Early season is here and a number of velvet bucks have already dropped across the country.
During the early hunting season, which normally commences around the middle of August or beginning of September, hunters try their hand at a velvet whitetail buck. The window is slim because this is the time of year bucks begin to rub their velvet off as their testosterone level increases. Bucks split from their bachelor groups and set their mind on one thing: breeding. However, these hunters are fortunate to hunt in these early season states, and here are the velvet bucks each one harvested.
Whitetail deer are still mainly on their summer patterns traveling to and from food plots or food sources late in the summer. These patterns provide deer hunters with a great opportunity to harvest a mature buck during early archery season.
In this article, we look at bucks taken from states that offer an early archery season such as Georgia, North Dakota and Kentucky. Though we didn't feature this southern state, South Carolina also offers early archery opportunities as well.
Alex Comstock
Alex Comstock traveled to his former home state of North Dakota to hunt public-land velvet bucks. In order to not spoil the whole story you can view the hunt on his website at whitetaildna.com. He stuck it out and got the job done on this nice velvet buck.
Hunter Galloway
Hunter Galloway hunts both private and public land, but his bread and butter is public land. He has consistently killed public-land deer over the last several years, and this year he successfully harvested a mature Georgia buck still in velvet with his bow. Hunter heavily relies on national forests and state wildlife management areas for his success each season.
Jaclyn Deason
Kenneth Lancaster, host of The Given Right television show on Sportsman Channel, shares a special moment with his niece who harvested this great velvet mule deer. Kenneth says she earned this hunt by receiving a college softball scholarship. He promised her a hunt if she got one. Congrats to Jaclyn!
Aaron Warbritton
The guys from The Hunting Public did it again with a great buck from the Bluegrass State. They kicked off their deer tour in Kentucky, and it didn't disappoint. Aaron Warbritton made the shot on the nice velvet buck, but it definitely took a team effort to get the hunt on film and drag the deer out. Congrats, guys!
David Giarrizzo
Team Tag n' Brag's David Giarrizzo sealed the deal on opening day in North Dakota on a great velvet buck. He made a blistering shot with his Mathews Triax on this solid 10-point whitetail buck. The shot on the mature buck took place on a huge agriculture field. Find the whole video on their Facebook page at Tag N' Brag.
Josh Honeycutt
Josh Honeycutt of Realtree laid the smackdown on a beautiful Kentucky velvet buck. Josh shot the buck at 25 yards, and the eight-point buck grossed 170 inches. The deer is truly a monarch. Congratulations, Josh.
Deer hunting the early season is a lot of fun, despite the hot temperatures and the onslaught of gnats and mosquitoes. However, if you put in the work with your scouting, it's bound to pay off. However, if you want to participate in a velvet buck hunt, these states will probably to be your best options, as their annual hunting seasons open early each year, and their hunting licenses are reasonably priced.
If you have a velvet buck you Wide Open Spaces to feature, contact me at [email protected]!
Like what you see here? Read more hunting articles by Nathan Unger at whitetailguruhunting.com. Nathan is also the host of the Whitetail Guru Hunting Podcast.
NEXT:PICKING THE RIGHT PLACE TO PUT YOUR STAND THIS DEER SEASON
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