i had a buck chase a doe in front of me this morning. I think the small bucks start early to get a jump on things before the big boys get out and take charge. This afternoon i found a 2.5' wide scrape on the ground not 30 yards from where i saw that buck, still had a puddle in the middle of it. The peak of the rut is usually later in the year, but there are always early and late bucks and does.