Advanced Tactics for Hunting Mature Whitetails — velvet

September is a turning point in the whitetail woods. Early in the month, bucks still act like summer deer. They stay in bachelor groups and keep hitting the same soybean fields, alfalfa patches, or secluded green food sources they used all summer. With little pressure, they can remain surprisingly predictable — showing up on a regular evening pattern with daylight to spare. That pattern does not last. As summer fades, several changes happen at once. Velvet sheds, testosterone rises, and the social mood of the buck herd shifts. The easygoing attitude of summer disappears. Mature bucks become more cautious, more...