Where Do Deer Rut in January?

If you live and hunt anywhere in a 1,000-acre swath of the South below the 37^th parallel, buckle up. Bucks are pushing does, and will continue to do so for the next six weeks or so. The latest deer rut in North America is finally here in these three states! Time to get out there and have some fun.

Mississippi: Historical rut data compiled by state biologists shows that peak breeding occurs in mid-December in the northwestern counties. But as you move south across the state, the rut occurs progressively later in mid-December and into January. In the extreme southeastern counties, bucks push and chase does well into January, with breeding peaking from roughly January 24 through February 6.

Louisiana: Biologists from the Bayou State say that deer breed from September to February, depending on region, habitat and herd parameters. In the easternmost counties from the top of the state down through counties in the extreme southeast, peak rutting occurs from Christmas through January 26.

Alabama: Across most of the state, peak breeding ranges from Christmas into the first week of February. In the northern half of Alabama, bucks tread does from Christmas until mid-January, while deer in the southern counties breed from mid-January into the first week of February.

Good luck!