Antler full growth.

[Moosie]

When is a Deer done growing it's antlers ? If I see a buck out scouting is it done yet ?

 

[OSOK]

Around here the bucks will be pretty much grown out by early august. There's still a few more weeks of good growth to go, then it's time to get serious...

 

[DeerKing]

Yep I'd say about 2 weeks, elk look to be about done in this area of CO. Varies a bit from region to region and state to state.

 

[ELKCHSR]

I would bet if a big spike came along, and you had a tag while scouting, it would most certainly be "done"

 

[danr55]

Bucks around here are usually hard horned by the first week of September. The first thing a buck wants to do when his antlers quit growing is scrape off the velvet.. From everything I've read, it begins to itch like crazy.

 

[Pygmy]

I don't know about out west, but around here the bucks pretty much have thier growth by August...During August, they might still grow a little, but basically the antlers are just hardening...The first week of September, they are shedding the velvet...By mid Sept, they are nearly all bare antlered...

 

[BCBOY]

I agree with the 2nd week week of Aug. HAve seen more mass being put on after that but tine length is pretty well defined by then.

 

[BUCKSPY]

Some will be done by early August and others mid August from my somewhat limited experience. On gnarlier antlered bucks, it seems like a little of the mass and character develops later IMO.

 

[fairchase]

I was out yesterday and one of the bucks I was watching thrashed a bush. He didn't do it for long or with much gusto, so maybe he was scratching his head. I will say if he was done growing it would be ok, but another inch or two...icing on the cake!

 

[wyomuley]

I have heard that you can tell by the color of their velvet the darker velvet is still growing as the lighter velvet is pretty much done growing not sure if its true or not. I think most are done around here in mid August.

 

[Big Sky]

"When is a deer done growing his antlers?"

Answer: When you kill him.