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

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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!

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

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

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

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:XD:

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.

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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!

I find late summer autumn stags the best condition eating too which is more important to me than bone. Although I do like a fence hanger

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Originally Posted by Cartman

I find late summer autumn stags the best condition eating too which is more important to me than bone. Although I do like a fence hanger

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Yeah fair enough! Shot a young fallow buck at @Ryan_Songhurst place a few weeks ago. Was great condition and very good eating.

Watched a 12 pointer with his mates 2019 last week in January and they still had velvet but looked hard. Saw the 12pt again 09.02 and was fully stripped - he is on the wall now ...

Waitangi weekend rule of thumb as has been mentioned. Should be fully stripped by late feb. If not, they're likely not a mature animal.

I've seen a couple of reds around here that have been stripping, nothing that was polished right up yet but obviously hard and ready to go. I wonder if the great start to summer with plenty of growth and the rain keeping things green longer than normal has contributed to earlier full formation this year? There should be some great animals about anyhow due to the abundance of feed, saw a real ripper stag in velvet back at start of December he was huge already, mind you he had been making regular raids on a lucerne paddock!
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Up our way the older stags will be starting to strip and if not they will be ready to strip. Younger animals are a bit later. I remember shooting a stag in Whirinaki many years back on the 7th Feb stripped and stained.

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All were soft- 7 days ago.

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Weekend just gone. He should be hard underneath, have shot them from now onwards in years previous and they were hard.
I agree, think there’s going to be some good stags about this year due to the good start of summer, I’ve already seen some good ones and a couple rippers all on public land

Most mature red stags should be hard now if not almost there.

I saw a good mature 12 with stripping hanging off him last Friday. But several other smaller stags still in velvet.

I reckon they are pretty awful looking just stripped until they get a bit of natural stain on them.

This is one of the younger stags. Not far off stripping I guess but not worth the risk.
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They will tell you when they ready, they let out a roar. Must be about that time some one come along to say they heard a stag moaning

Looked over 30 on the weekend, 5 mature stags had fully stripped with one with a bit if a colour and one random spiker. The other 25 odd had velvet in varying stages

Shot one about 3 weeks ago, hard as and starting to strip

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Originally Posted by Smiddy

Shot one about 3 weeks ago, hard as and starting to strip

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Was that the stinky one in the back of your ute[emoji23]

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Cheers for the advice!

If (big if) the weather plays ball I'll have a look for old mate and his older mate this weekend.

Will report back on levels of hardness. Nothing weird about that.

A mate shot a reasonably big fella on the weekend, fully stripped and rubbed up. Wairarapa

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Originally Posted by GWH

A mate shot a reasonably big fella on the weekend, fully stripped and rubbed up. Wairarapa

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Im off to there-ish for an over nighter on Wednesday. I will let you know.

Yesterday. Wairarapa.

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Originally Posted by Tahr

Yesterday. Wairarapa.

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Nice work!!

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Originally Posted by Tahr

Yesterday. Wairarapa.

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Certainly seems to be a early season right round the country this year no doubt due to our mild winter and wet spring and early summer.
He looks pretty young what would you age him at Tahr?
I have shot small stags similar just starting to strip end of march in lean years.

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Certainly seems to be a early season right round the country this year no doubt due to our mild winter and wet spring and early summer.
He looks pretty young what would you age him at Tahr?
I have shot small stags similar just starting to strip end of march in lean years.

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Yeah, those pedicles are high and he wasn't big. I would think his first head from a spiker. 3/4year old maybe? I agree, they seem to be stripped early. We found a tree nearby that was well tonged up by them rubbing their antlers. I will post a little story in the reports section. I actually shot a couple.