RE: velvet bucks
I haven't seen any without velvet yet. The should be coming off in Illinois any time soon. The days are getting a bit cooler. Some racks might still be groing but that is the yearling and young bucks. The mature bucks are mostly done by now. It only take 4 months for a deer to grow a full rack and antlers can grow up to a 1/2 inch a day, sometimes more.