I don't have one to hunt this year so I probably won't go. But I sure would if there was a buck I wanted!
I hunted all 3 days last year & killed my buck right before dark on the last day, just as the storm was rolling in. I got zapped by lightning that ran through barb wire & jumped out to me. And I'd do it again! Sure it gets hot and sweaty but I'm a hunter. It's what I do. I love it. The velvet hunt is a trophy hunt. Of course I eat the meat, and it's delicious. But the objective is velvet antlers.
I never had any issue with meat spoiling. I watched him drop so there was no real tracking or waiting. Got him gutted and hung up within an hour of shooting, and had meat cut off and in the fridge within an hour of that. Spent the rest of the evening butchering & packing, pulling only what I could handle at a time from the fridge. It really wasn't any more difficult or special than any other deer I shoot any time, nor did the meat have a weird taste from being warm for a couple hours. It was actually very clean & non-rutty like a young doe. I'd absolutely do it again if I had one I wanted to shoot.
