Elk Velvet Antler Harvesting Period

When to Harvest

To be effective as a nutrient-rich supplement, elk antler velvet must be collected and processed prior to their calcification. When calcified, antler becomes hardened because it does not have any blood supply.  Therefore, the collection of elk antler velvet is usually done at the half-grown stage just prior to the last budding of the main branch.

Elk naturally shed their antlers, but those do not provide the nutrients desired for medicinal purposes.  Producers continue to use these antlers even with the foreknowledge of their inferiority. 

Optimal Harvesting

Elk antler velvet is at an optimal composition between 55 to 65 days of growth. The exact timing of elk velvet collection balances the maximum length of the branch and the minimum calcification of the lower section of the antler.

We monitor the growth of antler for each elk very closely to determine the optimal time for collection, which varies by individual animal. By putting in this additional effort, we significantly increase the strength and effectiveness of our product.

Quantity Over Quality

Elk antler velvet is sold on the open market primarily by weight. Low-grade elk antler velvet manufacturers intentionally collect their elk antler velvet at a suboptimal time to increase the weight. 

These companies purposely delay the collection to 70 days or longer to maximize their inventory despite the fact the active ingredients of the elk antler velvet decreases dramatically during this time frame. In other words, our competitors willingly produce a lower quality product in order to have more product for sale.