What is the Secondary Rut phase of the rut?

Updated October 20, 2026

Secondary Rut is the last phase of the rut in StagSense, three to four weeks after the peak, when the breeding still going on includes this year's doe fawns, which breed later than older does.

When it happens

In StagSense, Secondary Rut covers the 22 to 28 days after your area's peak. Where a source shows a wider breeding window, the phases stretch.

What deer are doing

Doe fawns breed late and over a long span. In a Missouri study of 2,833 does, fawns bred later in the fall than older does, and three quarters of fawn breeding was spread over seven weeks. Fewer fawns became pregnant than older does.

A Deer & Deer Hunting writer says the second rut is overwhelmingly doe fawns coming into heat for the first time, and that few does are missed in the main rut.

How hunters approach it

Do not plan around a single second-rut date. In Missouri, fawn breeding was spread over seven weeks, and the Deer & Deer Hunting writer says the second rut cannot be pinned to a set date.

In StagSense

The rut phase card shows the phase you are in today and its intensity, free. Premium adds phase-based rut strategy: tactical guidance for every stage of the rut. See what each tier shows.