Thanks to a recent review of season dates by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, bowhunters now have the opportunity to chase Everglades bucks during their rut, which takes place in late July and August. Florida’s whitetail population exhibits the widest range of rut dates of any state in the nation.

Imagine a hypothetical bowhunter just like you in many respects. His addiction to hunting whitetails has no permanent cure — only temporary fixes in the form of blood-covered arrows stuck in the dirt. He meticulously practices with his equipment, and is always in search of gadgets and information that will hone his shooting skills and give him an edge in the woods. He relishes the fact that much of his diet consists of venison. But his appreciation for whitetails and fascination with their behavior may surpass his enjoyment for all other aspects of the hunt. He likes scouting, studying and watching deer at about any time of year, but doing so from a treestand during the rut is his favorite. Our bowhunter is so enamored with the rut, in fact, that he’s decided to spend every waking moment of his bow season this year hunting rutting whitetails — and nothing else.

Now, here’s the part where you and our hunter part ways. He’s independently wealthy, doesn’t have a boss or wife to answer to and, just for the sake of this article, has free reign on some great hunting spots wherever he decides to travel. His goal? To spend 90 days in a treestand, hunting rutting whitetails. It’s possible without ever leaving the southern United States. Within this region, sometimes within a few hours’ drive, rut dates can range from August to February. Here’s a look at our hunter’s itinerary:

July 31-Aug. 14: South Florida
Throughout much of the country, hunters imagine whitetail bucks chasing does on cool days in late October and November. The weather won’t be like that in South Florida this time of year, but the deer won’t care. Whitetails in the Everglades rut in late summer, and this year, for the first time in a long time, bowhunters will have the opportunity to pursue them.

“Here in Florida, we have the widest range of rut dates of anywhere in the nation,” says Cory Morea, Florida’s state deer coordinator. “Last year, we (the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) went through a process to redefine our hunting zones to coincide with the whitetail rut. Now, for the first time in South Florida, hunters will be able to bowhunt whitetails in the rut. This year, the whitetail season will open July 31 in that region.”

Sept. 15-30: Coastal Texas
A Texas study showed that peak conception dates for whitetails in the northern portion of the Gulf Coastal Prairies and marshes of Texas (that’s near Houston) is around Sept. 30. So, our hunter will remain beachside for the second leg of his hunt.

“The subspecies of whitetails along the Texas Coastal Prairie is a little different than in the rest of the state,” says Mitch Lockwood, the whitetail deer program coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. “They’re often called ‘Avery Island’ whitetails, and they’re present throughout coastal Texas and portions of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi. They’re just a little smaller (although they can grow impressive antlers), and they have a much earlier breeding season than deer in other portions of the state.”

Oct. 25-Nov. 10: Central Kentucky
Truth be told, our hunter could hit a variety of areas within the South to bowhunt during this “classic” rutting period. But year in and year out, Kentucky bowhunters shoot more Pope and Young whitetails than hunters in any other state in the Southeast.

Kentucky’s modern firearm season typically opens the second Saturday in November, often just as the peak of the breeding begins, so our hunter will definitely want to be in a stand from Halloween till just before the gun opener. During that time, he’s virtually guaranteed to see a shooter dogging a doe at some point in a good area.

Nov. 15-Dec. 1: Northern Mississippi
With Kentucky whitetails falling into the peak breeding and post-rut phases, our hunter again heads south to hunt, this time on the Mississippi/Tennessee line. The Mississippi Delta region has great soil, abundant agriculture and a pile of whitetails. And Mississippi has been a pioneering Southern state when it comes to quality deer management. The peak conception date for whitetails in northern Mississippi counties such as Desoto, Marshall, Tunica and Tate is around Dec. 6, so look for bucks to begin chasing does in dramatic fashion in this river-bottom country toward the end of November into the first portion of December.

Dec. 1- 15: Back to Texas
Our hunter is running thin on freezer space, and the early mornings are taking their toll — but some of the best action of the year may await him on this leg of his quest. He’ll again be hunting Texas, but he’ll be moving well away from the coast and into the more arid southwest region.

“December 14 is the date when, historically, the breeding takes off in South Texas,” Lockwood said. “Often, 90 percent of the does have not been bred by December 14, and then, the next day, the rate just skyrockets, especially in western South Texas.”

Of course, our hunter will want to be in the stand before the 14th, when the bucks are doing more active chasing than breeding. “If I’m hunting South Texas and there’s a cold snap around Thanksgiving or a little afterward, I’m going to be out there with a set of rattling horns in hand,” Lockwood said.

Jan. 1-15: The Black Belt
After a spending a few days at home to shop for an extra freezer, our hunter will begin the final leg of his journey in the famed Alabama Black Belt. This region is a narrow band of rich soil that stretches all the way across the southern portion of the state just north of the coastal plain (through Montgomery). As a drainage area for both the Black Warrior and Alabama Rivers, the Black Belt has historically been one rich in row-crop agriculture. Row crops are still plentiful there these days, but so are CRP areas. At its widest, the Black Belt is only about 70 miles, but it’s well known for producing big bucks and an especially late rut.

“The peak conception period for whitetails in the Black Belt is around Jan. 20, so the two weeks leading up to that will be your most active time to hunt,” said Chris Cook, deer studies leader for the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

Why All the Variation?
So, why all the rut-timing variation in the South? The reasons span the gamut — and many are still unknown.

“If I could answer that question definitively, I’d be the first one to do
so,” said professional deer manager and habitat consultant Dr. Grant Woods. “There is conclusive data showing that the adult sex ratio is a strong determining factor of when the rut occurs. There is a long window of when it can occur, and that window is of course caused by the amount of sunlight, the adrenal gland, etc. But it can be several months long.”

Many things can influence the rut timing during those several months. Morea says much of South Florida’s rut-timing fluctuation, for example, can be linked to water levels because there are defined dry and wet seasons. “The Everglades and the cypress system down there are water-driven, so much of the breeding takes place to get fawns on the ground when the water level is lowest [in the early spring],” he says. “That way, the fawns can handle the higher water levels during the summer rainy season. As you leave the Everglades, the water levels aren’t as influential on the rut timing.”

Since whitetails were virtually extirpated in much of the South and then restocked from other areas, origins of local herds can be another contributing factor. “The origins of the deer that were stocked are definitely worth noting when trying to figure out why the rut can vary so much from state to state,” said Joe Hamilton of the Quality Deer Management Association. “Texas, for example, has deer that originated in half a dozen states. Georgia received a lot of their deer from the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, but also from Wisconsin and Texas.”

“DNA analysis has shown that deer in the Black Belt region aren’t related to other populations of deer in Alabama,” Cook said. “The Black Belt was actually restocked with deer from within Alabama’s borders, while other areas of the state were restocked with deer from outside sources.”

Regardless of the reasons, from the end of July to the beginning of February, whitetails are exhibiting rut behavior somewhere in the South. If you have it in mind to hunt the rut for 90 days this season, it’s possible. Better start planning your itinerary!