Unless you’re hunting antelope out west, the month of August typically doesn’t offer much in the way of big game bowhunting opportunities. However, with new regulations in place, Tennessee bowhunters have been given the chance to hunt velvet bucks in the month of August. It’s an exclusive hunt taking place August 24-26 to give bowhunters a legitimate opportunity to punch a tag on a buck in velvet. Bucks taken during the velvet buck hunt will count toward the annual bag limit for the state of Tennessee. This is a private land hunt. WMA’s or refuge lands are not open during the velvet buck hunt weekend.
It’s always fun to watch a group of bachelor bucks develop during the off-season.
With all the excitement that’s surrounding this historical hunt in the Volunteer State, we kick off our Chasing Velvet Blog Series. This blog series will bring weekly updates from hunters across the state as they prep for the velvet buck hunt the end of August. We’ll be bringing trail cam photos, videos, updates and strategies for killing a velvet buck this season.
This buck slipped by the Duck or Bleed blind earlier this summer. He was just enough to send my little boys fighting over who would hunt first during the August velvet buck hunt.
Our friend, Greg McGee, in west Tennessee is also excited about the opportunity to kill a buck in velvet this year and is anxiously making plans on how to make it happen. “I grew up in Waverly, TN,” says McGee. “My dad got me interested in the outdoors at a young age with dove hunting with a .410 and bass fishing in our pond. Little did he know it would consume my life as I got older. Now I hunt just about every critter possible in Tennessee and spend a lot of time bowfishing.”
McGee is no stranger to big bucks. This year, however, he hopes to put his tag on a buck in velvet.
“Along with my love for hunting, I have started within the last few years doing game management to grow bigger deer. I’m excited about the velvet buck hunt this year. It’s always been a dream of mine to shoot a mature buck in velvet. I had some nice 3.5-year-old bucks on the property last year that I’m excited to see again this year. Hopefully it’ll all come together during the vevlet buck hunt in August!”
Here’s a few of the bucks that have been regulars on McGee’s trail cams so far this summer.
So far, the biggest bucks have yet to make an appearance on camera.
Be sure to check back each week for the Chasing Velvet Blog Series as we bring updates on what’s showing up on our trail cams, mock scrapes, and the plans we’re making to punch a tag on a velvet buck this season.
