This is my first year bowhunting, and hunting in general in northern Alabama. I took my first bow buck (first bowkill in general) last weekend and he was with another buck when he was passing by. On top of that his neck wasn't the least bit swollen. These two indicators make me think that the rut is still a ways off for us here. It seems like the majority of posters here live at more northern latitudes and all seem to concur that the rut is currently in motion. Can anyone shed light on how the rut might differ in different geographic locations? Can anyone who hunts in the more southern states confirm that the rut hasn't started, and pinpoint some dates where I could start expecting heavier buck movement? Thanks guys
Not sure about N Alabama, but as a general rule for Alabama as a whole yes their rut is not until January. I am in the very top of Texas along Interstate 40, so I am a little North of you, fwiw, and our rut doesn't start until sometime around November 20th. This date, give or take a few days is pretty consistent year to year regardless of temperatures or moon phases. But what is confusing is that I have friends 200 miles to the north and 200 miles to the south that both will tell you that there rut is ahead of ours by two weeks.
