I think you are right. It all comes down to location, location, and location. Being in the right location at the right time is what it all comes down too. No matter how good of a hunter you are you aren't going to kill big deer if they don't live where you are hunting. Now that being said, a good hunter is going to seek out and find big deer and then hunt the place accordingly. Not all good hunters have access to land where big deer live nor do they have the funds to go where they live so they have to settle for taking the biggest deer that their area's have to offer. You still have to do some other things right but if you do everything else right and you are in the wrong spot then you aren't going to kill the buck or the deer that you are hunting. On the other hand you can be in the right spot and still do something wrong but you had a much better chance of success than if you had been in the wrong place to begin with so yes IMO location is the most important factor for success.