If I'm betting a tag on it I prefer about two weeks before the peak of the rut while they're chasing the heaviest where i live , I see more deer during that timeframe than at any other time , and you gotta see 'em to shoot 'em . Once the rut peaks most of the bucks are on a doe's back almost continuously , especially if he lucks into a herd situation where the majority of them are coming into season . Would you move around , especially during the day , if you had that kind of luck ?