I am not sure about when the rut actually starts.. But, here the heaviest normally is mid November.. Yesterday while trying some luck at bow hunting there was 2 cases of tracks showing some sort of commotion going. There was places from 2 different days on an old road where a couple of deer had it out maybe.. I was not sure what I was looking at though as I never saw these before.. It looked as though 2 feet were sliding together in the mud with several more deer tracks around it.. In one set it looked as though a leg had been on the ground. No deer hair but I am think the bucks maybe doing a pre rut thing and trying to drive each other away?? Just not sure on it..