How many more days to grow?

[lungbuster]

Dan and I were discussing this last night, I thought most bucks would continue to grow into the end of Aug.. Of course all are different and some will stop growing sooner than others, does anyone know how long they are hard horned under thier velvet before they shed?
I spotted a good solid mid 130 class buck the other evening and am trying to figure out just how big he will be once he sheds his velvet. I have heard 1" per day is what a buck can put on in late July/Aug. if this buck can grow for another 25-30 days @ 1" per day he could be pushing booner this fall.

[Spysar]

I don't think most antlers grow past august. Some bucks won't get much bigger than they are right now, but others will put on inches. The ones with the blacker more bulbous velvet will grow more, and the lighter velvet less. It's just another individual deer thing.

[Casper]

From my experience, some are done growing already and others will grow for a couple more weeks. Usually all are done in the first week of August around where I hunt.

[muddy]

I don't think a deer in the 130 range now will hit boone by end of growing season, sorry.

[Black Squirrel]

Although, they will continue to grow, I've noticed they really start to slow down soon.

[Hodag Hunter]

I have read most bucks stop by August. I guess, as with all things, nothing is cast in stone.

The deer I have tracked in summer (trail cams)most stopped about the August time frame. Like someone mentioned when the "bulbs" are gone the growth has slowed or stopped.

[Dewey]

They should be done in the next few weeks but I have seen such a wide range of antler growth this year I am not sure what to think anymore. One huge buck I saw in mid-June looked to be almost fully developed and last night shining I saw 4 bucks that still had bulbs at the end of their tines with a lot of growth to go.
Just got back from scouting on my mountain bike and got very close to a possible Booner on the inside corner of a beanfield!! I sure hope he has lot's of growing to go but looked to be in almost full development.
Sorry for breaking the man law(not posting a pic) but I didn't have a good camera on me and the picture from my phone cam did not turn out good enough to post.

[lungbuster]

All the bucks I saw the other evening still had some growing to do as they were all bulbous at the tips.....If they put on an 1" a day and still have 20 days or so left he won't make boone but will be a solid mid 150 class 5.5 year old and that's good enough for me!

[Haus86]

I've always read that the bucks are mostly done growing by August in the midwest. August is more for calcification of their antlers.

[tim]

hey lung, i have went through all my trail photos different times and would say that the 1st week in august is it, sometimes the odd buck might go into the second week but thats pushing it. my last set of photos this year was a big contrast though so will be intersting if these same bucks continue to show because i had one that although wasnt fully developed looked to be close then another showed that looked to have just rounded at the beams with hardly any tines started and then i had some in between stages . so if i continue to get all these same bucks this year will be a very good year for results. also i have never had a velvet buck past sept. 5th since 1998. anywhere in the state of wisconsin that i have had cameras. hope this helps, i will update this with this years results if i dont forget and am fortunate enough to get photos of some of these same deer.

[Sam Ubl]

Well, I'm gonna hope for you Lung... Stay optomistic and pray for the booner - Muddy, quit muddying up the waters for the man.

[muddy]

There's nothing wrong with preparing for the "worst", that being a buck in the 145-150 range, and hoping for the "best", that being a possible 160.

I'm a pessimist/realist, I just know what I've seen bucks this time of the year turn into by mid to late August. Anythings possible.

[tim]

i am like muddy in that i dont set myself up for dissapointment. i will say this and ive said it before, most cameras will fool you. unless you see these bucks in person its somewhat hard to judge them at times. pictures rarely capture the true size of a deer. and the body size can throw off judgement be it larger or smaller than "normal". after viewing thousands of photos im always surprised when i see a picture buck in person 100% of the time . never in my experience has a buck had "ground shrinkage in person". thats a big claim and im not saying it cant happen but hasnt for me. im always impressed by the live/dead version over the picture version.

[lungbuster]

Got some video footage of the biggest one last night........4 nights earlier when we first saw him his brows were really short 1" or less, I know it makes no sense but last night he had at least 3" brows the brows usually develop first for all I have ever seen, but maybe they are the last to grow on him, I don't know, his G4's were also longer by about an 1.5"..............Either way he's mature and I really don't care about his final score, if I get the chance I will deflate his lungs!

[Hodag Hunter]

I agree....time enough for measuring when the killing is done.

Didn't Kenny Rogers sing that once?