So its never too early to start scouting right? This year I'm breaking away from the boring and unproductive usual hunting grounds near my folks house in ID (huge wolf problem has made it tough over the years). So now I'm looking at some totally new and different places to hunt Mulies. Now I don't have a helluva lot of experience with mulies as I grew up hunting whitetail moslty, but I do know that some of the "rules" you hear about mulies aren't always true. So I'd like to get your input on these "rules" so I can put together a strategy for scouting and hunting this summer/fall.

Rule #1: Hunt high for big bucks - THe biggest bucks I've seen in archery season have been low in bachelor bands, but I also haven't spend much time up on the craggy tops. For a new area should I start scouting up high?

Rule #2: get as far away from the roads as possible - A few seasons ago my friend shot a nice 4x4 that was crossing our ATV tracks every night. Should I start by humping way back into no mans land or start with the easy stuff off the roads first?

Rule #3: Bucks will be in bachelor bands in September to early October - I think I've gotten into groups of bucks during archery, but all I seem to see during rifle season is groups of does. Am I missing the bachelor bands or are they just being sneaky?

Rule #4: the big bucks will be way out in the nastiest country - Several times I've packed into nasty county only to get scraped and briused. OTOH One summer I worked for a back country outfitter and we had a 6x6 coming into camp and stealing the horses oats all summer. Should I try to scout out that remote rugged stuff or save that for a last resort?

Your thoughts and any general advice is appreciated.