hornguy,
I used to be of the opinion that scouting early and being on top of the antelope first light, opening day was the way to go. That is until my son and I decided to go the later in the season route. We hunted the last week of September when the bucks were rutting.
Now I wouldn't hunt them any other time. As was mentioned, it was way more enjoyable. Didn't have to worry about other hunters and I think some of the older reclusive bucks came out of hiding. We ended up chasing some dandies. Looked over hundreds of bucks and we had a blast. My son killed an 85" toad, and I missed one almost as big, for what that is worth. You won't draw again for a long time, so make it an adventure.