Experienced hunters spend the entire year looking forward to the next two weeks. Bucks are beginning to move during daylight hours offering hunters their best opportunity to tag a trophy.
The rut is controlled by many factors, most of which are predictable. Many scientists claim the moon cycle is what sets the rut off. You can’t use a calendar to exactly predict the rut, but you may use it as a reference. It’s common for the extreme hunters out there to keep a journal and catalog the time frame of the rut. I find most recent information to be the best way to judge when the rut is kicking off.