Free: Contests & Raffles.
Unless your hunting private land, I'm not sure what good scouting does for you. After opening morning, things are all stirred and mixed up, kinda like hunting in a blender.
Thanks vandeman. I was pretty bummed at the end of the day yesterday but I'm coming to my senses and know I shouldn't be too hard on myself.
I'm not good enough to get paid to hunt, but I do have some experience. I am a firm believer in picking a couple areas and then learning them very well. I make lots of trips and do lots of hiking. You would be amazed at how many folds there are for deer to move around in. A deers home range is pretty small and they know it really intimately. Pick a fews hills and or ridges and plan campouts and hiking trips around those areas. Maps only give a general outline. Even glassing won't give you the whole story. You need to hike as much of an area as you can. If you stick with the areas you already hunt your knowledge of the areas will get more detailed with each trip.That's my strategy. Over the course of years my knowledge of my favorite areas has become very detailed.I do scout out at least one new area each year also because things like wildfires can really mess up my strategy sometimes.Best of luck.