Last night I was out with the hounds & stood 10' from a buck. The stink of musk was heavy. On the way home I seen a little 4 pointer chasin does on the football field.

The bucks are pre-rutting right now and it's a GREAT time to rattle. The actual rut will be early this year and it will be in full swing by the first week of November.

Good luck in getting that "Monster"

Stealthy_Bowman
I been chasin bucks for enough years ( 33 yrs) in this area to know. That Nov is the post rut. Bucks are chasing everything then because the does will not stand still. It's like tom turkeys when the hens are on the nest. They still think it's breeding season.
The does in my buddy's pen are in standing heat now. It's the very best sign the rut is on.

NJ are you in north Jersey. I think south jersey is a little later. I haven't seen any activity yet nor anyone that I have talked to.

Brian

445 supermag;
I'm in western morris county on the warren / hunterdon county line.

Not that I want to argue the subject, but bucks will chase does in pre-rut too in expectation of the actual rut and that may explain some of the activity you are seeing. Some does do come in estrus early, but I can tell you with certainty, without giving away what I do for a living, that the vast majority of wild deer in the garden state come into heat in November, more specifically mid-november. Whitetails have a 200 day gestation period and being that the vast majority of fawns are born the end of May and beginning of June you will see, if you do the math, that most does get pregnant in the middle of November.

I agree with Stealthy, what is occurring is pre-rut. I think sometimes hunters get phases confused by activity seen, and think the famous rut is in full force. The actual period of Rut which may only last a few days is when Doe come into heat, causing the wild bucks frenzy to breed. NJplotts I have no doubt you smelt Musk from a mature buck which are known to be ready for breeding sooner, being the dominant animal of the area. I also have no doubt you saw a buck chasing a doe, which are all signs of bucks getting ready, and being anxious. Thats why its pre-rut, bucks are ready, going through the motions, rubbing, starting to make scrapes, and could breed anytime a doe comes into heat. But when the doe come into heat is the key!!! Good Luck with that bug on you saw!!!!!!

The eight point I shot on Oct. 2 was chasing a doe and responded to rattling. I have on two other occasions seen bucks chasing does and grunting. However, this activity is not the peek rut, it is just good pre-rut buck movement.

The Rut starts when the bucks velvet drops and ends in late Dec. The peek-rut is around the second week of Nov. Always has always will.

Many hunters mistake good buck activity for the peek-rut.
Just because your on a hot date, doesn't mean your gonna score!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

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I have noticed small bucks running around and scraping but I figured thats because of the build up of testosterone they get like a horney teen LOL