Breaking Down the Peak Movement of Deer and What It Means For Hunters

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A map of Georgia’s counties shows the peak movement of deer by week in relation to the rut, time change and drop in temperatures. Photo By: Georgia DNR.

The final weeks of October mark the time in which deer hunting begins to heat up. The drop in temperatures and upcoming rut have deer on their feet and moving. This provides those in the woods the best opportunity to take a shot because deer are beginning to break their “October lull” phase. The rut will begin in early November, but bucks will have rutty tendencies from the end of October to very late in the season, so movement will be significant during this time frame. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, deer in Forsyth County are moving the most from Nov. 10 to Nov. 16 (Georgia DNR). This data was concluded based on deer-vehicle collision data, conception dates and the rate of travel by deer measured by GPS. The correlation provides those who conducted the research at the Warnell School of Forestry and Deer Lab at UGA to connect peak travel times to when deer are in peak rut. Check out the picture above and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website for more information on deer movement and the rut across the state of Georgia.