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When is the earliest you saw bone?

2K views 24 replies 18 participants last post by  Davy Crockett 
#1 ·
For me it was aug 30th some years ago.
As of today all the bucks on my trailcam still have velvet.
 
#2 ·
Around here it is rare to see one out of velvet before the first week of September and then rare to see one in velvet by the end of the first week of September.

The first week of September is the magic week of velvet sheading. I have seen a few out the last week of August a few still in velvet as late as the second week of September though.

Dick Bodenhorn
 
#4 ·
Several years ago I hunted a buck that started shedding his velvet the 1st week of August. He also shed it from the top down and it took him more than a week to complete the shedding. The buck was aged at over 8 1/2. It was also the smallest rack it grew compared to the 3 previous years.

One other weird footnote about this buck is that it was ALWAYS a complete loaner. I never saw it with another deer for the 3 years that I hunted (and spotted after dark) except for during the rut. The year I killed it, it paired up with a yearling doe and they were inseparable all summer and fall. She was also with him when I killed him November. Weird.
 
#22 ·
There is no question that many bucks are already out of velvet but while doing one of our survey routes last evening we saw three bucks that we could positively identify as bucks. All three of them were still in full velvet.

I expect that by the end of this week it will be unusual to see one that still has velvet though. At least that is how it has been around here for many, many years and even decades that I have been paying close attention to those details.

Dick Bodenhorn
 
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