The 2019 Tennessee Velvet Buck Hunt is in the books! It’s been another exciting weekend of bowhunting for deer hunters in the Volunteer State as the 2nd annual Velvet buck hunt took place in Tennessee. The hunt first started in 2018 with nearly 800 velvet bucks being taken over the course of the 3-day hunt. And while totals haven’t been finalized for 2019, it looks like it’s gonna be another great year for bowhunters across the state.
Tennessee’s velvet buck hunt creates an exciting hunting opportunity for bowhunters across the Volunteer State.
The 2019 hunt lined up perfectly with some cooler weather moving across the mid-south. August temperatures in Tennessee can often be 90+ degrees, but this year hunters experienced temps in the low 80’s and overnight lows in the low 60’s. It almost felt like fall in the mornings.
BHOD team member, Josh Sturgill, battled nasty weather while chasing velvet in east Tennessee. He was in the right spot – the weather just didn’t cooperate with his game plan.
I was on the other side of the state, looking for a west Tennessee whitetail in a couple of my go-to spots for the early season. Thunderstorms throughout the first morning resulted in zero activity on my first sit. I boogied back from my blind, knocked out some work at the computer and made plans for the afternoon sit on a bean field the deer have been pounding in recent weeks.
Blood on the beans is the sign of a successful early season bowhunt.
The rains had moved out by the afternoon, but the winds settled in and kept me wondering if the deer would stir much before dark. But in the last 45 minutes of daylight, the bucks made their move. I had three bucks slip out to my right and make their way up the field away from me. A few minutes later a truck drove by with a dog barking in the back. It was just enough to bump the bucks back in my direction. The deer ran into the timber in front of my stand. Twenty minutes later a buck came out of the timber to my left and fed across in front of me. I let him walk by in front of me the first time, but when he turned back and walked up in front of me at 18 yards, the itch was more than I could handle.
I let the arrow fly and the buck went just 5o yards before crashing in the beans. A perfect shot and a short blood trail was a great way to kick off the 2019 deer season in Tennessee.
The author with his first Tennessee velvet buck.
A big thanks to the TWRA and Tennessee Wildlife Commission for making the TN Velvet Buck Hunt a reality in recent years, providing bowhunters an opportunity like no other across the country.
Watch the video of my Tennessee velvet buck hunt below…
