RE: What to look for while scouting?
Well you don't have too long before season opens.
Its good to look for all of those. Droppings, feathers, tracks, strut marks, and so on. Fresh scratchings are also a good sign. Dust bowls that are regularly used.
When I am out looking, I try to put it all together. If it rained recently, I look for tracks. If you find tracks, you know they have to be pretty fresh.
Nothing is etched in stone though. A turkey can put some miles on those little toes in a day.
As far as roosting. Here in South Carolina they roost in just about any kind of tree. Pines or hardwoods. They like creek bottoms that may be close to water. Makes it harder for preditors to sneak up on them.
Sign is good to look for, but the best thing is actually seeing turkeys. They are already grouping and strutting by now. Even gobbling in a lot of places. Get out at day break and listen. Check fields and clearings.
You better get your butt on the move.
I started off by myself too. My first turkey hunt was alone with no help at all. I started off at day light. 20 mins later, I was walking out of the woods with my first turkey. Called in a nice long beard 15 yards before I pulled the trigger. W/o a decoy. Been hooked ever since.