Where I hunt in Miss, the first rut is generally the first to second week in January. This is about the end of gun season and the last two weeks or so of Jan is usually primitive/bow season again. A little further south, I think they added a couple of weeks to extend the season into Feb so they could at least get to hunt during the rut.

Around here, I don't think there is any argument about there being a second rut. If there is any debate, it probably is centered on whether or not there is a third. I am in the camp that there is actually a third rut. My reasons are two fold. Firt, we are seeing fawns with spots all through bow season, October, and as late as the first part of gun season in some areas, around the middle of November. That, and I killed a large doe last year and another this year (both in the early bow season)that had not been bread. Well, I don't think they had, neither was lactating. I guess they could have lost thier fawns and stopped producing milk.

So, they guys above have it right. If all the does don't get bred, 28 days later they go at it again, and again.

Hank