Whitetail Rut Dates by State
Whitetail rut timing is local. Much of the Midwest centers on November, but peak breeding can run from late summer in parts of Florida to January or February in parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Choose your state for the regional window, then use the conditions on your own ground, not a statewide average alone, to decide when and where to hunt.
Use rut dates as a regional window, not a guarantee
Rut calendars show when breeding activity is most likely in your area. A specific sit still depends on wind, access, hunting pressure, food, weather, and the phase of the rut where you hunt. Start with your state below, then learn how to read the variables that make a hunting day worth taking.
How to Hunt Each Rut Phase Do Deer Move After a Cold Front? How to Hunt the Wind Deer Hunting Access Routes
Alabama
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Arizona
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Arkansas
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
California
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Colorado
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Connecticut
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Delaware
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Florida
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Georgia
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Idaho
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Illinois
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Indiana
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Iowa
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Kansas
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Kentucky
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Louisiana
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Maine
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Maryland
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Massachusetts
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Michigan
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Minnesota
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Mississippi
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Missouri
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Montana
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Nebraska
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Nevada
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
New Hampshire
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
New Jersey
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
New Mexico
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
New York
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
North Carolina
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
North Dakota
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Ohio
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Oklahoma
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Oregon
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Pennsylvania
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Rhode Island
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
South Carolina
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
South Dakota
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Tennessee
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Texas
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Utah
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Vermont
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Virginia
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Washington
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
West Virginia
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Wisconsin
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Wyoming
Rut windows by region & what moves deer →
Rut windows and 2026 archery openers, every state
The rut window runs from the earliest regional start to the latest regional end; each state page breaks it down by region. Openers are read from each state's own agency page, so check the source before you hunt. Download the table as a spreadsheet file (CSV).
| State | Rut window | Archery opens |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Varies widely by region (4 regions) | Some zones early October, source |
| Arizona | Dec 1 to Feb 28 | Late August, source |
| Arkansas | Oct 28 to Dec 14 (2 regions) | Late August, source |
| California | Varies widely by region (3 regions) | Some zones mid July, source |
| Colorado | Nov 7 to 20 (3 regions) | Early September, source |
| Connecticut | Nov 17 to 30 | Mid September, source |
| Delaware | Nov 10 to 20 | Early September, source |
| Florida | Varies widely by region (4 regions) | Some zones early August, source |
| Georgia | Varies widely by region (4 regions) | Mid September, source |
| Idaho | Nov 10 to 26 (3 regions) | Late August, source |
| Illinois | Nov 5 to 22 (3 regions) | Early October, source |
| Indiana | Nov 4 to 16 (4 regions) | Early October, source |
| Iowa | Nov 4 to 20 (3 regions) | Early October, source |
| Kansas | Nov 5 to 22 (3 regions) | Mid September, source |
| Kentucky | Nov 6 to 28 (3 regions) | Early September, source |
| Louisiana | Varies widely by region (4 regions) | Some zones late August, source |
| Maine | Nov 15 to 28 | Some zones mid September, source |
| Maryland | Nov 1 to 21 | Mid September, source |
| Massachusetts | Nov 6 to 20 | Some zones late September, source |
| Michigan | Nov 5 to 20 (3 regions) | Early October, source |
| Minnesota | Nov 3 to 20 (3 regions) | Mid September, source |
| Mississippi | Varies widely by region (4 regions) | Mid September, source |
| Missouri | Nov 3 to 16 | Mid September, source |
| Montana | Nov 11 to Dec 10 (3 regions) | Early September, source |
| Nebraska | Nov 5 to 20 (3 regions) | Early September, source |
| Nevada | Nov 5 to 30 (3 regions) | See the state page |
| New Hampshire | Nov 5 to 20 (3 regions) | Mid September, source |
| New Jersey | Nov 1 to 30 (2 regions) | Mid September, source |
| New Mexico | Varies widely by region (3 regions) | Some zones early September, source |
| New York | Nov 5 to 20 (3 regions) | Some zones late September, source |
| North Carolina | Oct 24 to Dec 15 (4 regions) | Mid September, source |
| North Dakota | Oct 23 to Nov 20 | Early September, source |
| Ohio | Nov 5 to 20 (3 regions) | Late September, source |
| Oklahoma | Nov 8 to 15 | Early October, source |
| Oregon | Oct 20 to Dec 5 (3 regions) | Late August, source |
| Pennsylvania | Nov 5 to 20 (3 regions) | Some zones mid September, source |
| Rhode Island | Nov 1 to 14 | Mid September, source |
| South Carolina | Varies widely by region (3 regions) | Some zones mid August, source |
| South Dakota | Nov 5 to 20 (3 regions) | Early September, source |
| Tennessee | Nov 8 to Dec 13 (3 regions) | Some zones late August, source |
| Texas | Varies widely by region (4 regions) | Early October, source |
| Utah | Nov 10 to 20 | Mid August, source |
| Vermont | Nov 5 to 20 (3 regions) | Some zones mid September, source |
| Virginia | Nov 1 to 21 | Some zones early September, source |
| Washington | Oct 25 to Nov 26 (3 regions) | Early September, source |
| West Virginia | Nov 8 to 22 (3 regions) | Late September, source |
| Wisconsin | Oct 23 to Nov 15 (2 regions) | Mid September, source |
| Wyoming | Nov 8 to 26 (3 regions) | Early September, source |
A state window is the starting point. See how The Scored Call™ turns it into a property-specific decision and keeps the outcome with the call.