It came an absolute storm on me Saturday afternoon, we opted out of hunting because of heat and went fishing instead...then got soaked. It was still raining at sunset (NW Dickson County) but the temps dropped way down.
Based on recent TWRA post season hunter surveys, they estimate 17,000 hunters participate in the August velvet hunt. It is estimated that 151,000 hunters participate in traditional deer season, thus 11% of all statewide deer hunters partake in August velvet hunt.
My perspective only but I'd take a guess and say the odds are lower because people are more selective on this hunt. Would not surprise me if "any buck " shot opportunity is the best it gets for many people.Only 722 bucks harvested for 17K hunters make the odds of success about 4%. I don't know the statistics on other hunts but I imagine that's got to be one of the most challenging hunts in TN offers. Big congrats to those who found success. You're a select group of achievers!
Correct, the high temps this time of the year affect the hunters more than alter deer movement. Although if it gets really hot and dry, water sources can make it much easier to kill a velvet buck as they will often drink after they get up to move in the evenings.Generally speaking, I expect 600-800 bucks to be killed Statewide on August velvet hunt. This year's total fell right in the middle. I'm convinced the extreme hot temps and humidity affect "some" hunters WAY MORE than deer.
My perspective only but I'd take a guess and say the odds are lower because people are more selective on this hunt. Would not surprise me if "any buck " shot opportunity is the best it gets for many people.
I think it is easier, if you have them, but not overall a easy hunt.I agree with that. It applies to me for sure. It's a trophy hunt. It's supposed to be selective. Even still, 4% success rate is TOUGH. I've heard and read arguments where folks think velvet bucks would be easy to kill because they're so patternable. Statistical facts say otherwise.
I agree with that. It applies to me for sure. It's a trophy hunt. It's supposed to be selective. Even still, 4% success rate is TOUGH. I've heard and read arguments where folks think velvet bucks would be easy to kill because they're so patternable. Statistical facts say otherwise.
I think it is easier, if you have them, but not overall a easy hunt.
Now, give me a rifle and a bean field....
Definitely much easier and patternable. My #1 shooter this year walked out in the same spot about 40 yards from my stand Sunday afternoon just like he has done since July.. Try that in a couple months..
That's right Ski. I hunt as hard as any man out there and I can assure you it ain't a guaranteed kill. It took me 5 years of hard hunting to close the deal on one however I have no agricultural to hunt so that only adds to the difficulty…Oh I won't argue that they're not more easily patternable. My argument is and always has been that it doesn't necessarily make them easier to hunt. If you have access to where bucks are during the velvet season, you're already in a major minority. Then if you're lucky enough to have them, you now have to capitalize. You had your shooter within tough but reasonable bow range. Did you get him? Did you hunt?
Most of the people who talk about how easy it is to kill a big velvet buck are the same ones who don't actually hunt the velvet season. The actual velvet hunters don't seem to think it's so easy, and 4% success odds seem to agree. My argument is that patterning a buck isn't the same as setting up and killing him. If you think a mature buck will do the same thing day in day out then set up to hunt him and see what happens. 96% of the hunters this season can tell you exactly how that works out .... or more appropriately doesn't work out.
Oh I won't argue that they're not more easily patternable. My argument is and always has been that it doesn't necessarily make them easier to hunt. If you have access to where bucks are during the velvet season, you're already in a major minority. Then if you're lucky enough to have them, you now have to capitalize. You had your shooter within tough but reasonable bow range. Did you get him? Did you hunt?
Most of the people who talk about how easy it is to kill a big velvet buck are the same ones who don't actually hunt the velvet season. The actual velvet hunters don't seem to think it's so easy, and 4% success odds seem to agree. My argument is that patterning a buck isn't the same as setting up and killing him. If you think a mature buck will do the same thing day in day out then set up to hunt him and see what happens. 96% of the hunters this season can tell you exactly how that works out .... or more appropriately doesn't work out.
I hunt as hard as any man out there and I can assure you it ain't a guaranteed kill.
It can't be too easy. It took a team of 15 for these pro hunters to kill one.Nope didn't hunt. Wind was perfect too. I wouldn't feel right shooting him this way.. I think a velvet buck is a complete waste of a trophy animal. His nose is the same but his guard is not up now to human danger... He will also soon shift patterns and become mostly nocturnal if not leave the property all together... Yep much easier..
sounds like them rutting bucks….His nose is the same but his guard is not up now to human danger... He will also soon shift patterns and become mostly nocturnal if not leave the property all together... Yep much easier..
Nope didn't hunt. Wind was perfect too. I wouldn't feel right shooting him this way.. I think a velvet buck is a complete waste of a trophy animal. His nose is the same but his guard is not up now to human danger... He will also soon shift patterns and become mostly nocturnal if not leave the property all together... Yep much easier..
Part of the reason I didn't bother. I have been slacking this year and only have one camera out, I had just one buck on that camera in about 6 weeks since I put it out. I just moved that camera hoping to get a better idea what might be around. Really sucks not being able to run mineral sites here anymore. But anyways, I would have had a little more interest had I had a good buck coming around.It's said 90% of big bucks are killed by 10% of hunters. Not coincidentally only 11% of hunters in TN attempted the velvet hunt and only 3.5% of them succeeded with a bow, 4% overall. These aren't weekend warriors, meat hunters, old guys who enjoy their coffee in a shooting house, or the guys who think deer hunting is done only with firearms in cool weather. They're hardcore, dedicated, serious bow hunters. And they grossly failed. 17,000 of them had three days to kill an easy to pattern buck and less than 1,000 got it done statewide. If you asked all 17,000 of them if they had a buck picked & patterned before the hunt, what do you think the overwhelming answer would be? Of course they did. Nobody's hunting a buck that doesn't exist. They all believed what you believe, that they could get on a buck that was doing the same thing over & over.
Trail cameras or even watching a buck from distance is exciting and gives a hunter a sense of optimism. Getting your body within bow range, drawing the bow, and getting an arrow released that finds home in the vitals is an entirely different thing. No doubt when your camera shows you that the buck is doing the same thing at the same time over & over again, then obviously he's an easy mark. Every hunter whose ever tried the velvet hunt once believed that to be true. Then reality smacked the gross majority of them hard up side the head.