For just plain exciting whitetail hunting I would bet on the 8-11 if the weather conditions in your area are conducive to daytime activity. If its nice and crisp look out! For the older bucks however i would lean more towards the 18th on. I do not belive the mature bucks expend a bunch of time chasing much of anything early on preferring instead to breed the first does that come in. it isnt until picking start getting slim that they get out and really start traveling in my experience. Not to say a hot doe cant drag a large buck by you early on but I have observed many times without even realizing what i was seeing that in the early parts of the rut the does actually seek out the older bucks.Not the other way around.

last year in maryland I watched several does move up a creekbottom and head into a tree island of sorts on the edge of a hayfield. Unbenounced to me there was a very large and obviously old buck laid up in it that after the does arrived showed himself briefly. For the next two hours i watched buck after buck follow those does trails up to the point where the tree island started then turn off and head into the field. For the next three days we saw that same buck with never less than four does right there hanging around that island. It became very obvious at that point he chased no does they came to him. However all the while anytime one of those does broke the area the chase was on by the younger bucks and he would stay put. I ate tag soup waiting for him to leave that island ,)

hatracked, you just reminded me that I always go in and act like a buck or a buck fight. Also I load the area up with.....dare I tell the "secret" Tinks69 and I always have a buck tarsel gland or two at the base of the tree and the doe in heat out where I want the shot! IT REALLY WORKS! They come to the sound and find the smell then the only thing left to do is find the deer that made them. Sometimes they come at a fast walk/half run

I have tried the very same things and mostly my success with that has been in Maryland where theres a large population of mature buck present. I have watched buck after buck hit my code blue scent frag in maryland turn on a dime and walk right under my tree. Up there there is just an abundance of 2.5 to 3.5 year old bucks that while definately ready and wanting to breed are not laid up in the thickets with does for most of the rut. Down here at home the population genders are so skewed it really doesnt work very well theres simply to many does to go around an not much competition for them. . Not to say I havent rattled in a few and had them react to scent but for the most part in SC those are hopefull wishes and tactics. Down here i have much better success slipping into the right area and using ambush tactics. I rarely break out the horns or scent here.

hunter777, If your out hunting on the 5th of nov .you'll hit the full moon dead on It's on the 5th Here is the moon phases for 2006 from the old farmer's alminac
thenail

the moon phases

don't seem to want to connect to site. I got lots of free space cause I deleted everything

hunter777 , Hereis what you can try to get it off the web "monthly sky highlights and moon phase calendars" Or just type in "The Old Farmer's Alminac"

Here you go Nail

http://www.almanac.com/

I don't know the H---. I can't do that . It said htp wasn't aloud . I'll keep trying . Some things will send and some won't .

Nail - This is what I do:
1. Go to the site you want to copy
2. Highlight the everything in the address bar at top
3. press and hold Ctrl and press C ( this will copy)
4. Come back to BGH and make your post, when you are ready to paste your link
press Ctrl and press V (this will paste)

Give it a try