Antler growth on mature whitetail bucks begins around the end of March. For the first month this growth represents little more than two inches. However, by the end of April growth ramps up on most monster bucks in the 4- to 8-year-old range.
The accompanying photo is of a buck I
photographed on June 1st and representative of a mature buck that will eventually gross in the 150 inch range. As you can see, brow tines have fully formed and the antler beams are just beginning to sprout G-2s and curve.
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In two weeks I’ll share what he looks like on June 15th. This information should give you an idea how antler growth is progressing as we move through the summer months.
I’ll also explain how the velvet peeling process occurs as we get closer to the end of the summer. Amazingly, bowhunters sometimes find themselves on the lucky end of the season when a buck makes it to the archery season still sporting his velvet headgear. Not sure if you’ve seen it, but a Wyoming bowhunter had this happen to him last fall. The result was the biggest typical antlered buck ever shot in the State of Wyoming during the bowhunting season!
— Charlie
Want to learn more? Check out these links:
TALES OF RECORD-CLASS WHITETAILS
Also, don’t forget to plan your hunting days off this fall with Alsheimer’s exclusive rut predictions from Deer & Deer Hunting. CLICK HERE for more information on what proves to be a fantastic rut this fall.
