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Midwest

Uniform statewide

Peak rut dates in Minnesota.

Minnesota's rut peaks November 5–20, with the far north running about a week behind southern farmland counties.

Peak breeding window: Nov 5 – Nov 14 → Nov 13 – Nov 22

Rut phases by zone

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

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

  • Zone

    Southern Farmland

    Peak breeding

    Nov 5 – Nov 14

    Pre-rut

    Oct 23 – Nov 4

    Post-rut

    Nov 15 – Nov 28

    Late rut

    Dec 3 – Dec 16

  • Zone

    Central Transition

    Peak breeding

    Nov 9 – Nov 18

    Pre-rut

    Oct 26 – Nov 8

    Post-rut

    Nov 19 – Dec 2

    Late rut

    Dec 7 – Dec 20

  • Zone

    Northern Forest (Northwoods)

    Peak breeding

    Nov 13 – Nov 22

    Pre-rut

    Oct 30 – Nov 12

    Post-rut

    Nov 23 – Dec 6

    Late rut

    Dec 11 – Dec 24

What drives the rut here

Minnesota's whitetail rut runs across roughly two weeks of latitude variation. Southern farmland counties peak first, with the central transition zone in the middle and the Northwoods/border-counties peaking last. Photoperiod is the primary driver across the state's wide latitude range. MN DNR refines rut data through fetal-rate analysis of harvested does.

Sources

Data sourced from Minnesota DNR Section of Wildlife deer-program reports.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

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 · Midwest

All states with published data