I do not recall ever seeing two bucks spar with this much time left before they shed their velvet. Have you noticed it this early before?

well i watched a couple do it a few nights ago. i think they are more just messing around testing out each other more than anything.

Not me. Thats interesting though. Cool pics

I have never seen them test each other this early.Very cool!!!! THANKS FOR THE PICS

I agree with this.... However the reason I bring it up is these bucks are a ways off hard antler and are very susceptible to breakage.

I watched 6 different bucks involved in 4 separate little "tussles" in Nov. last year in one sitting. I've even heard of small bucks and does squaring off.

I think it's just something they "do". I don't think (and I admit to not being any type of expert) they're "really" "fighting".

It was comical to watch the little ones I saw "sparring". They looked clueless. No experience seeing them do it any sooner (personally). Great catch on the trail cam.

I imagine that the tissue is sensitive, so they probably don't mix it up enough to damage their antlers..unless one gets a little ticked off and loses control!

Scott - I glassed a lot last summer, and saw quite few yearling bucks in velvetpushing each other around several times. It had to be pretty early, b/c I distinctly remember watching a particular group of deer in a field where I had to look "over" a wideswath of corn, and into an isolated soybean patch. Once the corn gets too high, you can't see back into the corner where the deer come out in the evenings... So, it had to be around this time last year...Either way, their racks were still awfully soft, and I was surprised to see them rough-housing like that.

Weird, because I logged a lot of time looking at a couple nicer bucks that sometimes showed up and grazedwith the group,and they seemed to avoid the tussle - disinterested in all the pushing and shoving. More of a youngster thing.

My guess is that the yearlings spend their late summer pigging out on greenery andestablishingthe beginnings of a"pecking order."

I knew the rut was coming early this year.

Sorry, couldn't really pass that up.

Nice pics. I think sparring like that is something they do almost year round. Nothing behind it, just part of their nature. I agree though, they are opening themself to antler breaks.