Peak rut dates in Mississippi.

Mississippi's rut runs late by southern standards — peak breeding lands anywhere from mid-December to mid-January depending on the zone.

Peak breeding window: Dec 8 – Dec 20 → Jan 14 – Jan 26

Rut phases by zone

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

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

Zone	Pre-rut	Peak breeding	Post-rut	Late rut
Delta	Nov 25 – Dec 7	Dec 8 – Dec 20	Dec 21 – Jan 2	Jan 7 – Jan 19
Hill Country	Dec 18 – Dec 30	Dec 31 – Jan 12	Jan 13 – Jan 25	Jan 30 – Feb 11
Southeast Mississippi	Jan 1 – Jan 13	Jan 14 – Jan 26	Jan 27 – Feb 8	Feb 13 – Feb 25

Zone
Delta
Peak breeding
Dec 8 – Dec 20
Pre-rut
Nov 25 – Dec 7
Post-rut
Dec 21 – Jan 2
Late rut
Jan 7 – Jan 19
Zone
Hill Country
Peak breeding
Dec 31 – Jan 12
Pre-rut
Dec 18 – Dec 30
Post-rut
Jan 13 – Jan 25
Late rut
Jan 30 – Feb 11
Zone
Southeast Mississippi
Peak breeding
Jan 14 – Jan 26
Pre-rut
Jan 1 – Jan 13
Post-rut
Jan 27 – Feb 8
Late rut
Feb 13 – Feb 25

What drives the rut here

Mississippi's rut is among the latest in the Southeast, with significant zone-to-zone variation. The Delta clusters in December, the Hill Country in late December to mid-January, and the southeast in mid-to-late January. The state's MDWFP has published peak-conception maps that show the clear south-to-north and east-to-west gradients driven by historical restoration genetics.

Sources

Data sourced from MDWFP's published peak-breeding maps and the agency's fetal-rate analyses of harvested does.

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks

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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