mobo-
There is some pretty good reading out there that should shave hours to years off the learning curve. One book I would recommed is "Hunting Pressured Whitetails". Can't remember the authors name right off hand but it is a great source. It should be easy enough to find thru an internet search or maybe someone in here can tell you the author or give more book recommendations. Another book that you may want to read is "Trailing Whitetails" by John Trout Jr.