I got a few PM's so I'll just throw some info up here in the thread. Hopefully it helps somebody. This is what works well for me when when I'm scouting brand new areas in the California sierras looking for deer...
The reason guys talk so much about "bowls" and even more so "drainage basins" is because they do tend to hold deer. One of the main reasons they hold deer from what I've seen is because of how those drainages and bowls are formed. Water. Current streams, creeks, and snow run off washouts create smaller "cuts" within these drainages/valleys/basins. You can usually find these current water shed "cuts" by studying the terrain and looking for "hips". You don't want to take off into steep "cliffy" wash outs, the deer don't want to feed in and out of that either, and hiking that sucks. Keep a close eye on both sides of whatever valleys you are hunting and you'll be able to see the drainages coming down forming the valleys and bowls. Really study the terrain and you'll start to see some patterns... "Hips" are the rolling knobish hills that form both sides of the draingages from the top of the watershed down into the valley or basin. They are usually "rounder" (newer relatively speaking) and create more of a progressive slope which allows for good vegetation and tree growth (cover, shelter). It also makes for an easier travel path for game and I end up finding a lot of heavy highway game trails with good sign in these areas. It's easier to describe and show in person but basically... Find a good watershed in promising terrain, look for "hips" which are well tree/vegetation covered and create relatively and easy up/down access... Usually you can follow the creek bottom or river bottom and then cut off onto either side of the bank and head up to one of the hips to start looking. Keep the wind in your face and the cold water is going keep the air cool so it won't rise through you, it's going to head down hill which helps. You're looking for game trails and sign and you will very likely find well identified trails on these hips. Once you find a good game trail it's all up to your preferred hunt strategy what you do from there.
Take it slow and learn the area, move to the other side of the creek bottom if you have to. Be adaptable and scout scout scout. You'll be able to see where the deer are coming from and where they are going to create a plan for game time during hunting season.