North Carolina · Whitetail rut
Whitetail rut dates in North Carolina.
North Carolina has the most dramatic rut variation east of the Mississippi — coastal bucks peak in October while mountain bucks peak nearly a month later.
North Carolina's rut spread is unique east of the Mississippi: Lower Coastal Plain bucks routinely peak by mid-to-late October, while Mountain bucks don't peak until mid-to-late November. The variation traces to herd genetics shaped by separate restoration sources — some coastal counties were stocked from native populations that had never been extirpated, while mountain herds were rebuilt with stock from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. That divergence still shows up in conception data today.
Zone
Lower Coastal Plain
- Pre-rut
- Oct 1 – Oct 14
- Peak breeding
- Oct 15 – Oct 25
- Post-rut
- Oct 26 – Nov 8
- Late rut
- Nov 14 – Nov 25
Zone
Upper Coastal Plain
- Pre-rut
- Oct 15 – Oct 29
- Peak breeding
- Oct 30 – Nov 8
- Post-rut
- Nov 9 – Nov 22
- Late rut
- Nov 27 – Dec 10
Zone
Piedmont
- Pre-rut
- Oct 25 – Nov 7
- Peak breeding
- Nov 8 – Nov 17
- Post-rut
- Nov 18 – Dec 1
- Late rut
- Dec 6 – Dec 18
Zone
Mountains
- Pre-rut
- Oct 28 – Nov 10
- Peak breeding
- Nov 11 – Nov 20
- Post-rut
- Nov 21 – Dec 4
- Late rut
- Dec 9 – Dec 22
Source
Data sourced from NCWRC fetal-rate analysis of harvested does and the agency's published Deer Hunter Survey reports.
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