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West

Uniform statewide

Peak rut dates in Washington.

Washington's whitetail rut peaks November 5–20 in the northeast — most of the state is blacktail and mule deer country.

Peak breeding window: Nov 7 – Nov 18

Rut phases by zone

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

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

  • Zone

    Northeast Washington (Whitetail)

    Peak breeding

    Nov 7 – Nov 18

    Pre-rut

    Oct 25 – Nov 6

    Post-rut

    Nov 19 – Dec 2

    Late rut

    Dec 7 – Dec 20

What drives the rut here

Whitetail in Washington are concentrated in the northeast counties (Stevens, Pend Oreille, Ferry, Spokane), with blacktail dominating western Washington and mule deer in the central highlands. Whitetail peak conception runs in mid-to-late November. WDFW publishes deer-program data covering all three deer species.

Sources

Data sourced from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife deer-program reports.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

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 · West

All states with published data