New antler growth timing

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osage
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New antler growth timing

Unread postby osage » Mon Apr 03, 2017 9:18 am

Curious if any one has seen any new antler growth on bucks yet this spring? I was scouting today and came up on two large bodied deer bedded in a likely buck bedding area. It was windy and they hadn't heard me. I checked them out in the binoculars quickly and noticed one had a big grey snout like you see on an older deer but I couldn't make out any antlers at all. Before I could get a better look they both bolted. Both were big bodied. I thought by now maybe a guy would be able to see some antler growth. All other clues led me to believe I had found some buck bedding but when I went to check out their beds they weren't very worn down. Maybe it was just a few random does bedding there. Anybody else seeing any antler growth?


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woodswalker
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby woodswalker » Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:14 am

It is too early to see any antler growth.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby Ghost Hunter » Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:33 am

Little early. They will start growing fast between May an July. Want be long.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby moondoondude » Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:38 am

Some bucks already have noticeable antler growth, others do not. Every buck and every herd are different.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby UofLbowhunter » Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:39 am

I have noticed in the past sometimes by mid to late april i have seen some stubs on bucks before. But most of the time its early may when i notice new grew around my country
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osage
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby osage » Mon Apr 03, 2017 11:18 am

Thanks for the feedback guys. Never really paid attention to when they started growing. Only paid attention to when they dropped.

I'll have to keep my eyes on this area as spring progresses.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby Jdw » Sat Apr 08, 2017 2:07 pm

I saw a bachelor group of 6 bucks yesterday one of them had about an inch of antler started.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby pewpewpew » Sun Apr 09, 2017 2:44 pm

Seen never mid-March with 1 inch nubs. Plus a 4 point still holding.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby mike perry » Sun Apr 09, 2017 3:39 pm

Checked a camera yesterday that had pictures of a few shed bucks that in front of it 4/5 no froth on any of them.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby Wlog » Sun Apr 09, 2017 11:11 pm

mike perry wrote:Checked a camera yesterday that had pictures of a few shed bucks that in front of it 4/5 no froth on any of them.



Same here. Pulled a camera yesterday with some shed bucks on it. No noticeable antler growth.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby Motivated » Mon Apr 10, 2017 12:45 pm

I just finished a week in the Great Smoky Mountains with the family. Saw plenty of deer. Had a buck within 40 yards calmly browsing and watching us for 15 minutes. He had one inch nubs and good size bases on him. Really dark bases compared to most of the ones I see in Indiana.

It was really hard to see if moving or distant deer had any antlers growing. You had to be fairly close or have good glass and the deer have to be pretty still. I'm sure they are growing!
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby Hawthorne » Mon Apr 10, 2017 5:13 pm

I saw one last year in Ohio about April 20 looked like he had two coke cans on his head covered with velvet. That's how I usually see them during turkey season here
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby Twenty Up » Tue Apr 11, 2017 4:05 am

Down here, they start in Mid April but they don't show their true potential until late June/July.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby Redman232 » Tue Apr 11, 2017 4:36 am

I walked up on a bedded buck 2 weeks ago with two nubs about the size of walnuts. That's the earliest I can remember seeing growth.
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Re: New antler growth timing

Unread postby JoeRE » Fri Apr 14, 2017 3:01 am

I saw two that looked like big bodied mature bucks a week ago that had great big nubs close to 3" tall. That was pretty impressive for early April.

The real big boys usually seem to get out in front of everything else right out of the gate. You certainly can't tell score yet but by about May around here you can tell at a glance if a buck is going to be BIG or not. That's about all I care about :lol:


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