Hot Does
 

Whats the earliest yall have seen Does come into heat? I read in a recent Field & Stream magazine that some can come in as early as the 7th of November. What do you think? Whats the earliest youve seen em in heat?

We have reports of some in Iowa now... There are always outliers. It's a bell shaped curve starting mid October all the way into Late December. With the peak being between the 1st and 2nd week of November

In eastern North Carolina, mid-September...By the last week in October, bucks are rutting...

I saw a buck chasing a doe the second week of october. There's not a set start date. There are early ones and late ones.
-Jake

Older does come into Heat earlier.

Where I hunt in SE Alabama there are 2 definitive estrus cycles.

The first is typically about December ... +/- a week or so. The second cycle is typically late Januarey +/- a week or so. The reason for the two groups, I have read, is that there is a large population of deer that have kept the estrus cycle closely timed to their ancestors, which were deer stocked into SE Alabama in the 1930's from northern states. The January cycle is the typical of Alabama native populations. I have seen this late cycle peak well into February. I have never seen indications of does in heat down this way before around November 25.

I once shot a big buck with a hot does Oct. 1st opening day, I have also seen a hot doe on Jan 15th closing day and my buddy shot one of the 5 or 6 bucks running her

I saw a 6pt. following a doe on Sat. going into my stand here in Ohio. While in stand by a swamp I had a mature doe come from a bedding area wade in belly deep water to dry land with a shooter buck behind her. the buck either pushed her out of the bedding area or was bedded with her they came out behind me and too many branches to shoot thru. I went out Sun. saw 0 deer. but did trim some branches. I think some mature doe come into heat earlier. mother nature set it up so not every deer comes into Estrous at the same time because they are in Estrous for only a few days. if all does came in at the same time there would not be enough bucks to breed them all. they will cycle again around Dec. if not breed the 1st time.