i was planning on hunting a new area this year that is rather small and hilly, the most deer sign seemed to be at the creek at the bottom of the valley but i dont know if this is the best place to set up..there is a skinny flat along the creek but there are only signs here and there..where should i hunt???

Start where the most sign is, and work from there.

Start where the most sign is, and work from there, once the season begins. For now, keep scouting. The best spots will reveal themselves, if simply getting a crack at ANY deer is the goal.

I Agree,
Once you start spending sometime in the woods you will start to see their patterns, then you just adjust to what you see.

Good Luck.

In hilly terrain, be mindfull of thermal air movement. In the evening, the cooling air will flow downhill. In the morning, the warming air will flow uphill. You'll want to make your stand location is not carrying your scent toward where the deer are likely to be coming from.

You say small but don't say just how small or what the surrounding area looks like....crops, woods, etc. Is the sign you are seeing in the form of tracks at the creek or obvious trails in the area? This could be a good opportunity to use a trail camera and you would have the chance to move it to several likely spots before the season. I have also used my climbing stand to go in as if I were really hunting using good hunting practices such as scent control and just observe. Be mindful however, that their patterns may change as you get closer to the season as food sources may be altered due to harvesting or other factors.