Red deer hard antler

AlasdairM

Well-Known Member
I know this will probably be different for different areas of the country but when is it normal for red stags to come into hard antler. There are three stags all 12 pointers causing a lot of damage to a field and the farmer wants them gone. If any of them were young I would have no problem trying to move them on by taking the young out but as they are like this seems a shame to cull whilst still in velvet as well as this it would be my first stag so would be for the wall.
I don't want to put it off much longer as he may get someone else in.
this video shows one of them from a couple of weeks ago, have another with all three but on my ipad which is at home.
 
that's a braw stag very good condition the now, as for hard antler by mid august he will be starting to harden up and his velvet will be in tatters, then by mid September he will be in hard antler for shure, to shoot him now is a shame but needs must your best price per kilo will be to shoot him now as good fat content and good price from your game dealer. if you leave him till the end of September or 1 st week in October he will be nice and clean and have nice white tips as he will thrashing and start to rut. all the very best and I hope that this helps you. David
 
I wouldn’t worry to much about their antlers go fill your freezer then put a picture on the wall.
 
you've answered your own question as to when to cull them really , he will get some one else to sort the problem out and you will loose your stalking ,its areal shame but those tree guards look like they have been trashed , alot of expense to consider on the land owners point ,as others have said fill your boots and give the farmer / land owner a good do of venison, atb arron.
 
A bird (or stag) in the hand (or larder) is worth 2 in the bush. If it's a choice between shooting them now, and keeping the ground, or leaving them, and losing it.........simple really.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. I have not read up very much on red deer and was unsure if the older would start to shed much earlier than young as with roe. When you look it up on google most sites say they start to shed velvet in mid July to August. If it was only going to be a couple of weeks we could have lived with waiting but as it will be much longer than that one of them will hopefully be culled this weekend cant loose this ground. With a bit of luck (for me) the others wont go too far and will get a chance at them when out of velvet. Here is all three of them mowing the oats.
 
If your concern is taking the stag and not getting a trophy from it (which I can understand it being your first etc), there might be a way for a taxidermist to preserve the trophy with velvet on? Sure I heard something about this before somewhere.....
 
Good clear film. At least its clear cut legally with you. Down here we have exactly the same situation but also have a legal issue that says the deer should be allowed to mow the corn until August 1st. uninterrupted!!
 
Good clear film. At least its clear cut legally with you. Down here we have exactly the same situation but also have a legal issue that says the deer should be allowed to mow the corn until August 1st. uninterrupted!!
There's always the 'farmers defence' :stir:
 
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