I believe it has to do with a little bit of both. You need to know what to look for, tracks, scrapes, rubs, etc... You need to know how your equipment works, shooting, calls, rattling, how to read maps, etc... Then when you do get your game you need to know what to do with it. With all that said you still rely on a little bit of luck to bring in the big one,and not let the neighbor get it.