Thread: When stags get... hard

Hey team,

Thinking about a wee mission to an area I know there are OK stags in the next couple of weeks. I've not really hunted stags pre-roar before and don't have much experience with when stags are safely in hard velvet, or how to tell.

I was told that late January is the magic time, but a friend shot a younger stag (on a farm where there are heaps) yesterday and it was still uhhh flaccid.

So, when do red stags get hard? Is there much geographical difference in timing eg. north vs south island? And is there any way to tell, other than being very, very qwyet and sneaking up for a squeeze?

Elliott

End of Feb for the big boys and later for the young ones.
Seasonal variations of course but as a general rule.

Also look for all the tines to be pointy and possibly he has already started stripping, any round tipped tines and its probably going to be soft still.

Watangi day (6th Feb) you should be safe to shoot a mature stag.

Awesome, thanks @vietnamcam!

Cheers, @Hayden C! Slightly conflicting with above suggestion but will be sure to look for pointy tips

The two younger stags I saw on Friday night (Canterbury) were fully formed and 'probably' just hard underneath to strip the velvet.

Not long to go now!

I am happy to come with you and offer my services as a hard velvet head assessor / estimator

Originally Posted by Hayden C

The two younger stags I saw on Friday night (Canterbury) were fully formed and 'probably' just hard underneath to strip the velvet.

Not long to go now!

I'm hoping to catch up with this lads older brother before someone else does.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

I am happy to come with you and offer my services as a hard velvet head assessor / estimator

IF you can wait 4 weeks plus at least the bigger stags will start to have colour on them. Shot one 4yrs back just starting to strip and got a guy to stain it up for me but just not the same as a natural rub up job.

Stags are hard in Southland.

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Originally Posted by bigbear

IF you can wait 4 weeks plus at least the bigger stags will start to have colour on them. Shot one 4yrs back just starting to strip and got a guy to stain it up for me but just not the same as a natural rub up job.

Good point! Permanganate doesn't quite look as good as el natural.

Was going to give the wife and boy couple bits of kanuka tree and just rub it on they weren't keen

Depending in the Age of the Stag and genetics some game park stags are hard first week of January I've seen them start to Strip. Most of our big stags are hard now.

The lads in aus shot 4 big ones last weekend and all hard..

We always say after first week of Feb is good for anything worth shooting anyways. Younger stags can take another week.
We have done hunts from 7th of Feb onwards and I have a stag hunt on the 8th for 5 days.



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Originally Posted by Goosebayhunter

Depending in the Age of the Stag and genetics some game park stags are hard first week of January I've seen them start to Strip. Most of our big stags are hard now.

The lads in aus shot 4 big ones last weekend and all hard..

We always say after first week of Feb is good for anything worth shooting anyways. Younger stags can take another week.
We have done hunts from 7th of Feb onwards and I have a stag hunt on the 8th for 5 days.



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Great info, thanks mate!