Your best chance for harvesting a buck in velvet is the first week of October.
It was then that I noticed another set of antlers slipping across the oak flat. Bachelor Group! I have always heard that the last buck is always the biggest and this was no exception. I only caught the left rack of this buck, but was impressed with the five points, tall tines, and mass that I saw. As these two bucks walked out of sight my attention turned to what I had just done. I had a buck down and it was time to take a closer look.
To be honest, I don’t even remember climbing down the ladder of the stand, but as excited as I was I can almost guarantee that I missed a few steps. As I grabbed the bucks antlers, I noticed that what I had mistaken for mass turned out to be an 8 point in full velvet! It had all happened so fast that I never noticed the summer characteristics of the buck. It’s probably and good thing it had gone unnoticed or ”buck fever” would have surely given this bowhunter the shakes. I had fulfilled one of my goals in the early Louisiana bow season, and I am still chasing that drop tine buck. This year as I hunt my lease and travel to Illinois, I cant help but think that a smasher buck with a ”vertically challenged” antler is lurking in those palmettos, just out of bow range.
3 Responses to: The Velvet Buck
awesome story jt!! congrats on a great deer!
Great article Jeff. How often do you see bucks in velvet where you hunt? I see spikes through the first half of October but have yet to see a racked buck during the season. Congrats on the kill, it sure makes a good mount.
Thanks guys! Professor, besides two 8 pt’s crossing the camp road if front of me on day this is the only rack buck I have seen in velvet. Like yourself, I see numerous small spikes or 3 pts in velvet the beginning of bow season. I just got lucky on this fellow. The red, short summer coat makes for a nice mount. The antlers were freeze dried and you can actually still see the ticks in the velvet. Harry Vermaelen from Pineville did the mount.