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Velvet Hunt - U in or out?

This will be the first year I'm not going to be on the velvet hunt. I don't have a deer located that I'd be willing to spend a tag on. I'll just work on cameras and food plots.
 
Already took off work, I'm gonna give it a shot. I've got 2 bigger bucks that just disappear come middle of October every year, so gonna start early this year.
 
I may try if I'm home in time. Have some nice deer on cam an their cutting the corn fields now
 

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Nope. No desire to hunt this early. I like that people blow out deer the last 2 years we have picked up shooters because of this hunt so yal have at it.
 
tree_ghost said:
This will be the first year I'm not going to be on the velvet hunt. I don't have a deer located that I'd be willing to spend a tag on. I'll just work on cameras and food plots.
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I'm un the same boat... haven't found a shooter to go after yet this year.

Now granted, my standards are a bit higher than others... im not shooting a velvet buck unless he's mature and over 140. I've found a couple mature bucks in the 120s I'd be thrilled to kill come ML season, but I'm not killing one during the velvet season unless he's going on the wall... for me that's 4.5 and 140.

Regardless, I will still be out there hoping I missed seeing the big boy scouting earlier. I'll also get to hang more cams, plant plots, visit with Dad, and just get a break from work. Actually killing a deer is so far on the bottom of the totem pole for what the velvet hunt experience means to me. Haven't deer hunted since mid Feb... im ready to get afield with a weapon in hand!
 
redblood said:
I didnt have issue with the season as long as it isnt a bonus deer. If someone chooses to burn a buck tag on an anorexic tick taxi while be drained by an army of mosquitoes, more power to them. I just hate they made it conflict with the squirrel opener. Lots of dad will choose sitting in a deerstand, rather than taking their kids squirrel hunting.
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From reading this thread it sounds like it'll be too hot to squirrel hunt anyway.
 
Ski said:
Same here. Happens almost every year on my spot. By the second week of August, they shift off somewhere else. I had a buck this summer that was a around daily until August 5th. He hasn't shown once since then. Last year it was August 7th. I probably won't hunt, but sure was hoping to.




It's not a strange idea. KY opens first of Sept. and is quite popular. Lots of people flock from all over the country to get a crack at velvet bucks. TN's velvet season is just a couple days prior to KY's opening, and closes out by then so there's no overlapping competition. Anybody traveling to KY for a chance at velvet can double dip by hunting TN first. Being that it's private land only, it forces hunters from abroad to largely use outfitters or leases. I'd be inclined to think TWRA increased its out of state big game license sales when they opened that velvet season. And I don't mind a bit. Doesn't hurt anything but brings in some out of state revenue.
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The TWRA always says they don't do anything for money, everything is with conservation and the animals in mind.

The TWRA is as bad as the mafia, there is nothing they won't do to increase revenue while at the same time screwing the hunters and fishermen in this state.
 
From seeing some comments on this thread, I am so glad I never have and don't plan to use trail cameras. I most likely would quit hunting if I had to depend on cameras. What is crazy to me is how many great bucks are killed that had never been seen on a trail camera, at least not in the area they were killed. Amazing to me how many base whether or not they will hunt on what shows up or doesn't show up on trail cameras.
 
Headhunter said:
From seeing some comments on this thread, I am so glad I never have and don't plan to use trail cameras. I most likely would quit hunting if I had to depend on cameras. What is crazy to me is how many great bucks are killed that had never been seen on a trail camera, at least not in the area they were killed. Amazing to me how many base whether or not they will hunt on what shows up or doesn't show up on trail cameras.
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That's the biggest difference with the velvet hunt over all the other hunts... you don't need/ use cameras. The velvet hunt is all about glassing bean fields first and last light, finding a shooter, then figuring out how he enters and leaves the food source. Once you have found him and patterned him, you get one chance to intercept him...

Thursday is scout day, Friday is pattern day, Saturday is go after him day.
 
Ill be out there few hours in the mornings and few hours in the evenings all 3 days. Just hunting an 8 acre piece I have permission on that happens to always get good buck traffic. I am just excited to be out there.
 
Carlos said:
Looks like the majority of hunters aren't interested.
I always thought this was a really strange idea, and didn't understand why the agency thought it would be so popular.
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I have to agree with that. I do know you can eat velvet antlers and supposedly they taste like cucumbers but I hate cucumbers.
 
I see some negative comments about the hunt and would like to understand where the animosity comes from. I feel like perhaps I'm not seeing the whole picture, that there's something I'm missing. Heat, bugs, etc. are all great reasons to not hunt. It's our personal choice to hunt or not. I get that. But why would anybody not want the velvet hunt to exist? Does it negatively affect the herd in some way, or hinder those folks who wish not to participate? As I currently see it, it's another privilege, an extra opportunity for hunters who choose to. It's not taking anything away from anybody, nor does it increase license fees. What am I missing?

The money thing comes up a bit, too. That's something else I don't understand. Yes, I can be pretty dumb. I don't understand lots of things. But bare with me. TWRA is made up of humans. Those humans are doing a job, whether it be biologists, statistic analysts, managers, game wardens, admins, etc. And those jobs pay a wage that has to be fair & competitive for retention. That requires money. Some of it comes from license & permit fees. The velvet hunt was a way to both increase revenue while appeasing at least some of the license buyers, without adding any cost. If you don't participate, then nothing changes for you. If you do participate then it's another privilege, another opportunity to hunt, without any additional cost. I fail to see the financial rub here. I wouldn't work for free, and I doubt any of you would, either. I understand that my privileges are not rights, that they come with a financial price. If I can get more hunt for that price then what's the problem?

I've not lived in TN forever. I only moved here 7yrs ago. So please forgive my ignorance if there's something I am missing about TWRA. I've lived in a lot of states, hunted many more & several other countries, and I've not seen this level of opportunity and lax regulations anywhere else. Not even close. Hunting & fishing in many other places is insanely strict, as well as expensive. Some places require a law degree to interpret/understand the regs. TN is pretty full of inexpensive opportunity and plentiful public resources. I lived in NM for 11yrs and not once drew a big game tag. That's deer, elk, bear, antelope, nothing. To me TN seems pretty darn awesome, and so far I'm pretty overall impressed with how it's managed.
 

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