If it was a Brown Bear then you should play dead. But always fight back against Black Bears. I live in Alaska and we deal with Black bears weekly. They are very timid when confronted and will only fight when cornered or have their offspring endangered.

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It is obviously possible to kill deer in any outfit, scentlok is designed to lower the scent put off by a hunter but it can not eliminate all smells. However it is an excellent product when used properly and in conjunction with other scent blockers or cover scents. For a hunter who is targeting the incredibly savvy more mature bucks it is essential to do everything you can to try and keep from being detected.

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Putting some scent on the bottoms of your shoes works well, just make sure that you keep and eye on the trail you walked in on. You may see a buck following you in with his nose to the ground.

Absolutley put the bait out for at least a few days before hunting the site. Also it works well if you extend the bait in a straight line away from a tree or obstacle that blocks a deers view. keeping the obstacle between the bait and your blind. This way if you are in your blind and a deer comes in to feed its view is obstructed but his body will be broadside and visible.

I have not been impressed with the blood tracking lights, found that people over trust them and actually miss blood.

The rut actually takes place for around 6 weeks. There are however several different phases to the rut. Most hunters believe that the SEEKING and CHASING phase is actually "The Rut" since this is the time when bucks are most active. That phase is approximated to be around November 11th-16th this year. If you pick up a current issued of Field and Stream it has many excellent articles all about this years rut.