As mentioned already, I think a LOT of it has to do with the folks around you and the layout of your property. I hunt on 40 acres in NW Florida and while it certainly is not big buck territory, a mature whitetail is a mature whitetail... which means the challenge still exists. Anyway, in my case the 40 acres is about 5 times longer than it is wide. While you would want a block of land if you had a lot of land, I find that this strip is actually advantageous when dealing with really small pieces. Because of the length, I'm able to hunt three different environments... saltmarsh to the west, high and dry palmetto / pine flat in the middle, and then the east drops off into a swampy pine bog. The length is also positioned West to East, which is good for the prevailing winds that we have late Oct - Feb. Having hunted the property for about 15 years, I can definitively claim that on just this one little 40 acre piece, there are two distinct groups of deer. Again, this is because of the length of the property. I can also tell you definitively that what the neighbors are doing matters a lot. For the first 10 years or so the surrounding property was leased to somewhat of a brown-and-down club. I killed a few deer here and there, but if it was a racked buck and a neighbor had a crack at him, it was a pretty good chance that the deer would be harvested. A buck here to even have 8 points is going to be a 4 year old deer, and a trophy is likely going to be 5 plus. I would typically have maybe one buck on film each year that would get me excited. If I was lucky I might catch a glimpse once in person. During this time I killed one mature 10 point. Then about 5 years ago everything changed. Land owners around me switched. New folks are more in the cattle business than they are pine trees. The 4,000 acres or so that surround me (a chunk bordered by water and a highway) that was all pines quickly became about half pasture. Not only this, but the brown-and-down club left. New land owners leased the property to a guy and his wife. The two of them might have a couple guest hunters each year, but there is very little pressure. My deer hunting went from okay, to superb in a matter of a couple years. Neighbors are low pressure and all of the new edge and pasture really made a lot more food for wildlife. Since the changes I'm typically able to harvest a 4 year old deer each year. Granted they seldom break 140 pounds and by best buck to date (last year) was a typical 9 that grossed 117" and netted like 110", but they are they are mature nonetheless and difficult to hunt... but the more of them there are, the better your chances. So... in my favor and for this particular 40 acres:
1. A piece of land with varied terrain
2. Layout of the land
3. Neighbors
A few other things to consider. I elected long ago to always park in the same spot. I'm not sure if that works in my favor, or not. My rationale is that by doing so, they get used to seeing / hearing truck in the same spot without being alarmed. Perhaps I'm giving them too much credit, but if they aren't wild about the truck, the last thing I want to do is park it somewhere that might alarm / surprise deer and encourage them to do something different in terms of travel routes.
Deer are actually bedded on my property pretty often, so all of my stands are easily and quietly accessed. I think this is huge.
Believe it or not, I usually hunt once per weekend from late October all the way through the end of Feb. Yeah, it's a long season. Most people would think that that much pressure on a small place would wear it out. However, because the property is so long, if the weather cooperates, I'm able to hunt four different areas which keeps pressure minimal even though it sounds like a tiny piece.
Speaking of stands... I would also recommend to people who are relegated to hunting small spots to make small moves every so often. I don't know if you have many trees that can be climbed, but I'll often move just 20 or 30 yards to a different tree and I swear it makes a difference. If you can't climb, the same thing can be done with a tripod under 15 feet or so with relative ease.
Of course hunting the wind matters, but so does entry and exit to the woods. If you can, set everything up so that the chances of your scent going INTO your small piece is minimized as you enter the woods for your sit.
