Mulies done yet?

[Button Nubbs]

Are their antlers done growing yet? I saw some giants yesterday and today and was wondering if they are gonna keep growing.

[BLKBEARKLR]

they will grow more

[coachcw]

tell where u saw them and i'll let u know.

[DOUBLELUNG]

they'll keep growing in size for another month, then about a month before they shed dimensional growth slows and switches over to filling in bone density.   

[bowhunterforever]

August the end of it

[boneaddict]

Doublelung is correct.  It would be more the end of July for dimensional growth.  Yes they will still have velvet through the end of August.

[spikehunter]

except for the 2 bucks poached by natives, 2 wees ago up by the dry creek feed station

[Button Nubbs]

That's good to know! Ill try to get some pics posted tonight if I can find my usb cable. I know it depends on genetics, diet, ect, but how much more do you think a typical 4X4 with eye gaurds and 3" splits front and back will grow?  We saw several deer like this and I'm just praying they will stick around.

[DOUBLELUNG]

That's good to know! Ill try to get some pics posted tonight if I can find my usb cable. I know it depends on genetics, diet, ect, but how much more do you think a typical 4X4 with eye gaurds and 3" splits front and back will grow?  We saw several deer like this and I'm just praying they will stick around.

Depends on how rapidly they are growing now.  The more bulbous and flat-tipped the antlers, the faster the growth.  If they are flat tipped but not bulbous, they are still growing but will soon stop.  When the tips taper, dimensional growth has stopped.  If very bulbous, and the bucks are fat as hogs, and feed remains green, lush and abundant, another 6" could be possible, as well as a gain in mass.  From there, all the way down to "a little more".  

I saw a couple of little bucks on Tuesday that appeared to be nearly done with dimensional growth - not tapering yet, but not bulbous at all.  I saw a BIG buck last week that had about 12" of heavy beam growth that forked with two big bulbs on the ends-lots of growing to do yet.  

As far as sticking around, once the bone hardens, their behavior will change rapidly (they will brush up and become more nocturnal), but most of the time they do not do long-distance movements until mid-October.  I believe the best scouting time is from about July 15 to August 5; bucks are highly visible, and antler  dimensional growth is close to done.  After that, they will be much more difficult to0 see, but you should have faith in the area and hunt it believing they are probably still there. however, if you hunt it and there is no fresh sign (blunt-toed tracks at least 3.5" long, fresh large-sized pellets 1" or longer) start to cover more ground until you find that sign.  Then, hunt very smart, pay tons of attention to the wind, try to stay out of feeding areas once identified, and glass, glass, glass.  Even in heavy cover, glass as far as you can see.   

[boneaddict]

only thing I think I can add is the two factors that keep them out in the open are their velvet antlers are extremely sensitive.  This keeps them out of the brush.  Bugs are also driving them nuts, so that drives them up in the open winds to keep away from the bugs.  Heat isn't as big an obstacle as most people think.
 
Think of hiking in the brush buck naked.  Are you going to drag your testicles through that brush patch or stick to the open.  If you have a 1,000 biting flies gnawing at your testicals are you going to lay in the shade down in the creek or are you going to sit up in the wind where there are 10 biting flies. 

After the velvet is shed and they are out of their Reds, all rules change.

[Button Nubbs]

That's even better to know! They were very big bodied deer and had very big blubs on their tops. Now I'm starting to have second thoughts about going elk hunting... thanks for the answers guys!

[squeeze2drop]

Some great info on this thread, thanks fellas