RE: This year compared to last year??
I feel the predicted late rut combined with the warm weather is the reason the activity seems stunted so far. Wait another week or so and it should be picking up dramatically. I sure wouldn't burn my tag on a marginal buckout of frustration.
Personally I've had more mature bucks in range this year than in any other, but I've been huntingsome newproperty this year, so it isn't a fair comparison to last year.