As late as April here but that's rare. I think the end of February and March mostly.
I read it has to due with when the rut happens where the deer's ancestors were from originally. Unfortunately places like Alabama and Miss. where the rut is in January and the deer were restocked there from say a Northern state that the rut was pretty much over in early December with the main rut in November, it can have bad effect on the antler pedicle. The bucks are still rutting and fighting when they are trying to shed their antlers and they get damaged.
