Every Oct. where I live (SC) we tend to go through the pr-rut which last for about a week and then we hit the lull for about 2 weeks right before the full blown rut. I try to hunt hard during the pre-rut. During the lull, I will try and re-pattern the deer as they will begine to change their ways. I will still hunt during the lull since not all bucks come into pre-rut at the same time and some bucks are just starting to get ' turned on' . I am a firm believer that you need to be in the woods as much as possible starting when the pre-rut in your area starts to come in. Don' t get too disapointed or loose intrest if you don' t see as much action during the lull. I see a lot of hunters every year fall into the trap of that and end up missing some great opertunities to harvest some nice deer or to re-patern the deer. When the full blown rut hits, be ready and hunt hard as ANYTHING can happen and the bucks will be much more unpredictable and will move around at any given time. You will also find deer (including bucks) moving back into their bedding areas later in the mornings also so it is better to stay in your stand longer. I hope this helps and I didn' t confuse you. If you have any questions, I will try to help the best I can. Drop me an e-mail or private message. Good Luck!! -- CDH