slabs, or edgings.

(4) Any factory refuse, lime, or slag.

(5) Any cocculus indicus.

(6) Any substance or material deleterious to fish, plant life, mammals, or bird life.

If you believe you have witnessed an environmental crime, you should document the incident(s) via CalTip: wildlife.ca.gov/Enforcement/CalTIP. Other agencies, including local government entities, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and Army Corps of Engineers, to name a few, may also have legal authority over these activities.

Bag vs. possession limit

Q: What’s the difference between a bag limit and possession limit? Is the possession limit always double the bag limit?

A: “Bag limit” is defined in California Fish and Game Code (FGC), section 18 as the maximum limit, in number or amount, of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles or amphibians that may lawfully be taken by any one person during a specified period of time. “Possession limit” is defined in FGC, section 19 as the maximum, in number or amount, of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, or amphibians that may be lawfully possessed by one person.

The answer to your second question is no, the possession limit is not always double the bag limit. Possession limit and bag limit are frequently different, so it’s crucial to consult the appropriate regulations for the fish, game or other species you are attempting to take. As an example, during waterfowl season the daily bag limit is seven ducks. The possession limit for ducks is triple the daily bag limit so a hunter can legally possess 21 ducks.

CDFW Photo

You could be anxiously anticipating the Virginia Deer Season in 2024 if you like hunting or being outside. It’s important to keep up with the most recent rules and information for this year’s hunting season since there are many different hunting opportunities and locales. We will provide an overview of the Virginia Deer Season for 2024 on this page, including key dates, bag restrictions, rules, and any exceptions or extra hunting possibilities. So let’s get started with everything you need to know for a productive and fun deer hunting season in Virginia. So get your gear, get ready to explore the woods, and let’s get started!

Virginia Deer Season 2024

Virginia’s deer hunting season is a favorite time of year for hunters of all ages and abilities. Early November through the end of December marks the start of the hunting season. The longest season is the archery one, lasting from September through January. There are rules requiring hunters to wear blaze orange apparel during the gun season and have a valid hunting license and deer tag, and bag limits vary based on the kind of hunting.

Archery Season

Archery SeasonDatesAllowed Deer Early Archery SeasonOctober 1 – November 18Either sex Late Archery SeasonsDecember 4 – January 7Either sex December 1 – January 7 December 18 – January 7 Urban Archery Deer SeasonsSeptember 3 – September 30Antlerless only Urban Archery Deer SeasonsJanuary 8 – March 26, 2024Antlerless only NOVA Late Archery SeasonMarch 27 – April 30, 2024Antlerless only

Muzzleloader Season

Muzzleloader Deer Season NameDatesEither-sex Deer Hunting Days Early Muzzleloader SeasonNovember 5 through November 18November 5 through November 18 Late Muzzleloader Season (East)December 17 through January 7December 17 through January 7 January 2 through January 7 7-Jan Late Muzzleloader Season (West)December 17 through January 7December 17 through January 7 January 2 through January 7 7-Jan

Firearms Deer Seasons

Firearms Deer SeasonDates Firearms Deer SeasonsNov. 19 – Dec. 3 Nov. 19 – Dec. 3 Nov. 26, Dec. 2-3 Nov. 19 – Jan. 7 (full season) Nov. 26, Dec. 3, Jan. 2 – Jan. 7 Nov. 26, Nov. 28 – Dec. 3 Nov. 26, Dec. 3, Dec. 5 – Dec. 17 Oct. 8, 15, Nov. 18 – Nov. 30 Nov. 19 – Dec. 17 Nov. 19 – Dec. 17 (full season) Nov. 26, Dec. 3, Dec. 10 – Jan. 7 Nov. 19 – Dec. 3 Early and Late Antlerless Only Firearms Deer SeasonsEarly: September 3 through September 30 Late: January 8, 2024 through March 26, 2024

Note: You may check the dwr.virginia.gov website for the season regions for the aforementioned hunting dates.

VA Deer Bag Limits

LocationDaily Bag LimitLicense Year Bag LimitAntlered Deer LimitAntlerless Deer LimitOther Limitations East of Blue Ridge (except on National Forest lands in Amherst, Bedford, and Nelson counties)263At least 3On National Forest areas and Department-owned and -managed lands, no more than 1 deer each day. Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and in all cities and towns east of the Blue Ridge except in the cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Virginia BeachUnlimitedNo more than 3 antlered deer in a license year-On National Forest areas and Department-owned and -managed lands, no more than 1 deer each day. West of Blue Ridge and on National Forest lands in Amherst, Bedford, and Nelson counties252At least 3On National Forest areas and Department-owned and -managed lands, no more than 1 deer each day. All cities and towns west of the Blue RidgeUnlimitedMaximum 2 antlered deer in a license year-On National Forest areas and Department-owned and -managed lands, no more than 1 deer each day. Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Highland, or Rockbridge County-23 with at least 1 buck having 4 antler points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlersOn National Forest areas and Department-owned and -managed lands, no more than 1 deer each day. Statewide Elk Hunting1 elk per day-

VA Deer Licenses

License TypeAgeFees Resident Sportsman’s License16 and older$100.00 Resident Youth Combination Hunting License12 to 15$16.00 Resident Hunting License* 1-year license16 and older$23.00 2-year license16 and older$44.00 3-year license16 and older$65.00 4-year license16 and older$86.00 Resident Senior Citizen Hunting License$9.00 Resident County or City Hunting License16 and older$16.00 Nonresident Youth Combination Hunting LicenseUnder age 16$31.00 Additional Requirements (may be required with a resident hunting license) Resident Deer License$23.00 Resident Junior Deer License12 to 15$8.50 Nonresident Deer License Valid July 1 through June 30 Age 16 and older$86.00 Age 12 to 15$16.00 Under age 12$13.00

Virginia requires a hunting license and a deer/turkey license from July 1 to June 30 to hunt deer. National Forest, State Forest Use, and Bonus Deer Permits may also be needed.

• Virginia hunters need a hunting and archery license to shoot deer with bows. Deer/turkey licenses, National Forest Permits, State Forest Use Permits, and Bonus Deer Permits may be needed.

• Hunting and muzzleloading licenses are needed to hunt deer in Virginia during muzzleloader season. Deer/turkey licenses, National Forest Permits, State Forest Use Permits, and Bonus Deer Permits may be needed. Archery or muzzleloading licenses are not needed for firearms deer season archery or muzzleloading hunting.

Hunting Regulation

• Deer tags indicate the hunted species. Both antlered and antlerless deer may use either-sex deer tags, but only antlerless deer can utilize antlerless-only tags.

• The animal must be marked with an either-sex deer tag and have antlers visible above the hairline to be classified as an antlered deer.

• Antlerless deer may only be hunted on either-sex days in the archery, muzzleloading, and firearms seasons, save for children and apprentice hunters. They do button bucks and shed-antlered bucks. Tags for antlerless deer are either either-sex or antlerless-only. Antlerless deer include antlered deer that have lost their antlers or have antlers below the hairline.

• Virginia resident and nonresident hunting permits are good for one year from purchase, except those valid from July 1 to June 30. These include the Virginia migrating waterfowl conservation stamp, bear, deer/turkey, and package licenses. Lifetime and two-year apprentice hunting permits are available. The Virginia Wildlife website lists hunter education requirements. Hunting licenses and permits cannot be altered, changed, borrowed, or lent.

• Deer hunting east of the Blue Ridge has a two-per-day and six-per-license-year bag limit. Unless otherwise stated, the six-deer quota must include at least three antlerless deer and no more than three antlered deer. Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and all cities and towns east of the Blue Ridge save Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach have no deer bag restriction. A license year may only kill three-antlered deer. One deer per day is allowed on National Forest and Department-owned and managed properties east of the Blue Ridge. Before hunting, no bag limits and other rules to be safe and legal.

• A license year limits the number of antlered bucks killed in Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Highland, and Rockbridge counties. In these counties, a hunter must kill two antlered bucks with at least four one-inch antler points on one side.

• Antlered deer must have at least four one-inch antler points on one side to be lawfully taken in the Flippo-Gentry WMA and Featherfin WMA. These kiosks explain APR bounds.

• Bonus Deer Permits last year. Only antlerless deer may utilize these licenses on private and permitted public properties. Bonus Deer Permits are applicable only on authorized either-sex deer hunting days for all archery (including urban archery), muzzleloader, and firearm deer seasons (including early and late antlerless-only). These licenses let hunters capture more antlerless deer without exceeding the daily bag limit. Bonus Deer Permits are invalid in Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise counties and on National Forest and Department-owned property. Hunters may buy unlimited Bonus Deer Permits.

• Tree stand hunting requires a full-body safety harness. Keep tied to the tree when off the ground and limit tether slack to lessen fall injury risk. Plan for emergency self-rescue. Use a haul rope to bring your unloaded rifle or bow into the tree stand. Crossbows may be lifted while cocked, but don’t load them until you’re in the stand and ready to hunt. Maintain manufactured tree stands per manufacturer recommendations. Homemade stands may collapse with time, causing accidents. To guarantee your tree stand is safe, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website. Even well-used tree stands may need to be fixed and recalled.

• Deers have a two-day and five-license-year bag restriction west of the Blue Ridge and on National Forest properties in Amherst, Bedford, and Nelson counties. Unless otherwise stated, the five-deer limit requires at least three antlerless deer and no more than two antlered deer. All cities and municipalities west of the Blue Ridge have an unrestricted daily deer bag limit, but only two antlered deer each license year. National Forest and Department-owned/managed properties west of the Blue Ridge allow one deer per day. If a deer hunter kills two antlered bucks in Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Highland, or Rockbridge County in a license year, at least one must have four antler points, one inch or longer, on one side. One elk per day is allowed statewide.

• Even license-exempt deer hunters have bag limits. Bonus deer permits or DCAP, DMAP, and DPOP permits enable hunters on private and approved public properties to capture more antlerless deer than the license-year bag limit. The daily and season bag limits do not apply to these exceptional deer licenses. Hunters with these special licenses may take more antlerless deer than the bag limit without violating the law.

Questions about the Virginia Deer hunting season

An In-Depth Look at Shot Sizes, Loads & Chokes for Pheasant & Quail Hunting

A good deal of my experience comes from 55+ years of hunting quail and pheasants, mostly in Illinois, but more recently in other states and involving other species. Reloading experience comes from shooting skeet since 1985 and loading many 100’s of thousands of shells over the years. Once I find a load that works well in skeet, it is usually very good for the bulk of my upland hunting. As I age and reflexes begin to slow a little bit, I find my 28 ga. is a better gun for me to carry and hunt quail with. The weight and 26” barrels allow me to get on the birds quicker. My 20-gauge o/u is the same model as the 28, but with 30” barrels and I tend to use 1 oz. loads for pheasant and grouse species. I have, however, dumped quite a few pheasants with the 28 and 7.5 shot. I will use heavier shot for wild pheasants, especially in the late season when they have been hunted and don’t tend to hold tight once pointed. Let’s take a look at some of the developments in ammunition that have improved the entire upland hunting experience and how what load you use while bird hunting can have a major effect on the quality and quantity of table fare you have at the end of an upland hunting trip.

*Interested in an Orvis/ Shooting Sportsman Endorsed Upland Hunting Trip at Harpole’s Heartland Lodge? Experience some of the finest traditional wingshooting in the country! Click Here to Learn More >>*

Improvements in Ammunition for Upland Hunting

The first development was the improvement of ammunition. Paper hulls, fiber wads, soft shot, less selection of shot size, and little choice of shot materials were the order of the day when I started hunting back in the 60’s. Today, almost all hulls are plastic, shot is harder, shot is available in a more varied range of sizes and materials, wad columns are predominantly one piece and plastic, powders are more efficient, hulls are color coded (20 and 16) for safety purposes, and there are more ammunition manufacturers than the “big three” of my youth. Winchester, Remington, and Federal are producing the vast majority of the shells made in the U.S. There are some companies that have been purchased by one or more of these and are still sold under their original brand name. There are many imported brands available also. Many of these are easily reloadable. Consult publications put out by powder and reloading equipment manufacturers for recipes and components. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE PUBLISHED RECIPE AS VARYING FROM IT CAN CAUSE POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE GUN AND/OR INJURY/DEATH TO THE SHOOTER AND ANY BYSTANDERS.

I hunted pheasant, quail, and rabbits as a kid. Six shot for the big stuff and 8’s for quail were most commonly used. Shell selection in the 16, 28, and 410 was very limited and still is. For the 12 and 20 gauge, there is such a multitude of hunting shells available that it is difficult to know what to purchase sometimes. Often, the decision made is based on cost alone. I came from a small town and used what I could get my hands on which wasn’t always the correct load or shot size for what I was hunting. Interested in hunting wild quail or pheasant at a legendary American Wing-Shooting Lodge? Check out what Harpole’s Heartland Lodge Quail and Pheasant Hunting Lodge has to offer here>>

Best Shot Shells for Quail & Pheasant Hunting

What is to follow is just my opinion based on actual hunting situations from a lifetime of wingshooting experience. I hunt over bird dogs, if the bird is not pointed, there is not going to be a shot. The cheapest shells, also called promotional loads, are inferior to top of the line shells by the same manufacturer. Cheap components are what make the promotional loads cheaper. Poor patterning due to soft shot and too much velocity will produce disappointing results under most circumstances. In promotional loads, velocity is boosted thereby raising chamber pressures to ensure that gas operated autoloaders will function reliably. Some hunters try to get by with one gun and use it for everything they might hunt. A 12 ga. goose gun is sorely lacking when hunting quail even if the loads and choke have been changed to be more appropriate. (Often times, a wife has a major impact on what equipment is allowed. They do not tend to understand the difference between tools and toys.) This being the case, promotional load patterns tend to spread quickly due to soft shot deforming as it leaves the barrel. Those trying to make due with one gun with a reasonably tight choke will get more open patterns with the cheapies, but not necessarily better performance and more birds in the bag.

The 28 ga. 1-ounce loads are an attempt to make the sweet little 28’s into something they were never intended to be. These guns are light weight and fast handling. They are probably the most ballistically perfect of any of the gauges in the ¾ oz. standard loading. The one ouncers are abusive and not worth the extra expense if you can even find them on the gun shop shelf. If larger shot charges and shot sizes are necessary for what you hunt, go to a bigger gauge. For more information on hunting pheasant and quail with the 28 gauge, click here>>

Velocity & Ounce Size for Pheasant & Quail Hunting

Even if the shells you purchase are top of the line, there is no reason to have 1300+ feet per second lead loads to harvest upland birds, especially in 12 ga. heavy loads. Some manufacturers making these loads are sponsors for upland hunting tv shows which entices newbies that don’t pheasant or quail hunt much to buy them. The extra recoil is unnecessary, unpleasant, will eventually cause a flinching problem for the shooter, and they will not kill a pheasant or quail any deader than a standard velocity hunting load. Some specialty loads with semi-exotic names (Prairie “Butt Kickers” for example) are great for pheasant drives with long shots taken on wild flushes or over flushing bird dogs, but the quality of the pheasant for the table is sadly lacking. They tend to look like someone went postal on them with a large bore screwdriver. I have tried those in 12 ga. with 1 ¼ oz. of shot pushed at 1500 fps. I took two boxes with me on a pheasant hunting trip and shot exactly 2 of them, killing 2 pheasants before I made it back to the truck and swapped them out for my standard loads. I gave away all of those butt kickers to a kid that liked to be physically abused in the face and shoulder. He quit using them at the end of one box and gave the other away. It should be noted that both of us were using gas operated autos so recoil would be lessened.

Nontoxic shot was mandated by Federal law for waterfowl hunting and has infiltrated some State ran hunting areas for non-migrating species. Nontoxic loads have come a long way since the original mandate. Steel is cheapest and there are some loadings in other metals and combinations of metals that perform as well as or better than lead loads for upland game but are very expensive to say the least. Those loads bear looking into for nontoxic restriction areas. From experience, steel 3’s and 4’s in 12 or 20 gauges seem to do the job quite well on pheasants and steel 6’s or 7’s are good for quail and woodcock hunting. Extra speed in steel loads is generally necessary to impart greater striking force on the game being shot because steel is lighter than lead.

Size of Shot vs Quality of Table Fare

What will make a difference in hunting and table fare is the type and size of shot that is used. If the shot size is matched to the game and the customary distances that the game is taken, the results will be pleasing. I converted to hunting with copper plated shot back in the late 1980’s. Copper plated, or nickel-plated shot penetrates better, deforms less than plain soft lead shot, and even performs better in all choke choices. (Generally, copper or nickel-plated shot throws tighter patterns by one choke than the choke that is being utilized. For instance, a skeet choke with copper or nickel-plated shot will throw Improved Cylinder patterns.) This makes a difference in the quality of the table fare. There is less feather draw and blood in the bird when harvested because the shot tends to cut the feathers rather than wad up in them and pull the feathers into the meat. A distinct difference is visually apparent when dressing out pheasants and quail.

Years ago, my hunting buddies invited a fellow to hunt with us on opening weekend of quail and pheasant season in Illinois. He was the one shooting plain lead shot. The rest of us were shooting copper plated 7 ½ or 8’s. We harvested 35 quail that first morning. He had shot 6 of those. When we were done dressing out the birds, we told him to inspect them and see if he could pick out the ones he had shot. To his amazement, the task was very easily accomplished. Anything I can do to make the table fare better is worth any extra expense to me.

Choke Tubes for Upland Game

A second important shotgunning innovation, in my opinion, is the development of screw-in chokes. When I began my shotgunning career, fixed chokes were all that was available in production guns. The only versatility of choke came in doubles or over/unders. They commonly had two different chokes, one for close in and one for farther out. Single barreled guns that were choked for waterfowl or walking up on pheasants were sorely lacking for quail and bunny hunting. Some manufacturers listened to their customers’ complaints about versatility and began making extra interchangeable barrels in different barrel lengths and chokes, so hunters did not have to have two or three extra guns for hunting. This worked for most folks, but eventually became a nuisance. At one time I had a Remington 1100 with three different barrels. I even had a barrel outfitted with a PolyChoke device. The PolyChoke worked as advertised. But in the end, I could not stand to look at it on the end of my barrel. It was like looking at Sandra Bullock or Jennifer Anniston with walnut sized wart on the end of their noses.

Screw in Chokes for Wingshooting

Then sometime in the 70’s or 80’s, a guy by the name of Stan Baker out on the West coast started making screw-in chokes for custom trap gun barrels. This revolutionary idea finally caught on and the rest is history. There is very little need for multiple barrels when all that is needed is to screw in a different choke. There are multitudes of different chokes with different features to get ourselves lost in. For my money, extended chokes rather than flush mounted ones are the way to go. They can be changed quickly in the field with fingers only. They are often color coded, so I do not have to carry my reading glasses to see what choke I want to change to. They can be plain or ported which can help with barrel jump and felt recoil. There are several after-market companies that make them for a wide variety of gun makes and models as well as factory choke tubes. There are even after-market companies that make custom chokes for specific loads to get the best possible performance. Waterfowl and turkey hunters have been the biggest beneficiaries of these specific custom chokes.

My advice in all of this is not to scrimp on the quality of the shells you hunt with. Pattern test the loads and chokes you hunt with to make sure they perform at the distances you customarily take your shots. I usually carry an extra choke in my pocket and a couple of different shot sizes in my vest in case conditions change and I need to change with them. Extremely windy days can necessitate going to a shot size or two larger and/or a tighter choke for those fast moving “turbo birds.”

What I Use for a Variety of Hunting

It should be noted that I use a 12 ga. custom pump for deer, 12ga. autoloader for waterfowl, a 20 ga. o/u for pheasant and western grouse species, and a 28 ga. o/u for quail and woodcock. Sabot slugs for deer, Hevi Metal for waterfowl, copper plated 6’s and occasionally 5’s in the 20 ga., and copper plated 7 ½ shot in the 28 ga. I reload all of my 20 and 28 ga. hunting shells. Factory loads of copper plated shot at $18 to $25 a box gets expensive when you shoot 15 to 30 boxes a season for upland birds. In addition, 28 ga. copper plated and nontoxic factory shells do not exist to the best of my knowledge.

By Bud Shipp

The following is part of an article I wrote that was published in the 2013 “L’Epagneul Breton”, the publication for the Club de l’Epagneul Breton of the United States (CEB-US) and has been updated.

**At Heartland Lodge, we recommend using 7 1/2 shot for 12- and 20-gauge shotguns for our terrain and habitat across our quail and pheasant hunting properties.**

Follow the links listed for more information on Pheasant Hunting Packages, Wild Quail Hunts, Waterfowl Hunts or Combination Upland/Waterfowl Hunts. Harpole’s Heartland Lodge is an Orvis and Shooting Sportsman Endorsed wingshooting lodge located in West-Central Illinois specializing in world-class pheasant, quail and waterfowl hunting.

Phone- 217-734-2526

Email- [email protected]

Last Updated: March 17th, 2024