Bucks Fighting October 5th??? ...What's up?

[Terry Green]

One of my good friends saw two buck going at it wide open Saturday...8 pointers....never heard of such so early..any idea why?  Moon early this year for rut in October?

Anyone?

[kennym]

Don't know, but have 3 good reports of it here.

1 with 2 bucks
1 with 4
1 with 3

 Good bucks too, not dinkers....

[Terry Green]

You talking about fights Kenny?

If so,...the 'Charlie' hunt will be fast and furious I suppose.  

[Benjy]

How bout some chasing! This was Friday afternoon!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILxy22lWL6s&feature=youtu.be

[VictoryHunter]

There does seem to be a good deal of action starting to take place. My mom made her first bow kill last week on a mature ten point and he was most definitely cruising. Strange...

[rolltidehunter]

About 5 years ago I watched two bucks fight in early October. They were in a large pasture acting like buddies one min then a friendly sparing matched turned into a knock down fight. In that situation I believe the bucks were just sizing each other up and it got out of hand. Could be different  in your case

[JDunlap]

I've had the same reports here in my area of okie. Bucks already fighting and chasing does.

[TSHOOTER]

That makes me feel better about rattling on Oct 1st.  My buddy said I shouldn't rattle until Halloween.  I'll have to show him this thread.  

[RC]

My Buddy Chris Spikes saw a 8 pt. chasing a doe this evening.RC

[Jerry Jeffer]

According to information I have been keeping in a journal, this year will have early activity and it will be spread out through the season. Don't expect a concentrated rut this year. It is not just moon phase, but when the moon rises, sets, and a few other things I have been tracking. Keep an eye out and tell me if I'm correct later in the season. Just my prediction.

[Bill Carlsen]

Check the date on this. It was in our front yard behind our grape arbor under a yellow delicious apple tree.

 

[Cookie125]

I have a picture of two bucks sparring.

 
they're just keeping the pecking order and strengthening up for the up coming rut. I've also been getting pictures at scrapes too since before season started. Not really uncommon for things like this in the animal kingdom. I have pictures of turkeys strutting year round and prairie chickens are known to visit lek sights year round too.

[East Coast archer]

Bill,

On 9/14 I saw 3 different bucks sparring and the biggest tore up a tree after he had chased the two lesser bucks off.  All at 4:00 pm too.  If you believe in the moon phases it looks like it might be an early rut?  Maybe some of the whitetail gurus can chime in on this.

[sswv]

saw the same thing in my yard several weeks ago. 4 bucks in the group and an 8pt and a 4pt went at it for over 20 minutes. a friend saw an 8 pointer chasing a doe hard a few days ago. it does seem like everything is early this year. maybe the rut will be also.

[rolltidehunter]

Rut will be the same  as last year. Bucks spar quite often. Even in early season.

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by rolltidehunter:
Rut will be the same  as last year. Bucks spar quite often. Even in early season.

Interesting....being that I've hunted all my life, I've never seen bucks FIGHT this early.  Somehow I guess I missed it all those years.  I've seen them spar though and taunt.  

However,....my friends bucks were NOT sparing...he said they were trying to kill each other.

And, as far as last year, there weren't scraps everywhere like they laid down over this weekend and all new rubbed trees.  Nope, I've never seen it the 1st week of Oct.  Least not that I can remember.  Who knows, maybe I did and just forgot.

What I am hearing and seeing is everything is early.  Including the things that are going on now at KennyMs that weren't last year two weeks later when Charlie and I were there.  Those things started the last few days of our hunt but the group that just left saw what we would have seen if we'd have stayed a few more days.  Not the same as last year at all.

 Jerry Jeffer ...I'm listening...      

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Benjy:
How bout some chasing! This was Friday afternoon!

 

Yes Benjy...SC always seems to have more action in Oct...I'd expect that.  Ya'lls rut is really spread out.

[rolltidehunter]

Originally posted by Terry Green:
 

Originally posted by rolltidehunter:
Rut will be the same  as last year. Bucks spar quite often. Even in early season.

Interesting....being that I've hunted all my life, I've never seen bucks FIGHT this early.  Somehow I guess I missed it all those years.  I've seen them spar though and taunt.

However,....my friends bucks were NOT sparing...he said they were trying to kill each other.


And, as far as last year, there weren't scraps everywhere like they laid down over this weekend and all new rubbed trees.  Nope, I've never seen it the 1st week of Oct.  

What I am hearing and seeing is everything is early.

 Jerry Jeffer ...I'm listening...      [/b]

i was not there to see your friends bucks fight. im not saying it was a sparing match. i belive you it was a knock down drag out fight. i have seen bucks fight hard in october as well. every state every place is diffrent when it comes to the rut. but it typically around the same time every year. a week apart or so.

i realize every place is diffrent but where i hunt you see  spotted fawns in early march all the way though October. if im seeing a fawn in march then the doe was in estrus in early oct. which means bucks could be fighting for dominance in Oct. if i see a spotted fawn in late october then the doe was breed in late feb early march. but sayiing all this we typically see more chasing in mid december and the another 30 days later.

maybe this does not occur close to you. hey its the south our rut is whacky

[Terry Green]

Yeah John....its not the norm here. Not where I grew up. Not the first week of Oct.  Things that happened this weekend here haven't ever done so this early that I can remember...and we've been going to Kennys for 4 years now about the same time, and those deer are way ahead of the last three years...and they are in MO.

Heck if I know....  

[Zbone]

Concur with rolltidehunter - Peak rut same time year after year, regardless of weather or moon phase.  Here in the midwest, most does will be bred the first two weeks of November...

If in hard horn, they'll lock up any time, depends on the circumstances and who's who... They're individuals and just like people, some don't like others and sparring, pushing, and shoving becomes  accelerated...8^)