but I almost hit a small buck with my truck this morning and he was out of velvet.
Same here. Except mine was a medium buck.
He was completely out of velvet. Standing right on the side of the road with that look like he may jump out in the road, or he may not. I slowed down as I passed and got a nice look at him. A real big 6-pointer. Felt great seeing a nice buck in hard antler after a long winter, spring and summer.