Any writer that predicts when the rut is going to happen is either a liar or strictly talking in general about the specific area he hunts...particularly here in the south. Even then he could miss it by a week. There are just too many variables. To compound mis-predictions, with the weather and fluctuating temps we have here in the south many times the rut could be going on and 99% of it happening at night. Just here in the state of Tn peak rut timing ranges from the first week in Nov through the first week in Dec. A general rule of thumb would be that regarding the specific area you hunt, and provided that the weather co-operates (daytime temps not exceeding 45 degrees), the rut should crank up in YOUR area the same time every year within a 2-5 day period either side of normal timing. The trick is to be there when the switch is thrown. I can't stress that point enough. If there's any way possible to use your vacation time to be in the woods during that time frame do it. It'll start on the turn of a dime and if you hit it right it's worth the wait.

Came true in Ohio last year, my buddy killed good 8 and we saw alot of activity.