This year was my first hunting season. Fortunately I had a friend who had hunted the public land for about 15-20 years. It got crowded a lot this year and I bumped and got bumped into by other hunters. I just got in there EARLY...sometimes almost 1:30 before light. As far as scouting he showed me what I need to look for....droppings, rubs lines, scrapes, trails were all over. Go where YOU would go to avoid hunters. Only a couple of times I failed to see ANY deer even with the pressure this year. Good luck and be patient...