Just because a guy has a certain amount of bucks concentrate on his property in Sept and October doesn’t necessarily equate to there still as many total on the landscape around him when the bucks spread out for the rut later in the season

I am in Lowndes County and seeing the same thing. Our bucks are still together and not seeing many scrapes and rubs. Last year they were chasing the weekend of the 15th but this year I think it's going to be later. They are there just not moving very far from bedding. Patience.....

What does this answer have to do with James statement?

The OP and others are inferring that the rut isnt happening the same this year…..……I suggested that the population dynamics may have changed...... James said “But the OP didn’t say anything about not seeing bucks”….And I responded……”But that doesn’t mean that the overall dynamics for the bigger area around him hasnt changed…..”

That’s kinda the cliff notes version….

I have as many or more scrapes and rubs as ever but all bucks and a lot of the does disappeared 1st of December. No pics, no feed being eaten, nothing. This week they have started to show back up? I killed a buck Saturday that I had pics of all summer. The last pic I got of him was Sept 13th. Saturday he walked back into my life and got a tailgate ride for his efforts. It has been a strange year at my place.

Opposite for us. Choctaw Co. Saw more fresh hooked trees & more scrapes this past weekend than same time in prior years. Some bucks (on camera) beginning to show tarsal staining. Spikes & small bucks actively trying to get it in before the big boys join the party.

we have a lot of does. The bucks I have seen won't be the ones I am interested in shooting in the weeks ahead. The bucks of interest will be "cruising"- then hit the numerous " singles in the area" and it will be on.

The behavior eclipse is describing is the same thing I’m talking about……Any individual hunter could have still been seeing good buck numbers early this fall like a school of fish holding on a point. They disappeared though like they often do and now when its time for the rut to kick in some of them show back up, some of them don’t……Maybe there’s less showing back this year because overall population dynamics have changed for the bigger area around you……. Why would bucks come back and concentrate on one property when there are empty holes out there around you where this isnt as much competition for does? Not saying its happening to everyone but that its likely happening to some

Basically what deer have been doing for as long as I’ve been deer hunting. It’s not just an Alabama thing. These same behaviors happen here at home,they happen in Texas, they happened when we hunted in Missouri, and the same thing when we used to hunt in Georgia. The girls will make boys do weird things that they normally wouldn’t do. They make them fight their brothers, best friend and sometimes daddy and grandpa. When daddy or grandpa gets finished whooping up on em, they figure out quick that they better move on to some other place and hope they can find another girlfriend. Bucks do what bucks been doing forever and they move a lot and a long ways when those girls start putting out that perfume. It’s not complicated. It’s nature!!

Some of y'all think too much. Ever heard of Occam's Razor?

The entire state or at least a pretty good chunk of it was in a drought from August until now. Most food plots failed. There were a lot of acorns in my area, but how many are good? I don't know. It's very likely that the deer herd is below their normal winter weight, which effects reproduction and everything else. They're not all dead.

People traffic. Where no one has been . (Rut is on)has been said many many times. Hear a lot of this is my first time to go. Folks waiting on the rut and we tell them when it’s on. Yes…..Deer change to get out of harms way. WMA gates and road ways were crowded this weekend and will be next. GW said more people checked in hunting than all year in the next few weeks Yes deer do what they have to, to survive.

So you’re saying to shoot more does to get the ratio back in check?

It all comes full circle don’t it

I think y’all need to stop worrying about sign and what you’re seeing and go hunt. It’s happening at the same time whether you’re there or not.

Heck, I sometimes don’t even go hunt when it’s “good”! I just like to walk up to the guy wearing camo in the piggly wiggly and say “deer been moving slow last few days, what about you?” no matter what the situation is. Same on here

I agree with Marsh, feeders and cell cameras have allowed us to be more picky about what we shoot. I’d much rather have numerous pics of a buck and try to determine age from a pic than have to make a quick decision when he crosses a road chasing a doe. I have had less bucks on camera up to this point this season, but think a lot of his has to do with what’s going on around us. Rayonier is cutting like crazy west of me right now. The acorn crop this year also changed a lot of patterns.

Our rut in Conecuh is normally around Jan 24 +\- a couple of days. New bucks are starting to show up now just like normal. A few bucks we had on camera last year are just showing up for the first time all season as well.

We’ve had a very good year. Lots of bucks, lots of does, and a lot of rut activity.
FYI, I feed a lot of corn, but I haven’t shot a deer over a feeder in two years. I haven’t shot a deer sitting in a shooting house in two years either.
I’ve been on the ground standing.

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Some of y'all think too much. Ever heard of Occam's Razor?

The entire state or at least a pretty good chunk of it was in a drought from August until now. Most food plots failed. There were a lot of acorns in my area, but how many are good? I don't know. It's very likely that the deer herd is below their normal winter weight, which effects reproduction and everything else. They're not all dead.

This Man gets it. 👍

Opposite for us, more rubs, scrapes and busted up racks than typical for this time of year in SW AL. My 5yr old killed 8pt on Sunday morning that smelled awful and had been gouged in neck pretty good. I spoke with neighbor yesterday that has a lot of busted up racks as well and we were curious if it was drought related.

I’ve been hunting and scouting the same piece of public land now consistently for 7 years. The sign is the same with scrapes and rubs in all the usual places.