Before heading to the field, when you're in the field and after returning home, topographic maps and aerial photos should be used to your advantage. Mark down any pertinent information and keep a journal of your scouting forays.

It seems to me we're living in a society that's continually looking for the easy way out. Even in our bowhunting pursuits, we rarely look to attain success the old fashioned way -- through the development of good woods savvy. After all, doesn't that require a lot of time and work? Yuk!

We all want to be expert whitetail bowhunters, right? We're passionate about our pursuit, and we want to be admired for our ability to bring home the bacon (and bone), right? We want to feel the extreme satisfaction that comes from becoming a consummate outdoorsman, right? Well then, read on and I'm going to highlight the single biggest thing you can do to accomplish all these goals -- post-season scouting. It's not rocket science and it's not easy, but it'll darn sure get you where you want to be.

Please don't think I'm blowing hot air, because for the past 20 years I've lived a hunting lifestyle that proves a working-class stiff like me can enjoy top-end success by combining a good work ethic with common sense. As the cold winds of winter blow and everyone else is hanging it up for the year, I turn up the heat a notch or two.

The Big Picture Approach
For many years, I had it all backwards. I'd start scouting a few weeks before the season, then jump in a tree and hope for the best. After a month or so of this method, I would start to lose interest just when I should have been getting really serious. By mid-November, my pre-season scouting information was pretty much worthless, so I'd get down and scout some more. Grabbing hold of a little bit of new rut sign, I'd once again get elevated and wait. Trouble was, I was always one step behind my quarry. As the rut wound down in early winter, in a fit of desperation I'd abandon my stand locations and scout again. Sometimes this approach worked. Most of the time, it didn't.

Now don't get me wrong; pre-season and in-season scouting have their places. But those types of scouting provide only a quick snapshot into the plotlines of a much, much bigger picture. It's only when the show is over, and we have absorbed the ending, that we can fully understand what was really going on during each stage of the act. And only then can we truly understand what could have been changed to alter the outcome. OK, now let's apply this to bowhunting.

The fresh sign of the previous season doesn't lie. There is no substitute for getting out in the field and examining the evidence in person. This type of dedicated effort will pay big dividends in the future.

At the end of each archery season, a potpourri of information is available at our fingertips. An entire mosaic of the local deer herd's movement patterns is laid out before us, awaiting our discovery and interpretation. At no other time of year can we find a more opportune time to make hardcore intrusions into our hunting areas. At no other time of year can we do more to make reservations for success in the future.

Know The Land
During a lifetime spent afield, I've truly come to appreciate the close relationship that exists between the habitat and the animals that call it home. In light of that, one of the first things I demand from my post-season forays is an intimate knowledge of my hunting grounds. Since it's a fact that all deer live in and move through their habitat in direct relation to the topography, ever-changing food sources and available security cover, it goes without saying I need to have a complete understanding of the area I'm hunting.

To accomplish this daunting task, I go afield each winter with aerial photos and topographic maps, systematically scanning every acre while making careful notes about everything I learn. After I'm completely familiar with the lay of the land, I make a second, slower pass over the area, carefully studying every bit of deer sign (both new and old) in the area. Important vegetative and terrain features are marked down on my maps.