I pretty much never stop scouting. I run trail cams 365 days a year, though there are periods that I don't check them for several weeks at a time, like the middle of the winter or June/July. I've gone away from mineral sites, as I don't like dealing with the contaminated dirt prior to hunting seasons. Anymore I stick to giant community scrapes that deer tend to work all year, winter alfalfa supplements, high protein feed in the winter through early summer, and food plots. This year I did not do any spring food plots and am going to do fall plantings. I got caught up on extended turkey seasons in other states which was followed up by intense drought, so I didn't even bother turning the dirt.
Yesterday, I did bush hog some trails on one property. I'll hit another one in the next week. I like to keep certain trails open as the deer tend to use them as highways. Over 15 years of hunting one property in particular, you learn where the deer want to walk and bush hogging those paths just re-enforces the patterns in some areas. Other areas you just monitor known paths and keep obstacles clear or put obstacles in areas to re-direct traffic as needed.
Beyond that ... shoot the bow to keep sharp and patiently wait for October One.
I understand you surely have areas of your properties that are 'safe zones', but you don't feel that being in the woods nearly year round discourages the real beasts from setting up camp there? Mature deer around here avoid people when ever possible. If I started going into the woods weekly, or even bi-weekly, I'm scared they'd start changing patterns on me..
Of course there are safe zones. But the reality is that in the small wood lots and farms up here, deer get pretty used to people, farm equipment, and other outside intrusions. You have to be smart about it. When I set and check trail cams, I always wear rubber boots for example and I try to be smart about what I touch in the area. When it comes to clearing trails, it is my tractor and bush hog, no different from what they are used to from the farmers. Farm equipment doesn't even phase the deer. You just have to use common sense really. Deer live among people. They tolerate more than we give them credit for up until hunting pressure increases.
/side note
DEC, was that your face I saw on the cover of a magazine recently holding a pretty nice bass?
I still need a quality pair of rubber huntin boots.