1. listening to podcasts (ear scouting) is not that helpful and can even be unhelpful.
I listened to probably hundreds of hours of hunting podcasts this year and came to the realization that if you listen long enough, you will hear a lot of conflicting advice or "hot" tips. Listening to podcasts is a great way to feel like you are preparing for hunting season without actually doing anything.
2. Cameras are helpful, but only when used for inventory purposes.
I ran cell cameras from January to January and found zero correlation to when a deer would show up in a certain location. Admittedly, this might be due to where I am hunting (foothills of the blue ridge mountains) and could be different elsewhere. I have fallen out of love with the idea that cameras are effective for patterning movement in my area. They are great for seeing what is around, though.
3. Pre-season scouting is good, in-season "scouting" is great.
This year I scouted more in pre-season than I ever have, and I was surprised at how unhelpful it felt when the season started. It was definitely helpful to have some general areas to focus in on during the season, but I realized I was passing up where I was actually seeing deer for where I had seen historic sign over the prior weeks and months. No kidding, right? It really is a simple idea, but I let my pre-season scouting data have way too much sway over real-time sightings. Perfect example was when I kept bumping does in this 5 acre circle going to and coming from spots I was hunting deeper into the property. I decided to set up in this area just to see what would happen and killed a doe 20 minutes after sunrise. Never again will I walk through deer to hunt deer. I put in-season scouting in quotes because I didn't do any dedicated scouting, I just made decisions based on in-season observations.
4. Deer are forgiving when it's dark.
Multiple times this year I ran into deer in the dark with my headlamp and they did not spook. I was not particularly quiet or anything, but I think the fact that they couldn't see anything but my headlamp engaged their curiosity more than fear. If it had been light out, they would have been long gone and I would have blown everything out of the woods. These experiences made it easier for me to get up when that alarm clock goes off really early.
5. Calling makes me feel better, not the deer.
Just like with listening to podcasts, I realized that calling makes me feel like I'm doing something productive when I am actually not. I got rid of my grunt call pre-season because I was calling like a mad man last year and wanted to force myself to not do the same thing again. I ended up getting a new grunt call toward the end of archery season, but the break I had from using one made me much more disciplined about sitting there quietly. I grunted once to try and turn a buck around, and it didn't work. Shot my buck (a different one) later that afternoon just being totally quiet.
6. Saddle hunting is a game changer.
This was my first season in the saddle, and I simply loved it. I hunted 25 or so days this year, and every single sit was in the saddle. That said, I would shy away from the term "mobile" hunting, as it is not as mobile as I thought it would be. Instead, I'd call saddle hunting "versatile." Getting set-up is kind of tedious, but your options for setting up are far greater than any other tree climbing system.