I am from WI also and hunt all public land. I start with map scouting using OnX and google earth to find public land, then drill into each property to look at access points, then look for areas with habitat diversity and edges. I exclude the areas that are super easy to get to. I mark areas of interest on the maps and then go in for boots on the ground.
When doing the boots on the ground, I look for beds, hunter pressure, big tracks, rubs, scrapes, food sources (oaks and crops), trails between bedding areas, good trees for different wind / thermal conditions, access routes.
I mark waypoints on OnX when I find items of interest and snap pics to attach to the waypoint as a visual reminder.
Any time I bump a deer, I mark that location and try to dissect why that deer was at that location at that time.
Lastly, I enjoy every minute I’m out there exploring and try to learn something new each time.