Another big mistake I used to make is
1.not realizing that animals move. Just cause there is sign in the area and even if its reasonably fresh it doesnt mean the animals are there. The animals have staging points and sometimes they just pass through. Try and learn where they are at any given month of the year. Some areas are only good in September. Some areas are good only in November. Some areas are good all season long.
2.pockets. it's easy to give up on an area when you aren't seeing much, but know that sometimes a BIG area can only hold a population of deer in a small pocket, especially bucks. So you might be 2km away from a group of nice bucks and not even know it because you didnt see any following the does yet. A lot of guys who have taken MONSTER muleys out of reg 3 say the same thing.
3. Learning an area takes a while. If you dont have a mentor, its gonna take some time
Most people who start hunting and have immediate success, especially GOOD success are people who are lucky to have someone mentor them and give them a few spots to start out with. If you're doing it all on your own like I did, its gonna take some time.