"lack of velvet"
Obviously true here, but out of the three largest bucks I have taken, all were in September, something like the 3rd, 5th, 6th,and all were hard bone. One whitie had just shed and still was white horned, the other was rubbed nice, and my muley had already touched bone to another and chipped a tip. The two whities were from Kettle, and the muley was from the Methow. I killed one on the 15th in the high hunt that was also bone, if that counts.