A patient of mine owns/operates a deer farm here in northern Wisconsin. He was in last week and I always take the time to listen to his insights on deer seeing as how he literally lives with them.
(Before anyone says anything about "deer farming" I'll point out that this is a GOOD man, with most of his "hunts" reserved for disabled children and vets. To see his photo album of kids in wheelchairs, or soldiers with prosthetics and their huge smiles, certainly changed my perspective on his operation).
Anyways, I asked him, "Where are we with the deer so far?" implying any activity.
He then told me of a fight between two bucks that took place on Monday night of last week. An older buck on the decline and a younger buck (4 1/2) whose coming into his own went at it near one of the fences. As he described it, it was a knock down drag out brawl with the younger buck the decided victor.
I asked if that was normal for this early in the fall and his response was interesting:
"Each deer is unique in their disposition. Some of my bigger bodied/racked bucks are relatively timid, and some bucks seem to have a chip on their shoulder. I guess that 4 1/2 year old was looking for a little payback!"
I then asked if either buck was injured and he said, "No, but I did have to fix a part of that fence!"
My take is that when the velvet comes off, so do the gloves in establishing the hierarchy.