A doe in standing estrus is receptive for roughly 24 hours. The breeding buck stays with her for that full window, plus several hours on either side. During those 30-some hours he won't visit scrapes, won't lay down rubs, and won't cruise downwind of doe bedding areas. He's bedded fifty yards from a doe in a thicket.
That's why the calendar week labeled "peak rut" can feel deader than the chasing week before it. The bucks haven't left the property; they've gone immobile. Every doe that enters estrus pulls a buck out of circulation, so even with the same number of bucks on the property, fewer are on their feet.
This also explains why the day before peak — and the day after — often produce the best stand-time movement. Before peak, every buck is still seeking. After peak, breeding has finished and bucks resume cruising for late-cycling does.
For your local peak window — the days lockdown is most likely — see our state rut date pages, and pair that with mast and weather to pick the best non-lockdown days inside the broader rut.