Here's another piece of advice, or information, and it isn't fully formed.
The real killers are successful for a lot of reasons. I don't think you can pinpoint which one is most important. But there is something to be said for cross training and adaptability.
One way I've gotten better at deciphering deer behavior is by traveling to hunt. Not everyone has this opportunity. But it doesn't necessarily have to be out of state. It can be a different public tract near you with different terrain, pressure, food, etc. When you stop trying to kill a deer in the moment, and begin to play the long game - this will become very valuable. Anyone can luck up and trip into an awesome spot. But deer are rats with hooves. Across subspecies, geography, terrain, food sources, exposure to hunting pressure, etc, they all share certain traits, display certain types of behavior, and fall into certain habits. These become much more obvious when you've seen them in their "different" form, and can pull the common strand from each situation.
If you're watching Infalt's "hill country bedding", and trying to apply deer bedding on leeward ridge points in a swamp in south alabama - well yeh, you're not going to have much luck connecting dots. But generally speaking, if bucks can hide in cover, with wind/noise protection from behind them, while watching where they intend to go that evening, they're gonna do it. When you run across "buck beds" in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Missouri, you start to identify the common theme. When you can extract details like that, you can then apply the general knowledge to where ever you're hunting.
I recommend a change of scenery from where you're currently hunting. Go try to solve the puzzle from a totally different angle.
The advice to read the books and watch the videos and follow the blogs is good - but only if you understand what you're trying to pull from it. You aren't going to get a short cut. They don't exist in deer hunting. You're looking to find concepts, theory, ideas, that you can apply to your specific situation. The broader the spectrum you're learning on, the better off you are for a couple of reasons. Number one - you'll learn more stuff. Number two, you get better at learning, and fast. This is why i recommend going cover a bunch of ground. Not slow. Probably not even with a weapon in your hand, but i'll let that one slide since it is hunting season. But DON'T carry a way up a tree.
Squirrel hunting is an awesome way to scout. If you want a challenge, bring your bow to do it. But just go cover some ground. Cross train. You'll learn some adaptability in the process.
I think you can drop any of the legends in any part of the country and they'll get on deer quick, and get on big ones fairly quick too. This is due to a lot of reasons. But I can promise you, they'll all start with eliminating the crappy places to hunt as fast as possible. And they're covering ground to do that.
- Put yourself out of your comfort zone.
