I might very well be wrong....
BUT, what I would guess is that you are seeing the signs that many of us in this area have been seeing for many years. The buck:doe ratio is balanced and the overall population low and stable. This creates a lot of competition between bucks and a lot of posturing/marking/sparring/fighting as bucks of the same age class AND in the mature range try to establish dominance.
It is the proper time for that in this area. The main breeding date that I have witnessed over most of my 44 years has been within a few days of Jan 16th. That is only just over 2 weeks away! The BEST hunting is the peak just before the actual breeding begins. If the weather will hold out.......it ought to be good!!!!
Good hunting!
