RE: north carolina rut?
You should be fine. Atleast where I hunt bucks are still in full chase mode at Thanksgiving. I don't know if the peak is starting to wind down then but it is still going on. The day before Thanksgiving has always been a great day for me. One year, I shot a buck that was chasing a doe.
Of course with this crazy weather I don't know what this year will bring. At one spot they started rubbing trees and making scrapes earlier than normal, but then we just had that warm spell.
Best of luck to you!!