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Mid-South

Zone-variable

Peak rut dates in Arkansas.

Arkansas's rut runs early November in the Ozarks to late November in the Coastal Plain — the spread depends on which side of the state you hunt.

Peak breeding window: Nov 8 – Nov 16 → Nov 18 – Nov 28

Rut phases by zone

Pre-rut, peak, post-rut, late.

Peak Breeding column is highlighted — that's when most does are in estrus.

  • Zone

    Ozarks & Northwest Arkansas

    Peak breeding

    Nov 8 – Nov 16

    Pre-rut

    Oct 25 – Nov 7

    Post-rut

    Nov 17 – Nov 30

    Late rut

    Dec 5 – Dec 18

  • Zone

    Delta

    Peak breeding

    Nov 13 – Nov 22

    Pre-rut

    Oct 30 – Nov 12

    Post-rut

    Nov 23 – Dec 6

    Late rut

    Dec 11 – Dec 24

  • Zone

    Coastal Plain (Southern)

    Peak breeding

    Nov 18 – Nov 28

    Pre-rut

    Nov 5 – Nov 17

    Post-rut

    Nov 29 – Dec 12

    Late rut

    Dec 17 – Dec 30

What drives the rut here

Arkansas's whitetail rut shows meaningful regional variation. Ozark and northwestern bucks peak earliest, with the Delta peaking in mid-to-late November and the southern Coastal Plain running latest. AGFC publishes deer-zone-specific data and refines peak conception windows through fetal-rate analysis of hunter-harvested does.

Sources

Data sourced from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission deer-program reports and biologist-published rut summaries.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Last verified June 10, 2026

Writers and biologists are welcome to cite these windows. Link to this page so readers get the current numbers — agencies revise, and we keep up.

Always verify with the official agency before basing planning decisions on this page. Peak windows shift year to year.

Get rut intel for your specific land.

State-wide windows are a starting point. Bield: Hunt logs every sit, observation, and condition on your property — and turns three seasons of your data into patterns no generic calendar can match.

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Rut timing in nearby states · Mid-South

All states with published data