Breeding and Rutting Activity | Deer Hunting & Management

White-tailed Deer Rutting in South Texas

When is the white-tailed deer rut in South Texas? If this question has crossed your mind then chances are you’re headed south into the Texas Brush Country some time soon. South Texas offers a unique hunting experience for white-tailed deer because of it’s semi-arid habitat and the big bucks found living there.

Hunting in South Texas

South Texas is so different that the bulk of the whitetail’s range. Most of the habitat is scrub-brush with the dominant hardwood species being Mesquite, which will not accommodate a climbing stand, but possibly a ladder stand in a few cases. Most of the deer hunting is done from elevated blinds (to see over the brush) with rifles, while bow hunting is from ground blinds. Hunting ranches will use spin-feeders, sometimes food plots and most will corn the roads, or as they are referred to down there, senderos.

Hunting the rut is a sure-fire way to up your chances of deer hunting success, especially in South Texas. It’s thick, unforgiving country so it takes something really special to draw those big, mature bucks out of the thorny cover, which consists of mesquite, huisache, black brush, and of course prickly pear cactus. But all that brush is good food when it rains, so expect mature bucks to sport a large body as well as large antlers.

South Texas Deer Rut

Breeding in white-tailed deer varies with latitude and photoperiod. South Texas has the latest rut in Texas, which is not surprising considering it’s at the lowest latitude and it takes until late in the fall to get the mercury dropping down there. Breeding (conception) dates for white-tailed deer ranged from November 9 to February 1 during the 3 years of a whitetail breeding/rutting study.

In the eastern part of South Texas the peak breeding date, i.e. THE RUT, was December 16, while in the west it was a little later, December 24. The pregnancy rate of does was 95 percent and there was an average of 1.5 fetuses for each sampled doe. The majority (90%) of the fawns are born by July 19 in the eastern area and by July 25 in the western area.

Best Time to Hunt

To wrap up, the South Texas deer rut peaks around mid- to late-December. Hunters can expect to see the most breeding, chasing activity by bucks at this time of year on an annual basis. The peak of the breeding season is the time to be deer hunting anywhere, but especially in South Texas. The region is filled with properties that have implemented deer management practices and good bucks are harvested there year after year.

Whitetail Rut in the Texas Hill Country

If you plan on deer hunting the rut in the Edward’s Plateau, better known as the Texas Hill Country, then you need to know that research has found conception dates for this region ranged from as early as October 9 to a late date of January 30, meaning hunters may see what is called the early and late rut. The Edwards Plateau, home to Texas’ highest deer production ecoregion, was divided into three areas for the breeding study – east, central, and west. There are good numbers of deer in the area, but good timing will increase the chances of bagging a beautiful buck!

The eastern part had a peak breeding date of November 7, the central portion was November 24, and the western area had a peak date of December 5. On average, 90 percent of the does were bred and the average number of fetuses found was 1.3 per doe. These breeding/rutting dates meant the majority (90%) of the fawns are born by June 14 in the eastern area, June 26 in the central area, and by July 13 in the western area.

Whitetail Rut in the Texas Crosstimbers

If your white-tailed deer hunting grounds lay in North-Central Texas and want to hunt the rut this fall, research on white-tailed deer in this ecoregion has shown conception dates in the Crosstimbers and Prairies were as early as October 13 and extended to at late as December 17.

There are many factors that determine the intensity as well as the length of the rut in an area. Photoperiod (day length) is responsible for the timing, but the buck to doe ratio often determines what hunters see in the field.

Deer Rutting Season: Things to Consider

Areas, properties with a many more does than bucks tend to observe a breeding period that is stretch out because bucks will miss some does when they initially come into estrus. Then 28 days later, here we go again. This also stretches out the fawning dates, which ultimately lowers fawn survival.

Areas with a lower ratio of does to bucks tend to see more intensive rutting action in whitetail because bucks scramble to cover “hot” does. The rut will be shorter in duration but more intense during that time. As a result, most doe deer will drop fawns earlier and at about the same time, which bodes well for the local deer population.

Rut in the Texas Crosstimbers

Overall, conception dates in the Crosstimbers and Prairies ranged from October 13 to December 17, but there was some variation. Based on timing, mid- to late season bowhunters get the first shot (literally) at rutting bucks in this part of Texas, but whitetails in the region continue breeding almost up until Christmas.

This is good news for deer hunters that enjoy archery hunt and as they can stretch out their hunting days from the early part of the rut in October through the peak of the rut that occurs during Texas’ General Deer Hunting Season.

In the northern portion of the region the average breeding date was November 15 and the average breeding date in the southern part was November 17. Biologists recorded an average of 1.7 fetuses per doe and 95 percent of the females had been successfully bred.

Hunting the Rut

Hunters in this region of Texas have the best odds of “hunting the rut” during the two period from about November 11 through November 25. Thinking of taking some time off this hunting season? Now you know when.

The majority (90%) of the fawns in the Crosstimbers are born by June 15 in the northern area and by June 20 in the southern area. In Texas, summer weather can be brutal on white-tailed deer, particularly nursing does and newborn fawns. From their standpoint, the fall whitetail rut can not occur soon enough.

Rutting in Whitetail Deer – Early vs. Late

What about the early and late ruts? Hunters often talk about the rut being early or late. In much of Texas at least, the breeding season for white-tailed deer is fairly predictable each year. This is the case just about everywhere there are deer, but it can vary a little. Within a specific area, habitat conditions not only affect fawn survival but can affect the timing of breeding, as well. For example, a doe in poor condition, i.e. not enough deer food, or a young doe may not enter estrus/breed until later in the season when her physical condition improves.

Additionally, a whitetail doe may be found “attractive” by bucks for about five days, but may be willing to breed for a period of only about 24 hours. In areas where there are a low number of bucks compared to does, a doe may not encounter a buck when she is first receptive to breeding so may not be bred until one of her later cycles. If a doe is not bred during her first cycle then she will come into estrus again about 28 days later.

A hunter who sees the late breeding activity may be convinced that there was a late rut. On the other hand, those who see does attended by bucks in the early part of the season believe there was an early rut. This biological reasoning helps explain the wide variety of opinions on the timing of the whitetail rut during a particular year. Although there is typically a peak, it can be ongoing. Continue reading “Rutting in Whitetail Deer – Early vs. Late”

Breeding Success and Fawn Survival

In some circles, you will still hear people talk about the old barren doe that lives in a particular part of the ranch. This line of thinking blames poor fawn production on the idea that many older does do not get pregnant. In reality, if the doe isn’t bred during the first estrous period, she will be receptive again 28 days later. This explains the high breeding success in white-tailed deer, even when bucks are scarce. It was recorded in one Texas study, that on average, 92 of every 100 does sampled were pregnant.

White-tailed deer are known for producing twins. In the previously mentioned study, over half of the does examined had twins. Triplets, however, were not common, and the occurrence of triplets was less than two percent. Quadruplets didn’t show up at all in the study. There were more male fetuses than female fetuses. Males represented 56 percent of the unborn fawns over the three years of the study.

Continue reading “Breeding Success and Fawn Survival”