Welcome to the site, Fiddypal...
I was a "late bloomer" to hunting, as I grew up the youngest, the baby of the family, etc... My dad hunted, all my uncles hunted, my grandpa, etc... back in the 50's. When it was my turn and I came of age, they had all given it up and/or gotten to old to still get out there and enjoy it.
Hunter safety class? I went through it as well back in the day. I had an open mind, even though I was arguably the same age (if not older) than some of the instructors at the time! I found it really interesting and I learned a lot. Even if the firearm training section was a bit redundant (I went through that decades ago in USCG bootcamp), it was good to have a "refresher" and see what I might have missed or what has changed since then.
The best advice I can give is ALWAYS check the wind and your own scent. Deer are masters at detecting even the slightest little thing. Ooooo, the wind shifted on you and you're not wearing any cover scent or anything like that? Pffffftttt... it's all over... Any deer within a square mile will "wind you" and be gone in a flash...
The other thing I learned from some of the grizzled old guys in the mountains of Virginia (i.e. up in the George Washington National Forest)... NEVER go stomping through the woods like a herd of elephants. Never just walk, walk, walk, like a casual stroll either. Deer are so sensitive to movement and sound, they'll still detect you, hear you, and will be gone in a flash. Deer always associate footsteps with a bipedal predator (i.e. Man). I was taught by the "old guys" to slowly step, take another step, pause... step... pause... survey your surroundings... step.. step.. pause... Long story short - if it takes you an hour to walk not even a 1/4 mile, so be it. Do whatever you have to, to minimize your movement.