Ask The Biologist

Florida is for Lovers

Florida is for Lovers

By Bob Humphrey

Is it possible to see a buck chasing does in turkey season?

QUESTION: While turkey hunting in Florida this spring, I saw a buck chasing a doe, and the buck still had hard antlers. It was not inside an enclosure. This seems way out of the normal rutting time, and shouldn’t the buck have dropped its antlers by then?

ANSWER: The whitetail rut is fairly synchronized and consistent in northern latitudes. As you move south things change, sometimes dramatically. Several Southern states have different peak rut periods in different parts of the state. In Texas, for example, you can find peak rut somewhere in the state from October through January. But Florida is the winner in terms of having the widest span.

Florida is for LoversAccording to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, May is about the only month whitetails don’t breed somewhere in the Sunshine State.

As to the antlers, many Southern bucks won’t drop their antlers until right before the new set begins to grow.

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