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West

Zone-variable

Peak rut dates in California.

California is blacktail and mule deer country — there are no established whitetail populations. Rut dates here refer to those species.

Peak breeding window: Oct 15 – Nov 1 → Nov 11 – Nov 22

Rut phases by zone

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

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

  • Zone

    Columbian Blacktail (Coastal & Sierra Foothills)

    Peak breeding

    Oct 15 – Nov 1

    Pre-rut

    Oct 1 – Oct 14

    Post-rut

    Nov 2 – Nov 15

    Late rut

    Nov 20 – Dec 3

  • Zone

    California Mule Deer (Central & Southern)

    Peak breeding

    Nov 8 – Nov 22

    Pre-rut

    Oct 25 – Nov 7

    Post-rut

    Nov 23 – Dec 6

    Late rut

    Dec 11 – Dec 24

  • Zone

    Rocky Mountain Mule Deer (Northeast)

    Peak breeding

    Nov 11 – Nov 22

    Pre-rut

    Oct 28 – Nov 10

    Post-rut

    Nov 23 – Dec 6

    Late rut

    Dec 11 – Dec 24

What drives the rut here

California has three subspecies of mule deer: Columbian blacktail (west of the Sierras), California mule deer (central and southern), and Rocky Mountain mule deer (northeast). Each has its own rut window. Whitetail are not established in California — if you're researching deer hunting here, the rut data below covers blacktail and mule deer instead. Coastal blacktail peak earliest in October, with desert and mountain mule deer running later.

Source

Data sourced from California Department of Fish and Wildlife deer-program reports. Whitetail are not native or established in California.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

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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