Rut question

You’ll probably have to figure it out by experience. As you’ve already mentioned, the rut date can change just a few miles down the road.
I’ve never hunted Arcadia, but I hunted all around it, and my best guess would be mid November north of I-20, pushing to Thanksgiving south of I-20.

Grew up in Arcadia. North of I-20 was the week before thanksgiving through thanksgiving week. South of I-20 was a week behind. On a NORMAL year. Good luck.

No one knows exactly why except it is determined by the genetics of the doe and her response to photoperiod. The longtime theory was that reintroduction had caused the variability in when the rut happens for different areas of the state, but as more genetic samples are taken for CWD purposes they’re finding less evidence of northern genetics. I do know that a certain area in South MS was fenced off to establish a reintroduced population and it is the latest rut in the state, with the rut getting a little earlier as you move away from the “pen”. Since does don’t disperse their genetics are carried outward by young bucks slowly. That’s pretty strong evidence to me but there are probably other factors like hurricanes and extreme hunting pressure that have disturbed the genetics over the years.

I have property just down the road in Simsboro.

The peak of the rut in that area is usually around Thanksgiving.

Good luck.

It was always really wild to me, that literally 10-15 miles North to South made that big of a difference.

The rut has definitely been influenced by deer that were brought in to repopulate an area.

Bankhead NF has an early rut. Much of Georgia has an early rut.
Their deer were mainly Wisconsin deer, if I recall correctly.

quote:

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“blue bucks”

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Saline is full of them.