Does still in heat, bucks in rut?

I was up in my Pole Barn Shooting House last night just watching the wildlife enjoying a cold and so forth. I watched a very nice 8 point buck come by in one direction, then a few minutes later 3 doe came by the edge of the field in the other direction. A few minutes later the buck came back and he appeared to be interested in one of the does. He followed her a while, then finally left out of sight.

While the other two doe just kept on browsing, about 5 minutes later another 8 point buck (with the right side antler gone) came by in the same direction of the other buck and then he immediately followed the same doe trail, with his nose going to the ground every couple steps. Both bucks seemed really interested in that one doe.

So are does still running around here in heat and will bucks still breed with them right now? I live 10 miles north of the AL/TN border at I-65.

Does are bred just about every month of the year, it's just that it happens in so small proportions (percentage-wise) that it is almost impossible to witness it.

What you described is exactly what I witnessed in May of 2016. I was turkey hunting in a big field. Never had seen that before myself that time of year. It was a nice 3+ yo buck too - he was corralling a group of 10-12 does deciphering which one was in heat. Very cool to see, no doubt.

Yes this goes with the signs that I found, but I am still learning.

I can't say I've ever seen it this late but I don't doubt it. I shot a nice 8pt a few years ago hound dogging an obviously playful doe on October 3d. She was with a group of 6 does. They were all running away from him except for her. She would stop and wait for him to catch up before running off again. She eventually brought him 18yds in front of my tree. Classic doe in heat rut action, only 45 days before I usually see that kind of stuff. I regularly see it way into January, but that was the first time I witnessed it so early. I've heard biologists say that if a buck has hard antlers he is ready to breed, so everything depends on does. I guess nature is just weird. Sometimes my wife gets frisky at the oddest, most unexpected times, and I dare not say no!

I saw a chart showing different timelines for regions of Alabama. Some areas would fall into rut way late in the season like late January & February. Deer don't understand state lines, and being so close to the Alabama line, it isn't far fetched to think there's a population overlap.

Doe fawns will come into heat when they get large enough, which can be in January/February/March.