KitsapCaller, knowing the county you' re from and suspecting where you will travel to hunt whitetails, I think you' ll experience whitetail behavior similar to what I see here.

Through at least the first half of October, the bucks are still hanging out in their bachelor groups and travelling fairly nonchalantly between feeding and bedding areas during good light. I scout via spotting scope and then set up in natural cover on good travel routes. This will probably change gradually as the month wears on.

The rut peaks about November 12 to 20 and that' s when the most fun occurs. I often call from my setups and use a bit of scent lure then but haven' t found rattling very effective at any time. Good luck in your quest.