The only part about your information I can't completely agree is the part about shorter days triggering the rut. There has to be more to it, either something in the genetics or something else. Where I now hunt, about 40 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama, the rut kicks in about the 15th of Jan. Just 30 or so miles east, in the Clayton, Alabama area, where I use to hunt, the rut kicks in about the first of Dec. I know of some pens in the area that have northern genetic deer in them and the rut hits late Oct. I understand that blackleg killed off a lot of deer in our area in the late 40's and 50's and they were reintroduced from a number of stocking areas. That may play into the answer.