I had four bucks chase 2 does by me last Tuesday here in NW ILL. Six more bucks came in shortly after and bedded down 40 yards from my stand for over 30 minutes (no shot at the 2 shooters).

I had two does run past me the night before and just assumed a coyote, etc. had them stirred up.

I also saw buck sparring both nights...and one actually lost an antler in the process. Do you think they are sparring to speed up the process of losing them?

Any Rut activity this time of year is very, very spotty. Any Buck that has hard antlers is capable of breeding, but it takes that stray doe coming into heat this time of year to spice things up for a bit.

I doubt Bucks spar for the sole reason of trying to knock their antlers off, but they could easily loose one this time of year while doing so.

When the testosterone level goes down it will cause a Buck to lose his Antlers. Physical condition, participation in the rut, etc. all play a part as to how fast that happens.

Dan