Every fall, deer hunters dream of November, but these are northern hunters, and a select portion of southern whitetail enthusiasts. In the South, most whitetails rut outside of what many refer to as the magical month. In reality, millions of deer do the deed during months some hunters might finding surprising, ranging from July to February.
REASONS FOR WIDE RUT RANGE DATES
Some might not realize why rut ranges vary so much throughout the country. Of course, in the northern half of the country, these are very defined. Deer need to rut in a tight window to drop spring fawns within the most favorable (and survivable) timeframe. They need to be born late enough to avoid cold weather, but early enough to gain strength for their first winter. It’s a delicate balance.
Due to warmer temperatures, this is not as necessary in the South. Still, while genetics play a role in the rut, environmental factors seem to be the biggest drivers, even in the South. While deer don’t deal with cooler weather, they do have other
