Do you know when the peak deer rut occurs in your area?

Do you know when the peak deer rut occurs in your area?

The FWC has been collecting biological data since 2009 from white-tailed deer to estimate the breeding dates for deer across the state. These data have been used to inform management decisions regarding hunting season dates and location of zonal lines. The data also provides local information on peak breeding of white-tailed deer in Florida.

In northern deer ranges, the duration of the rut is short and doesn’t vary much from area to area or from year to year.  In the southeast, where the timing of fawning is not as tied to the seasons, deer breeding activity is more variable. However, in no other state does the peak breeding vary as much as it does in Florida; from July in south Florida to February in northwest Florida.

We will continue to collect white-tailed deer breeding chronology data in areas where it’s lacking and update maps as additional information is collected.