One past experience i had may help. Gene's book "Hunting Rutting Whitetails" gave me a tip that helped me. I hunt in an area with 6 square miles of woods. One morning after a snowfall that night, I found a big deer track and followed it. I learned a few things about that deer, such as an often used bedding area, and the route he took crossing a big slough to get to a food source.
Gary