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