I've mentioned in private to a few folks in PMs that I'm kinda deliberately hardlining the smooth-brain thing because I think "deer psychology" trips folks up. I see a lot of people worried about lure color and not stopping to first ask, "Are there even any fish in this pond?" The folks talking about "deer have a PhD in hunter avoidance" talk so loud you kinda gotta scream to make yourself heard. Happily, it appears I've screamed loud enough to turn heads.
I definitely think I have a solid strategy. Since I live in an absolutely dismal county and state for big bucks, the highest ROI I can get is a license somewhere else. A couple hours on a computer looking at DMAP and trophy records narrowed down states within driving distance pretty quickly. A few more narrowed it down to counties and public properties.
Next step is truck and boat scouting to knock out 80-90% of what's there. Then it's boots time to knock out 80-90% of that. I try to look for either seasonal food, bedding, or choke points between the two. Dirt simple, but even smart bucks gotta eat and hide. From there it's just a matter of putting time in the tree. Preferably on a cold, clear day with a stiff north wind. Bonus points if it's the horny moon.
Like you said, it ain't that different from a lot of people's strategies. I'm just weighting the front-end, macro prep work higher than the finishing stuff. And not concerning myself with whatever a big buck would write in his autobiography as being the moments that shaped his life.
