Peak Rut Northeast US-Canada/New Brunswick based on 2018 data |

The peak of the Whitetail Rut is when most adult does are in estrous and can mate. Bucks will mate for a day and move on in search of the next doe. The peak window is only 7 or 8 days long when the majority of mating occurs, then tapers off till the end of the month.

Accordingly, it is a week of madness in the north woods.

November Northeast Peak Rut Start Window by State/Province based on 2018 state data in the North American Whitetail article below. Vermont, Maine and New Brunswick peak start is 15^th to 17^th and runs peak till the 24^th and tapers off by 29^th. New Hampshire data not available here, should mimic Vermont. Maine and New Brunswick peak start is the 17^th. That is two days later than Vermont (15^th) and 6 days later than Massachusetts (11^th).

Maine and New Brunswick are Identical peak starts on the 17^th.

The further south you go, it appears the onset of peak rut is early November and conversely the further north you go, the onset of peak is like a week or so later.

What does this mean for the hunter? I would be in the woods and hunting hard for the week before the peak and the week during the start of the peak. Rubs and buck scrapes should be seen in areas where does live. Bucks will go nuts and some will begin cruising even in daylight as the 15th-17th window approaches.

And hope for snow!

Good Hunting!

https://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/editorial/peak-rut-times-for-2018/262020

Quoted below from the article

“Northeast

Maine — November 17-23 for mature does, followed a week later by yearling does.
New Brunswick — Onset around November 8-10, followed by a surge around November 17-19, and peak breeding from November 26-29.
Vermont — Third week of November.
Massachusetts — Latter half of the second week of November.
New Jersey — November 3-23 for adult deer; November 17 – December 7 for fawns.
New York — Mid-November.
Delaware — November 10-20.
Pennsylvania — A few days on either side of November 14.
Maryland — November 1-15.
Virginia — Just after mid-November.
West Virginia — November 8-14.

end quote