I`ve spent a lot of time in a blind the past 2 seasons hunting the last 3-4 weeks of the season pretty hard since I still had a buck tag. One thing I noticed was how much more involved the younger 1.5 and 2.5 year old bucks are in the secondary rut. We have a lot of hunting pressure around us on the N and S/E sides with 5 smaller properties (40-60 acres) and 2-3 hunters (family members) on each. If it`s 13 inches its going to get shot, so most of the 3.5 year old are gone or hauled azz by the time the 2nd rut rolls around. This allows the younger bucks to become the new older bucks and not afraid of getting their azz kicked. I even noticed 2 young 8 points that busted their racks just last week from fighting. When you tag out early and don`t have the time to hunt late season, you don`t get to see the young bucks coming of age so to speak.

agree, I was out late Dec. and saw a short fight happen at a feeder by a 4.5 y/o 8 point and younger 3.5 y/o 8 point. the older one had been hanging around since day break between the 2 feeders and that I put out from a road feeder, over 2 hours. he was under my west feeder when a spike and the younger 8 came into view. the older one bowed up, did the side step walk over to the younger one, the younger one just started walking in the direction of the older one and POW, the older one lit into the younger one. only lasted maybe 20 seconds before the younger one finally got away.

but yes, I was out again last weekend and saw several different younger deer I hadn't seen before. I'll stick to as often as the wife lets me go thru the end of Feb. at the east TX place.