Mississippi deer hunting: An early rut due to cold weather? Here's what you need to know

Mississippi has experienced a string of cooler than average days with temperatures dipping below freezing and sunrises revealing a crisp and frosty landscape.

For hunters, it couldn't have come at a better time as it coincided with the opening of gun season for deer and it has some wondering if the cool temperatures and increased deer activity signal an early rut.

Will the rut be early in Mississippi? The short answer is no and here's why and when it will take place in your area.

"What they are talking about is reality in behavior," said Steve Demarais, a professor at the Mississippi State University Deer Lab. "Colder weather stimulates more activity, but that is not the rut."

Demarais explained the rut is controlled by factors other than cooler weather.

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Deer breeding and photoperiod explained

"The leading factor is the season, which is tied to photoperiod," Demarais said. "The photoperiod is the relative amount of light and darkness.

"Deer are short-day breeders. They breed when days are getting shorter. Within that, there's a strong genetic component as to when the females will breed. The ultimate reason why deer breed when they breed is adaptation to normal seasonal variation."

Let's put that in everyday terms. Bucks are eager to breed well before does, but does have the say so. The length of days and nights tells does when it's time to breed in their area.

Demarais said in northern states, it's earlier than in southern states. That's because of harsh winters that can be a grim reaper for deer. Fawns must be born earlier in the year so they've grown enough by winter to survive the harsh conditions. Does with genetics that for some reason tell them to breed later, well, those genetic die out because of the lower fawn survival rate.

In Mississippi, it's a different story.

"Down here we don't have a grim reaper," Demarais said. "Winter isn't a big deal when it comes to fawn survival."

So, in Mississippi, photoperiod still dictates when does go into estrous, but it varies from area to area as genetics have adapted.

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When is the rut in my area?

The rut is a magical time for hunters as deer move about and bucks are less cautious of danger in their search for receptive does, but when is it in the area you hunt? The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has the answer.

The MDWFP put together a map that shows when the average mean conception dates, or peaks of the rut, occur throughout the state.

"Primarily, it shows when the most of the breeding occurs across the state," said Russ Walsh, MDWFP Wildlife chief of staff. "That comes from many, many years of data collection. That data comes from individual properties across the state."

While it is data-based, there can be some variation. Demarais pointed out that there can be localized populations which breed earlier or later than others nearby.

Additionally, Walsh said changes in doe to buck ratios can affect the length. If there is a high number of does in an area, that can lead to higher than normal numbers of does not being successfully bred during their first estrous cycle which can lead to a second estrous, or what is typically called the second rut.

However, in general, the map is a reliable tool for hunters.

"If you look at peak breeding dates in your area, it's a pretty good reference," Walsh said. "For the most part, that map gives you a really good frame of reference for when the peak breeding occurs where you hunt."

Contact Brian Broom at bbroom@gannett.com or 601-961-7225.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Will cold weather bring an early deer rut to Mississippi?