Even with preparations and the best-laid plans, many hunters agree that killing a trophy buck would be near impossible if it weren’t for the distraction of the rut. Doe-crazed bucks have been known to wade through rush-hour traffic and jump head-high fences to get to hot does on the other side.
And having witnessed my wife and I’s female German Shepherd go through her heat cycle and trying to keep our younger male away from her, the impact of the rut has an even greater meaning.
Just when the rut occurs is still a subject of debate by hunters in many areas, but more so in the state of Mississippi due to an array of reasons.
Depending on your location in Mississippi, the rut may range from early December to early February. For example, the rut on my parent’s farm in Montgomery and Webster counties typically occurs in early to mid January. Further south along the Gulf Coastal counties, the rut may be in early February. And in extreme North Mississippi, it may be in early December, or even late November.
Fortunately for Magnolia State deer hunters, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) has provided assistance to help hunters know the average breeding dates across the state.
The technical staff, with the assistance of a multitude of conservation officers, has been conducting deer health checks at specific sites within Mississippi for more than 20 years. These health checks are conducted to collect biological data that is unavailable from hunter-harvested deer.
Some of the data collected at these health checks has included the conception or breeding dates of the mature does that they examine. From this information, they have been able to calculate the mean or average breeding date from a multitude of deer populations.
This information has been formatted to coincide with Geographic Information System map data to create a topographical breeding-date range map for the entire state. This map of mean-conception dates is available through the MDWFP website at www.mdwfp.com. Go to the site and type “Deer Breeding Date Map” in the search box and it will locate the range map.
What you will see is a map of Mississippi that will give you the simulated mean conception date of any region you care to examine. Remember that the date(s) that you will be examining is the mean conception date, not the peak rut. Most deer behavior studies have shown that hunter-observable rutting activity peaks about 2 weeks prior to the mean breeding date.
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their website is www.wildlifemiss.org.