This will probably be a long post. I'll try to give some info.Remember, some of this is just based on my opinion,so here it goes.

There are 3 basic factors to be succesful in any kind of hunting. The first( and most important to me) is accuracy. You need to be able to shoot your weapon of choice accurately. You need to practice until you are confident that you can hit what you shoot at. If you are using a bow, you need to also be able to judge distance.The best hunting place in the world won't be any good if youcan't hit what you are shooting at. If you only get one chance all year, you want to make your shot count.

The best form of practice with a firearm( this is my opinion) is dry fireing. Get some of those Snap caps( fake shells designed for dry fireing with a cushoined primer) and practice. The thing about dry fireing is, that you can do it almost anywhere. You don'tneed a range. I've practiced in the backyard, living room, etc... ( beware of nosey neighbors)Shoot at birds, leaves, marks on trees, etc... I've even cut out photos of deer from magazines and taped them on a big piece of poster board for my daughter to practice at.

Also dry fireing doesn't make any noise. This is good and helps reduce flinching. It is also cheap. You don't need to buy boxes of shells or drive anywhere. You could fire hundreds of shots and it won't cost a thing and you will benefit greatly from it. Dry fire practice works!

Just be sure your weapon is sighted in. A few rounds of live fire practice won't hurt either. Just shot as often as you can. Practice, practice and more practice. Get to that point where you know you are good!

The next factor, scouting;

You need to get out and find the game you are after. Scouting can be done year round. Even if you are not looking game sign you can look to find out how food sources are doing. Are there apples starting to form on those trees in the spring? Is the farmer rotating crop fields this year? This is just a small piece of the puzzle.

Food sources are where the deer will be at until mid fall. In the fall about the second week of October, everything in the whitetail's world starts to change. Cornfields will be harvested, acorns start falling as well as some kinds of apples. There are more humans walking in the woods. The rut is getting closer and bucks start becoming less interested in food and more interested in rubbing, scraping and looking for does. Things change at a fats pace during this time.

The deer you found and patterned in late summer will start changing their patterns. Food sources are changing. The deer patterned in late summer will still be in these patterns until very early fall. But as acorns start falling deer will maybe switch from feeding in an alfalfa field and start feeding on acorns, for example.

White oak acorns are a deer's favorite food. They usually prefer these over all other foods. Learn to identify white oak trees and acorns. White oaks have rounded lobes on their leaves while red oaks are pointed. Deer will eat red oaks, but like the sweeter white oaks better. The acorns of a white oak are elongated and look about the size and shape of those foil covered chocolate easter eggs. They are usually a bright greenish yellow when they first start falling and alot of times do not have that cap on them.

Sometimes you will find lots of red oak acorns all over the ground but it doesn't look like deer are eating them. REMEMBER these spots. This is where you will find deer later in the winter when the snow is on. After everthing else is gone they willl be going after these red oak acorns. Sometimes in the snow, you will see places where the snow and leaves are all kicked up by deer. Chances are, they are digging up these acorns. These acorns are short and stubby and almost always have a cap on them.

Bedding areas are usually thick places. If you walk in the woods in the dead of winter, you can easily tell where the thickest places are. Scouting as soon as you fill your tag is probably the best time to scout for next year. Most guys put away their stuff and hang it up after they fill their tag. Don't do that. Keep going out and try to learn where the deer go and what they do during the season. Snow helps greatly. You can see tracks and trails that let you know how deer travel. If you are scouting and jump a deer when there is snow, back track it. Find out where it came from and what it did. LEARN!If it was feeding , back track it and find its bedding area.

Just get out there and learn all you can. The more time you spend in your hunting area the more you will learn. Scouting after the season closesis good because you won't be spooking the deer you will be hunting. This is a good time to back track and stomp through those bedding areas. If you do your scouting after filling your tag, or after the season closes, you'll be able to find a good spot for next year.

The last factor, persistance.

Don't give up, keep gioing out and keep trying. If you practiced shooting until you are confident in your abilities, and you've scouted enough to know that you are in a good area, then all it takes is time. The more time you spend out there the better your chancesand the more you will learn.

Scouting cameras;
Cameras can be used many ways to scout. Some guys just put them out there by some bait. This gets good photos and lets you know what kind of deer are in the area. Other guys put them on scrapes.This lets you know what bucks are there and how big the are. This will let you know if you want to passon the small 8pt and wait for the big 8 or maybe that thick 10pt. Get the idea? Still others put the camera on a deer trail they may plan on hunting over. This way they can see how often it is used and at what times. Basically cameras are used all these ways to helpaid in success.

Then there is the whole issue of scent control/ Deer have awesome noses. It is there No.1 defense. You need to get your cloths as scent free as possible. Wash them in baking soda or a commercial deer detergent and store them in a plastic bag.. There is much more to this which I'm siure you can find more info on in these forums.

I know this post is long. I just wanted to give some info to help you out. Much of this is just based on my opinion. Others may feel differently. These things have helped me fill many tags over the years I hope they help you the same.