Sounds as if you need a climber on your back when you're scouting; that way, when you find a great area, you can get up a tree fast. Also, don't fall prey to "hunting deer sign as opposed to hunting deer" as Don Higgins puts it in his book Hunting Trophy Whitetails in the Real World. Travel corridors, pinchpoints and other various funnels can sometimes yield great results even though there may not be a ton of sign littering the area...

As far as competing with other hunters, I've found the old axiom "Get there early and stay late" works well in those situations.. Sometimes you can use those guys to your advantage by letting them push deer to you if you're set up right.