Most people would probably think I am foolish and consider my way of hunting unproductive but I didn't really have anyone teach me so the way I hunt is based on trial and error and some reading. I honestly pay no attention to sign, at all, when choosing an area to hunt and I've never used cameras. I look for very specific things like funnels, edge cover and very thick areas that have a soft edge such as where young planted pines meet a stand of hardwoods. I don't look for trails or droppings or even food. I feel like most sign is probably made at night so it does me little good to hunt it. After I find that type of area I pack my climber in and hunt it a couple of days to see what it produces. If I see a bunch of does I make a note and won't hunt it again until the older bucks start cruising. If I don't see anything I mark it off for the year and move on. I really don't hunt much other than bow season and peak rut unless I am learning new property, which was the case this year. If I ever put a ladder stand up it's because the area has produced multiple bucks over the years and I know I'll hunt it when the timing is right. Otherwise 9 out of 10 of my hunts are from a climber. Some hunters , much better than me, probably think I'm doing it wrong. They're probably right because I usually only kill one mature buck a year. I could probably turn Matt Brock loose on the places I hunt and he'd have them wiped out in no time and I'm not being facetious when I say that. He kills more mature bucks than anyone I know. If I am doing it wrong I don't want to know because it's still fun for me at 52 years old and if it was easier I probably wouldn't like it.