Spring "Rut" Activity ???
 

I'm stumped on this one !! I have hunted SE Alabama since 1976 and in south louisiana as far back as 1962. Here's what I came across with chasing turkeys the weekend of March 22 ... a scrape and rub line that is about 1/2 mile long. I counted 22 scrapes. About 1/2 had been worked very recently, probably within 12 hours. I know this because of the rain fall times and the fact that several were absolutely rancid with fresh pee. Trees the size of my fore arm all along the way shredded up as high as nearly 4 feet. Limbs above several of the scrapes freshly broken. I have trail camera shots of several mature 8's and 10's in the general area, all still fully antlered. This seems very late for this sort of activity. FYI - This in on a 2500 acre +/- piece of property that is excellent deer habitat off which has been taken 45-55 does and 10-15 mature bucks each of the past several years. Any ideas or info would be much appreciated.

RE: Spring "Rut" Activity ???
 

In Southeast Bama I would say that it is common to see the scrapes/rubs this time of year. I carried my two grandsons turkey hunting last Sat. just outside Troy, Al and saw the same thing that you did. There were probably more scrapes than there were back in Jan/Feb.

RE: Spring "Rut" Activity ???
 

i didnt know that they can still carry their antlers that long

RE: Spring "Rut" Activity ???
 

Man I live and hunt in GAand I know our rut starts around the first of Nov and I have always heard that AL starts in Jan and Feb, maybe a cold snap threw some into a secondary rut. Sometimes we get a secondary rut around Jan.

RE: Spring "Rut" Activity ???
 

That is baffling, and it is exactly why you will never know everything about hunting.