Perhaps my logic is off, but if the timing of spring green up is the cause of various estrous date timing in native herds, wouldn't does in Southwest Alabama get bred earliest, rather than latest, since spring comes early there? The hot climate coastal areas everywhere else have extremely early ruts. And wouldn't you keep seeing a steady progression in timing the further north you go all the way into Canada? Rather than practically everywhere else having a consistent November rut, no matter how far north, like this:

Your map is using the restocked rut dates and it isnt even very accurate…..That’s not a representative map of what it would have looked like naturally……The root of the timing is seasonally based…..When I said in my prior post that “I didn’t have this part figured out yet”…..This is what I was referring to……Its changing with the environmental variable of the difference in the seasons but exactly what that impacts in the next link in the chain that causes the direct influence I’m not sure about…..It would only make sense that its tied to the vegetation……That’s the only way you’re going to see a gradual smooth transition across the landscape like you do in the natural areas…..If it were based on anything else you wouldn’t get that….Remember that elevation has an influence as well and not just simply a matter of south to north.....Southwest Alabama is lower is elevation that places to the east at the same latitude for example and part of why spring occurs there the earliest in the state

Here's an elevation map for Alabama just for reference..........Spring green up is a function of both latitude and elevation

But you don't see a natural smooth transition in the natural areas. The northern half of the country has vast areas that were not restocked or were restocked primarily with fairly local deer, and all of it has a November rut. A smooth transition tied to spring green up would have Missouri with an earlier rut than Iowa, which is earlier than Minnesota, then earlier than Canada, etc. The spring and early summer flooding in SW AL has been the predominant theory of its outlier late rut for quite some time. And the rest of the state, unfortunately, got restocked with that.

Well…..maybe when you reach a certain latitude to the north a different overriding variable takes control than what is occurring in the southeast……Maybe something like low temperatures becomes much more of a controlling factor……Its the environmental climate differences that are in control

Look at it this way……if it were things like “flooding” and minor landscape differences then you would see a crazy mosaic of natural ruts across the whole country…..The only way it transitions smoothly across “space” is with changes in “climate”

Here’s a question I have as it relates to what we’re talking about here with the rut and what’s driving the optimal estrous time frame……

When a doe conceives, how is the number of fawns determined??......Does she typically start off with 2-3 fetuses and lose them or keep them based on her “health” through the pregnancy …..or does here health at the time of conception determine the number of fetuses??.....I would think it would be the second option although I guess it could be both