Thanks for starting this thread
@Plebe, it'll keep me from derailing at least one thread with my random thoughts.
I won't ever claim to be in the same class of hunter of these guys mentioned here but you can't spend 50+ seasons in the whitetail woods without learning a few things along the way, even if you're a guy who needs to learn them more than once like myself. I can honestly say I'd never heard of most of these whitetail experts until I joined this forum. Names like Infalt, Eberhart, Rothar, Worthington, etc. would have meant absolutely nothing to me. I guess I lived a sheltered existence.
However I have to say that since I've started digesting their thoughts on hunting, both online and in written form, I've found validation for a lot of the things I have been doing based on the lessons learned and subsequent evolution of my hunting style through those 50 years of chasing whitetails. In addition I've learned a few tricks from these guys to add to my style that I might not have come across without them sharing their experiences.
That's not to say I agree that everything I've read/garnered from these guys will work in my little corner of the world but all info is good info. I've spent my life hunting in the upland hardwoods of NW Michigan and a lot of the lessons I've learned may not be applicable to the palmettos of Florida or even the agriculture lands of the midwest. You have to be able to cipher out the tidbits and pick and choose those that are applicable to your situation.
For example, in my little corner of experience, I find that hunting buck bedding areas is the best ticket in the early season when bucks are still in bachelor groups and or may be moving mostly in the dark. As my season moves toward late October and rut approaches and begins I shift my focus to focusing on travel corridors and funnels hoping to catch the bucks cruising for does or tending them. Late season, once snow starts to cover the ground and hunting pressure decreases I move my focus to the known late season food sources as the bucks are trying to replenish their reserves to survive the winter. For me all of these involve some level of mobile hunting as I move around a lot in an attempt to prevent getting patterned. In my mind all of these phases are represented in some way, shape or form by the advice given by the "masters". I guess what I'm trying to say in my long winded post is that I adapt my style throughout the season in an attempt to stay with the bucks as their patterns change.
The bottom line, to me anyway, is that only field experience will show what may or may not work for your particular environment and preferred hunting style. Adopt what works for you and keep the rest in mind for potential future use.