bucks, especially older bucks, will travel the thicker stuff. their bedding areas and their trails will normally be down wind of the main trails and the doe bedding area. one way to tell is by scouting out the rubs. the rubs on the trails, which also could be just direction of travel, can tell you which ones the bucks prefer. the bucks bedding areas will often times have clusters of rubs. no real rhyme or reason as to which side of the tree is rubbed on, and not in a line just, well, clustered. if you find one of these cluster areas with rubs from over the years its a spot to pay close attention to. figure the prevailing winds. your access so the wind is in your face, not blowing from you to the spot but the other way and set a stand up. get it in early, now would be good as long as it won't be stolen, and down wind of this area of rubs. how far depends on visibility and weapon.
for the early season, it sounds like you have the trails to the field, the food source, so scout it figure out about what time they come to the field and set a stand back up the trail so they come by in shooting light.