Day-length change is steeper at higher latitudes. A whitetail at 45°N (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maine) is exposed to a much faster shrinking photoperiod through October than a deer at 30°N (Louisiana, Alabama, central Texas). Faster photoperiod change triggers earlier estrus.
There's also a fawn-survival argument: at higher latitudes, fawns born too late in spring won't have enough fat reserves to survive their first winter. Selection has tightened breeding to a narrow early-November window so fawns drop in late May–early June, with the full growing season ahead of them. At lower latitudes the survival pressure is gentler, fawns can survive being born across a wider window, and breeding spreads over more weeks.
This is why the same calendar week feels completely different on the ground depending on where you hunt. November 7 in Wisconsin is in the chasing-to-peak transition. November 7 in Mississippi is well into pre-rut but probably 10 days before peak. November 7 in south Florida is unrelated to the rut entirely.
For the specific peak window in your state and DMU, see our rut date pages — they're built from breeding-date studies that account for latitude.