MuleyMadness Hunting Forums

I have a question that has still yet to be answered. The rut here in south Georgia is usually around the first couple of weeks in Oct., and in some counties it happens around the beginning of Nov. Its pretty much like that through-out the south, and I'm sure up North in most places. My question is; 'why is the deer rut in Alabama happening around, and sometimes after the first of the year?

The rut for animals in most places stays pretty consistant and close to the same time as thr rut in other areas. The thing is though is that animals rut at the time that will give their fawns the greatest chance of survival. So I would guess that in Alabama the rut happens late so that when the fawns come it is when all of the new forage has come up.

Kind of depends on where in AL you are talking about. I know in MS in the souther coastal part the rut doesn't happen until late Jan/early Feb. The northern part of the state is usually sometime in Dec.

It is the same in AL. Dec in the northern part and Mid Jan to first week Feb. I've seen spotted fawns as late as mid Oct around the Blue Springs area in Al.

I have hunted in Alabama on the Ga. border a few times 7 or 8 years ago.
In A NWR they were doing a study about the rut in that area and were asking for dna samples of any deer killed. when I killed a doe and checked it in I asked the same questions. why Jan in Alabama and Nov just across the river in Ga. and I was told it was 2 genic strains of deer. I don't know if this is true or notbut that is what I was told.

Tommy Coley

I have huntd in AL and GA since I was a kid so make it 35-40 years. I started whitetail hunting at 13 and I have been hunting both AL and GA for all that time. I live near the Chattahoochee River in Alabama and have a lease within a few miles of the river and Lake Eufaula that I have hunted for the past 17 years. Our deer rut between mid October and late November with the main rut being early-mid November. Our rut is basically over when gun season begins around November 20th but there are a few does that come into season even into February.

I also have a lease in Central Alabama, Coosa County, that I have had for 7 years and the deer here tend to rut in January.

We killed a nice 8 pointer last weekend that was in full rut in South Alabama and a couple of good deer the next weekend in Central AL that were in no way rutting. Trail cams show bucks still together in Coosa on night photos under white oak trees and virtually no bucks in South Alabama as they are chasing rather than foraging.

I have also heard that this is due to the genetics of deer brought here from Wisconsin? many years ago. I can't answer that but it seems to make sense. I like the early rut in that it generally produces larger yearlings and few button bucks compared to spikes/4 pointers. Unfortunately the deer are virtually 100% nocturnal once the rut is over so the Coosa rut is more huntable with a rifle.

Like others have mentioned, it depends on location within the state. We are 100 miles inland in TX (& up against LA basically) and we see some rutting start in early October, with the main happening roughly the first cpl weeks of Nov, then another in late December & early January...then sometimes another in Feb. The action in Jan & Feb are your does that weren't bred or older fawns that were able to reach cycling weights. So if your fawns are hitting cycling weights, that's a good sign. If it's older does that haven't been bred, it's usually a good indication that the buck:doe ratio is out of whack. Weather also will indicate what is happening as well, hot weather during the peak gives the idea that the deer aren't rutting much, but they'll usually do most of their chasing at night and do more feeding during daylight hours.

(latest I've shot a buck tending a doe was Feb 27, but most have been in Nov. Pre-Thanksgiving.)

How many deer can you kill per in year in Alabama? It used to be a ton.

Hiker wrote:How many deer can you kill per in year in Alabama? It used to be a ton.

Last time I looked at the regs for Bama it was 6 or 8, but thats been a year or two ago.