Quick answers to common deer hunting questions.
When is the whitetail rut?
Across most of the northern two-thirds of the country, breeding peaks in November. In the Deep South it can run into winter. See Deer Seasons and the Rut.
What sets the timing of the rut?
Day length. Shortening days trigger breeding, so the peak lands on about the same dates each year in a given area.
How do I tell a mule deer from a whitetail?
Look at the tail and antlers. Whitetails have a broad tail with a white underside and antlers with points off one main beam. Mule deer have a small black-tipped tail, big ears and forked antlers. See Whitetail and Mule Deer.
What is a Coues deer?
A small subspecies of the white-tailed deer that lives in the deserts and mountains of the Southwest.
What is chronic wasting disease?
A fatal prion disease of deer, elk and moose. It had been detected in 36 states as of April 2025, and many states limit moving carcasses from affected areas.
How many deer are there?
More than 30 million whitetails live in the United States, up from an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 around 1900.
Hunt4 Deer.com is written by hunters, not lawyers. Always check the current regulations.