is there any good way to find out what if any activities take place in a local woods?

a lots a woodses are really watersheds and aquifers and what not how can i research potential areas the best?

game cameras

awww snap!!

If you can't afford game cameras, you could always try leaving some quarters on the trail, or a couple of single dollar bills. If they get picked up, you know someone's been there.

all this sounds like it takes a long time. there has to be some shit on the internet somewhere right?

look for well beaten paths its a sure sine of the two legged kind in the area. could always clean a spot to see if fresh traffic is around. town office has records of who owns the land you are looking at. internet can only go so far, you will have to put in grunt work to be sure of what is there and what is not. the more time u put into prep work the less of a chance that u will have problems.