Getting ready for the rut!

[ThunderLund78]

Just checked my trail cameras for the first time this year - they've been out for a month.  First time I've ever caught a sparring match on one of my cams and I thought it was pretty cool.  The pics themselves aren't the greatest, but it's hard to get nature to pose for a hidden camera   Lots of small bachelor bucks on my cams this year - more than I've ever seen. I think the mild winter really helped the population in my area.  

These two bachelors are buddies, I have a lot of pics of them traveling together--they might even be twin brothers. I think these are more practice and horseplay (deerplay?) than anything.  But in less than a month they'll be enemies and the fights will be more intense. I have them duking it out on two different cameras on two different occasions - one on top of a ridge and on this camera which is in the valley below that ridge.  Probably the first real rut for both of them.  I like how they appear to be sizing each other up and then they lock horns. Excited to see if this activity continues in the weeks to come.