Remnard

I see bucks already chasing does here in Connecticut. The rut is timed by nature to impregnate does so they drop their young during the late spring, when food is most plentiful. late spring doesn't happen the same place everywhere if I'm not mistaken. In the Northern adirondacks, the rut seems to occur almost 2 weeks earlier there, than CT. Canada (montreal area)seems to be on about the same schedule.

chazspot

In Montgomery County, MD they are chasing and breeding the early does. It's pretty much on there.

Doubled 150

They are chasing here in MO. I killed a decent buck on Halloween morning at 10:15. He was chasing a doe. A buddy of mine killed a great buck on a special draw muzzleloader hunt in central MO. He killed it at 12:30. I've gotten reports of bucks chasing does from plenty of farmers in my area as well. It has definitely begun here in Southeast MO and Southern IL.

accman

I'm not able to be in the woods except on the weekends, but my son has seen an increase in the number of dead deer on the roads in the last week. He passes along the Palisades Pkwy in Rockland every day and usually will see one or two. Yesterday he saw nine dead, I saw 2 along the sprain. On Monday, we counted 6 or 7 on Rt 17 up towards Deposit. During the rut, they just get careless and run away and onto the roadways. On the Sprain, I usually see a couple of nice sixes, walking at a brisk pace, noses to the ground. If it's up to those two, their necks are swelled up already. Would be nice to pull over and watch em for a while, but that would just be nuts with the crazy drivers down here. (Like I'm not crazy. I'm paying more attention to the deer than the roadway.)

7.62NATO

Agreed with the increase in roadkilled deer. I saw a very, very nice buck on the side of a busy highway this morning. I couldn't see his spread or number of tines while passing at 80 mph, but he had some serious mass, something you don't see often in this part of VA. You know he had been around for awhile and knew just about every trick in the book. Poor bastard must have just been really horny to have crossed where he did.

Remnard

It would be interesting to know what age class they were from. Alpha does will push their male off spring out of the area when they are soon to come in to breeding status, to stop inbreeding by their yearling offspring. I usually see a lot of fork horns, spikes etc hit this time of year. The occasional big buck gets hit, but the smaller ones I usually see.

Doughboy2

I too follow Alsheimer and agree with you Thunderchicken. He has been dead on timing of the rut since I have been reading his rut predictions. There are MANY factors that play into the rut.....(weather, hunting pressure....). However, if I had to bet, I would bet that the closer we get to Thanksgiving, the more rutting activity we will see. That is just my opinion. Things are really slow here in SE Indiana/SW Ohio.

doetrain

I live in southern Indiana and we are seeing some agressive chasing. My Nephew had one grunting and chasing a Doe just after sunrise in the Knobs a high ridge area here by the river in New Albany where I work. As I have said the Doe I killed was being chased by a young Buck last Friday.

Thunderchicken217

I thank everyone for their responses and opinions. I did just wanna make clear that alsheimer predicts thes type early rutting activities from 2 1/2 yr olds and younger with maybe the occasional 3 yr old but the true rut isn"t until the 4 yr olds and older begin their activities. was curious the age class of deer all of you are witnessing because a 4 or a 6 pt doing a little dogging of a doe doesn't make me believe the rut is on. If these are mature animals you guys are witnessing then thats a whole different story. thanks again for all the responses it is alot of food for thought and good luck to you all.

curtispa14

I think that we see prerut activity at different times in different states and someone takes a deer and we assume the rut is on. More deer are killed on the road now because more hunters hunt now and push them out of the woods and onto the roads. Most people don't get to see a real rut. The woods explode with multiple bucks snorting and running like crazy. With every step they exhale loud enough to here from 50 yrds. away or more. Then it stops for awhile and starts all over again. It is really neat to see. I think like many animal activities the moon phases do have a purpose. The rut is yet to come!