Great topic, Grizz. I keep a binder in my trunk - at all times - with color copies of aerials of each of my hunting areas - both old and new. I've got turkey maps, shed hunting maps, deer stand maps, gun season maps, maps of places I've never been, and maps of places I haven't been in 15 years.

Those maps include companion topos, field notes, chickenscratch arrows, lines and circles... It's a process, to be sure.

My maps show property boundaries, oak groves, thickets, past stand sites of mine, and past stand sites of OTHER hunters. Sometimes, you start connecting the dots and things become a lot more clear. It's definitely a "big picture" endeavor.

However, despite the detail and observation needed, you CAN scout an area relatively fast, if you know what you're looking for. This is a LOT easier once the leaves are coming off, the weeds are down, andthe acorns are falling. With the extra visibility, it makes the geographic funnels stand out. You can hear the acorns and go to them. You play off of the pressure points, the crop rotation, the safe travel routes - and strike. Strike unexpectedly and infrequently.

Always remember that you're hunting an animal that survives by avoiding humans. The more pressure he gets, his skills are honed all-the-sharper.

Duke is right - know thy neighbour. Deer can't read POSTED signs or Plat Maps. They live everywhere. If you have the opportunity, get out and walk your neighbor's land in the spring, or in the snow, when it reads like an open book. Even if you're not allowed to hunt there, walk it and understand it. Knowledge of the surrounding properties WILL fill your tag, sooner or later.