The key to success is to pin down precisely when the peak rut is occurring by tracking the progress of fall deer activity in your hunting area. In late September and early October, count on seeing bucks and does mingling with one another, feeding and acting predictably "rutty."

Look for scrapes on field edges and rubs scattered throughout the woods in no discernible pattern. Think of scrapes and rubs at this time of year as a buck's practice markings. These signs tend to be placed haphazardly, and their makers may or may not return to them after they're made.

After about a week or two, the scraping and rubbing will slow. Your encounters on stand with whitetails will dwindle. You'll think the resident deer herd crawled into a hole.

Toward the end of October, you'll start seeing bucks again, usually by themselves, cruising through the woods looking for hot does.

There may be a few hot does in your hunting area, but probably not many -- yet.

As the days pass, the rubbing and scraping activity will pick up again. This time, the buck's rubs will be in fairly defined lines or clusters as he marks his territory. The scrapes will move into the woods, or they'll be on field edges where deer trails head into the woods. These scrapes will have a strong, musty odor and they'll be freshened up time and again, mostly at night.

Finally, when you see bucks hotly pursuing does through the woods, it's time to start taking advantage of the peak of the rut.

WHERE TO SET UP
When you know that the rut is raging in your hunting area, the next question is: Where should you hunt?

Earlier in the season, you probably keyed in on feeding areas and travel routes between bedding and feeding areas. You should still keep these places in mind when you're hunting during the peak rut. But your main focus should be on the areas where does of breeding age spend the bulk of their time.

Find the does during the rut, and the bucks will not be far behind.

I like to focus on bedding areas and travel routes. During the rut, you can rest assured that every buck in the territory knows where the local does' preferred bedding areas are. If you can get in early in the morning and set up near one of these bedding areas before the does show up, you should be in business.

Hunting deer travel routes is always productive because bucks will get on them to see if they can pick up the scent of receptive does. Also, if the does are walking up and down these trails as they move between bedding and feeding areas, a few bucks are sure to be lurking behind them.

During the peak of the rut, I don't spend much time hunting over feeding areas. Deer typically visit these places only early in the morning and late in the afternoon. You're not likely to find many deer feeding during the middle of the day. And since I want to maximize my hunting productivity during daylight hours when the rut is on, I prefer to find those places where deer are most likely to hang out during that time.

Peak rut is a great time to hunt over a fresh scrape. Whichever buck first made that scrape is likely to visit it time and again to freshen it up with some urine sprayed over his tarsal glands. And that musty odor will attract other bucks looking to establish their dominance in the woods.

CALLS AND SCENTS
In addition to the obvious benefits of hunting near places where does hang out, during the rut these areas also are the most productive places to use scents and calls. If you're going to make deer noises in the woods and place deer scents to lure bucks into range, it only makes sense to employ them in areas where deer are commonly found.

If you don't employ scents and calls in any other part of the season, the peak rut is the time to use them. Bucks are extremely responsive to both during the peak rut. That's to be expected, because this is the time of the year when most of the calls you'll duplicate and the scents you'll put down occur naturally in the wild.

When you plan to hunt from a fixed position, such as a tree stand or a ground blind, lay down a scent trail as you approach your spot. Soak a rag in doe-in-heat scent, tie it to your boot and simply drag it as you walk.

Or you can put cotton pads loaded with scent on the bottom of your boots, or simply squirt scent out of a bottle as you move toward your hunting spot. The idea is to create a line of scent that a buck can follow right to your setup.

Once you reach your hunting spot, hang a few scent-laden wicks or strips of rags in tree branches all around your stand. You want the prevailing winds to blow across them and carry the alluring doe scent through the woods in hopes of drawing in a buck downwind from your position.

Be sure to place these hanging scent dispensers in places that offer a clear shot from your position. An approaching buck is likely to move right up to them to get a good whiff. The lures do you no good if you've tucked them in thick brush or behind tree limbs that could block your shot when a curious buck comes in.