The rut prediction provides hunters a timetable to be in the woods when bucks are active
It is frequently said that anytime one can be in the deer stand it is a good day to be deer hunting. While there is merit in this statement, it is not really good wisdom. Most hunters are aware of the following regarding deer movement: the best movement usually occurs early in the morning or late in the evening, deer activity in the fall and winter generally declines as the temperature rises and when it gets 80 degrees or more it really shuts down, a cold front bringing temperatures down below the 60s usually increases the deer movement, except when it gets extremely cold, hunting prior to or immediately after a major weather event is good because deer activity increases, hunting during a light rain is good but a heavy downpour is not so good, when the days are windy deer like the open areas because they cannot hear well so vision is important with regard to predators, including man, and hunting the rut, the time when bucks are chasing does, is good but when the deer go to the bedroom it pretty much shuts down.
In general, the peak activity time for the 2025-26 rut will take place during the middle of the month, unlike 2024 when it took place a couple of weeks earlier. The peak two week period will probably occur during the peak breeding dates that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has posted on their website regarding deer breeding in Louisiana. But keep in mind this is just a prediction and nothing is set in stone. The physical condition of deer, habitat conditions and changes in the moon phases from year to year all come into play with regard to the rut. When looking at what happened in 2024, the rut prediction was pretty much spot on.
What happened in 2024?
Most of my hunting is done in Area 4 but I do hunt Area 2 and Areas 1 and 6 every year, so I try to keep tabs on the rut activity during the season.
Last year’s Area 4 pre-rut prediction was Oct. 17-Nov. 21, and I killed a nice 185-pound, 8-point right at the end of November that came in and fed with another buck early one morning. My grandson, John Guidry, killed his first buck on the same hunt. I was blessed to be with him that morning, and the look on his face when the buck crashed to the ground was priceless. On Dec. 14, John and I were headed out to the stand and watched an 8-point trailing a doe at about 200 yards; this was during the time period of the first predicted rut period. On Jan. 22, during our big snow blizzard, I killed a 5 ½-year-old doe that was bred on Dec. 9 based on the fetal measurements. This date was right in line with the predicted first rut period for Area 4.
The first rut period for Area 2 was predicted to be Nov. 1-21. A club that I hunt with in Area 2 in Bossier Parish killed 15 of 19 bucks in that time period during the 2024 deer season, so the bucks were very active during the predicted first peak rut.
I work with a club in Area 6 in Pointe Coupee Parish and the first peak rut prediction for that area was Dec. 22-Jan. 20. We collect reproductive tracts from does harvested during the season and we documented some very good breeding data. No does were found to have ovulated or showed any sign of breeding activity from the time the season opened on Nov. 9 through Jan. 8. The first doe that had ovulated was killed on Jan. 9 during the time predicted for the first breeding peak. Two does killed that had visible embryos that could be measured to determine breeding dates were bred on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5, right at the beginning of the peak scraping period and the beginning of the first peak rut. So, while this is only a prediction of the rut, it was right on target for last season.
Areas 3, 7, 8 & 10
While the days are still warm, the deer season opens early in this part of the state to allow hunters to take advantage of the early breeding activity. The beauty in this is that hunters can hunt deer early and put venison in the freezer and then focus on the ducks and geese in the late season. The weather in Louisiana this spring and summer has been wet and that makes for growing good deer groceries. Hunters should be seeing nice bucks on their cameras. From what I have seen of the mast crop growing on trees, there will be acorns and pecans.
Area 2
A lot of deer are killed each season in Central and Northwest Louisiana. This year should be no exception. With the good habitat conditions that have existed this summer, fawn production should be good.
Basically, the management goal of LDWF is to harvest at least 1/3 of the state’s deer population. This is because fawn production will bring the numbers back up to that of 2024. The key of course is to manage the native habitat, the forest, with regular cuttings and thinning. Timber is still an important agricultural commodity in this state and Area 2 is a large forested area with lots of deer. Hunters should focus on the available mast crop during the pre-rut and then get ready for the rut activity in November. Usually the buck harvest declines in Area 2 during December, but this may be a year when there is still good activity during a time when the rut activity is usually declining.
Areas 4 & 9
The deer season limit has been three in Area 4 for many years now, but for this upcoming season the limit has been increased to four. It is my opinion that the limit should never have been reduced. East Feliciana has as many deer as any of the parishes in Area 2 and they are eating up the landscape. It’s bad when the privet is being over-browsed, and that is what I am seeing on our property. The road kill carnage also supports this fact.
Just like the other parishes in the state, habitat conditions have been excellent, making for good reproduction and antler growth. December should be a good month for the hunters in these two areas, and they should see good activity during the month of January. From my own experience, I have harvested some very nice deer in the late deer season. Let me also encourage hunters to shoot does and try to bring the deer numbers down. I fear that this three deer limit has discouraged hunters from shooting does and that is not good, especially with the Chronic Wasting Disease issue in the area.
Areas 1, 5 & 6
I have often said that hunters in these late breeding areas probably should not be shooting does in October and November because they are still raising fawns. The longer a fawn can stay with the doe the more it learns about feeding and avoiding predators. Does do not start ovulating until late December and the breeding continues into February. This may be one of those seasons where the rabbit hunters talk about all the deer sign they are seeing in the woods while chasing rabbits with dogs. Areas 1 and 6 are also the big buck areas in the state and the late season often proves this.
As I grow older it seems like time is flying by. Here we are with another deer season upon us and hopefully you have done the work on the landscape that will give you success. Hunt hard, be safe and share your harvest with those who have needs.
