I do the majority of my scouting this month and next...as you mentioned, everything stands out...trails,bedding areas,rubs,scrapes,and big sheds
. I spend a lot of time searching the terrain between bedding areas, looking for something that will funnel buck movement;erosion ditches,creek crossings,brushy fencelines,etc. During the rut, I hunt these locations frequently as bucks are moving between bedding areas looking for 'hot does'.
I also do as much stand work as I can. Once I've located a tree I like, I return with a lightweight treestand,climbing sticks,long pruner,and a hammer a nails(for hanging my backpack and bow). The area will have 6-7 months to cool off and all I have to do next fall is hang my stands and hunt<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>.It takes a lot of time,but come bow season...it pays off.
TB