The Height of Mating Season for Whitetail Deer

You may want to drive a little more cautiously during the next several weeks as the annual mating season of the Whitetail Deer, known as the "rut," is reaching its peak. During this time, deer become more active throughout the entire day as opposed to their usual late afternoon to early morning feeding routine. This typically leads to an increase in deer-related auto accidents. The “chase” phase, the time when bucks begin pursuing adult does about to come into estrous, is currently underway and will last until early to mid-November, when most of the actual breeding occurs. A 1999 – 2001 study conducted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission determined that 90 percent of adult does were bred from mid-October through mid-December, peaking during mid-November. In areas where the adult doe population is much higher than that of breeding age bucks, it is possible for some does not to be bred during their first month of estrous, meaning that they will come into estrous again the following month. It is possible for this cycle to continue to as late as February, which leads to some fawns being born much later than usual during the mid summer months as opposed to the typical mid May to late June birthing times.

Taken on October 23rd by WPC Senior Director of Watershed Programs Nick Pinizzotto, this photograph is of a breeding age buck making a scrape, a pawed out area on the ground, which he will urinate in to signal to does in the area that he is ready and willing to breed. When a doe in estrous locates the scrape, she will also urinate in it signaling to the returning buck that his proposal has been accepted. Oftentimes a buck can determine if an interested doe has visited his scrape from several yards away. He will then locate the doe, and the courtship will begin. Once an adult doe is successfully bred, she will not go into estrous again until the following fall.

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