What would be your pick for the best state to try for an early season velvet hunt on public land in the southeastern US?
-
The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
-
We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules
Southeast Velvet Hunts
- Thread starter Nutterbuster
- Start date
Not sure if you consider Kentucky to be part of the Southeast, but that's a great state for velvet hunting. KY has some huge bucks, thanks in no small part to its one-buck-a-year limit, and there's plenty of public land around. Their season opens 9/1 (or thereabouts) each year, so early archery is a great time to get one.
My home state of Tennessee has a dedicated velvet hunt the last weekend in August, and that's great too. The state seems to see more and more pressure that 3-day weekend every year, but there are some giants out there to be taken. It's hot as heck, but I've enjoyed hunting it with a hefty dose of permethrin and my Thermacell. I suggest staying away from the Nashville-area WMAs because they get pounded the hardest (all season, but especially then).
My home state of Tennessee has a dedicated velvet hunt the last weekend in August, and that's great too. The state seems to see more and more pressure that 3-day weekend every year, but there are some giants out there to be taken. It's hot as heck, but I've enjoyed hunting it with a hefty dose of permethrin and my Thermacell. I suggest staying away from the Nashville-area WMAs because they get pounded the hardest (all season, but especially then).
Game and Fish is looking at it for here. It was one of the questions on the post season survey. I voted against the idea. I am not in favor of an early September hunt that the sole purpose is to kill a buck with fuzzy antlers. It's the very definition of trophy hunting, killing a buck for it's head. When hunting is under steadily increasing attacks around the country, a season like that is just not a good look imo. Especially considering the length of our seasons and total bag limit.
Do you just think it sounds too fun and different you ole codger? Those late summer bucks are fat and taste good I’ll tell you that
Oh it definitely sounds fun and it would be cool to kill a nice velvet buck, just not sure the juice is worth the squeeze from an optics standpoint.
Yeah, we got a 2 day velvet hunt early the last couple of years but you have to be on private so the optics on that are not great either (only the landed gentry may partake, no peasants please.) ...I bet some doctors got together and pushed that through, lol. All joking aside, and I do own land, but I have no interest. It would be cool to kill a velvet but I'm not specifically going after one. The mosquitos, ticks and redbugs will have their feast of me soon enough.
I killed a velvet buck in AR years ago so I already have that box checked anyway. It was a whopper spike on October 1st. It had balls though so it counts
I would like to get one but to me it’s not that much of an allure (velvet rack). More than the antlers, the early season experience is what intrigues me. Our season opens on Oct.1st here and I have always had an interest on an early fall pattern buck harvest. Some will say they are still on “pattern” here on Oct. 1st. Meh….. maybe but we also have the pressure cooker.