How were the Decatur County dates measured?

The Georgia DNR map uses deer-vehicle collision timing to estimate peak movement. It is not a direct conception-date measurement.

Is the Decatur County phase calendar measured?

No. The phase calendar is an inference derived from the published movement anchor.

GEORGIA COUNTY RUT DATA

Decatur County, Georgia rut dates 2026

Decatur County, Georgia has a DNR peak movement window of Dec 8 to Dec 14. The map uses deer-vehicle collision timing, not a conception date. Source: Georgia DNR rut map.

Peak window: Dec 8 to Dec 14. Source method: deer-vehicle collision timing. Georgia DNR source agency

Decatur County rut answer

The Georgia DNR map publishes an Dec 8 to Dec 14 peak movement window for this county. The map measures deer movement from collision timing, not a conception date.

Verify the current guide and local conditions with the Georgia agency before a hunt.

Decatur County phase calendar

This is a derived 2026 calendar from the county movement window. It is labelled inference and is not a direct county observation.

Derived phase calendar
Phase	Window	Model note
Pre-rut	Before to Nov 18, 2026	Not defined in the reports; default label for days before seeking.
Seeking	Nov 19, 2026 to Nov 29, 2026	Bucks begin searching for does; rising daily movement.
Chasing	Nov 30, 2026 to Dec 7, 2026	Overlaps seeking and the start of breeding in the reported calendar.
Peak breeding / tending	Dec 8, 2026 to Dec 21, 2026	Highest buck daily distance and daylight share; routes set by doe groups; tending bouts ~24-48 h. GPS work finds no population-wide 'lockdown' phase (agency: https://deerassociation.com/lockdown-phase-myth/). Map movement week likely spans late seeking, chasing and early breeding.
Post-rut	Dec 22, 2026 to Jan 4, 2027	Movement eases back toward dawn/dusk; bucks return to food; mature bucks cruise for the last estrous does (Hellickson rattling: mature bucks responded most in post-rut).
Second rut	Jan 5, 2027 to Jan 18, 2027	Unbred does recycle ~28 days after first estrus (agency: https://deerassociation.com/triggers-whitetail-rut/); doe fawns may cycle later. Days 35-41 are the 'second-rut tail'. A hypothesis for cameras to confirm, not local data.
Late season	Jan 19, 2027 to season close	Food-driven; mature bucks reach open food at or after sunset unless it is cold; sit food on cold-front afternoons.

Neighbouring county pages

These nearby county pages are linked from the county index. They help compare the published windows.

Georgia season and legal rules

Read the Georgia season table, legal light, bag limits, and electronic-call rule.