Hard antler?

Hey guys im just wondering when red stags get hard antler? I was going on a meat hunt looking for a yearling on the farm i hunt and saw a nice 8 point stag grazing about 100m away but saw he was still in velvet so just watched him for ages untill he wandered out of sight. The antlers looked fully formed so I wouldnt think it would be too far off shedding the velvet. Want to put him on the wall :P cheers

2 to 3 months away

Down here end of feb is usual tho going by recent north island photos on the forum it may be earlier up there or you have had a good winter and great spring.

General rule of thumb for hard antler, definitely don't shoot them before Waitangi weekend. Big stags will harden and strip theirs first.