Texas · Whitetail rut
Whitetail rut dates in Texas.
Texas has one of the most regionally variable whitetail ruts in the country — Pineywoods bucks peak in October while South Texas bucks peak in late December.
Texas's whitetail rut is famously variable. The eastern Pineywoods peak earliest in late October, with the Cross Timbers and Post Oak Savannah following in early-to-mid November. The Edwards Plateau (Hill Country) peaks in mid-November, while South Texas — the state's premier trophy region — doesn't peak until mid-to-late December. TPWD publishes detailed rut maps and breeding data by Resource Management Unit, refined through ongoing fetal-rate research.
Zone
Pineywoods (East Texas)
- Pre-rut
- Oct 15 – Oct 27
- Peak breeding
- Oct 28 – Nov 8
- Post-rut
- Nov 9 – Nov 22
- Late rut
- Nov 27 – Dec 10
Zone
Cross Timbers & Post Oak Savannah
- Pre-rut
- Oct 25 – Nov 6
- Peak breeding
- Nov 7 – Nov 17
- Post-rut
- Nov 18 – Dec 1
- Late rut
- Dec 6 – Dec 19
Zone
Edwards Plateau (Hill Country)
- Pre-rut
- Oct 30 – Nov 11
- Peak breeding
- Nov 12 – Nov 22
- Post-rut
- Nov 23 – Dec 6
- Late rut
- Dec 11 – Dec 24
Zone
South Texas Brush Country
- Pre-rut
- Dec 5 – Dec 17
- Peak breeding
- Dec 18 – Dec 30
- Post-rut
- Dec 31 – Jan 12
- Late rut
- Jan 17 – Jan 30
Source
Data sourced from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's published peak-breeding map by Resource Management Unit.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department →Bield Hunt earns its predictions.
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