There is high impact and low impact scouting. High impact is actually walking through the woods looking for sign. This is best done after the season or well before the season because deer will be alerted to your presence.

Low impact scouting can be done via topo map in the comfort of your own home, assuming you know how to read a topo map. Mytopo.com has a free map viewer that allows you to alternate between the topo and the google earth images. Look for shallow saddles between ridges or funnels. Use the google map to identify food sources like food plots or ag fields and bedding areas then use the topo map to find the best ambush spot between those areas.