I am in the same situation, last year was a huge bumper year for acorns and i never got round to clearing them up. but by mid spring i was hard pressed to find any and very few germinated (i think the harder winter killed off the exposed acorns, there was also a family of 3 squirrels in the garden and lots of jays an approx family of 6 to 8 all winter into spring) in the vicinity for the first time.
this autumn is another bumper year, the jays are back (not as large numbers as i can tell), and the squirrel numbers are down to one i think (2 died in my water butts in the early spring - eeewww! what a pong!!! :-X).
with the milder autumn i would say there has been at least a 75% germination rate thus far (all over the garden, regardless of soil or not) and as such i don't think there will be much lying around for he critters all winter at this rate. i am though removing them from vege beds they have fallen into, to reduce spring time weeding of your tree seedlings.
my neighbour generally bags them up and disposes of them I'm was too lazy last year and they all but disappeared on their own so I'm not doing nought this year as well.
my compost bin is of the timber sort and is covered, if any do get into the bin they generally don't germinate. if they do they soon die due to lack of light, as do most things that germinate in my bin.
