You can definitely look for an area with certain characteristics, so the odds they end up in good stalking terrain are higher. The sandhills are difficult to stalk in because of no great landmarks. I typically use clumps of grass, yuccas, or unique hills.
In SD there is a wide variety of habitats you can find muleys. There is near mountainous sections of the black hills, the badlands (lots of washes, breaks, valleys), flat plains, river breaks, sandhills, and ag fields. Many states have a similar breakdown. MT has breaks, mountains, plains, and ag. Wyoming does as well.
For spot and stalking, and particularly learning it, I would select an area where there is more breaks and washes and some vegetation. Deer typically will bed in this "rough" country, but it is easy enough to stalk in because of the different terrain features. For me that means river breaks and badland type areas. Stalking deer in flat plains or sandhills can be difficult because of the lack of cover. Not impossible, but harder. Areas with huge elevation changes (large mountains) have their own difficulties, most of which are more logistics of being up there and less purely with stalking.
My typical process is something like this:
Find a high spot, 100+ ft higher than where you suspect deer to be, and glass. Wait till they make their day-bed, and then stalk in. Deer where I hunt typically bed more than once in a morning. Around 9 am or so they will bed, sit for about an 30 mins to an hour and then move (sometimes a half a mile or more). Usually the second bed they make will be there day-bed. Stalking on the first bed is risky because they are likely to move. So once in their day-bed I will look over every little detail I can, the draw or cover they are in or near, the vegetation around, and other deer. Once I have an idea with this I will look for route to stalk through this cover taking in account the wind and other factors. After I come up with a plan, I head down from the glassing spot and use my plan and try and get the deer.
I certainly don't have the experience other people do on this site, to this day I have made 7 stalks with archery equipment, punched 2 tags, missed twice, and have been under fifty yards on every stalk but 1. I pick and choose my stalks very carefully though, and won't stalk if I think I will spook the deer (unless it's the last day, then I will take more risks)
Learning an area and how the animals react on the landscape is great, and a for-sure method to get on some deer, but it can take years to learn an area well. Developing good spot and stalk skills will help you fill tags, especially in new areas.
