Evening set ups

[Straightshooter]

Is it necessary to set up downwind of a food sources during rut on evening hunts. I hear and read that on evening hunts you need to set up near to and down wind of a food source. They say bucks will want to walk the down wind edge, just inside the timber, and walk across all the trails and check them for hot does that may have entered the food source. That all makes 100% sense and I get it but my dilema is how can I do this and keep my wind blowing in a safe direction at the same time. The food sources in my situation are to the west and east and the bedding is in a block of timber between them. The predominant wind is out out the west and south. If I set up on a west wind, down wind of the food source, my wind will be blowing in the direction of the bedding. And if I was to set up on the other food source on the same wind then my wind will be blowing into the food source which is where the does will be going. Under this scenario can l set up on a south wind which will be a cross wind for the deer. This way my wind is blowing in a safe direction but isn’t the downwind set up everyone talks about. Will this work?

[Grizzlyadam]

I wouldn't count on it during the rut. It's going to be less about food sources and more about the does. Likely any bucks checking feeding areas for does will be happening well after dark when the does are in there feeding. If bucks are cruising looking for does during shooting light I would focus more on bedding, like between two bedding areas or between bedding and feeding.

[Straightshooter]

Agreed! Thank you Grizzlyadam. It is more about the does at this time of year and was therefore planning on focusing my hunts around the bedding. It is a big doe bedding area located in flat farm country on public land. I stopped counting at 21 beds when I scouted 4 weeks ago and some of them were worn to the ground with good amounts of hair in them. I also found good trails in and around the bedding plus trails leading to the agriculture fields. My plan was to set up downwind of the bedding in the morning and afternoon trying to catch bucks cruising and scent checking them, then getting down and setting up closer to the food source for an evening hunt. From everything that I hear and read they say to hunt closer to the food source in the evenings because that is where the does will be going and that is where the bucks will be looking for ones in heat. Also they say that a buck will want to walk down wind of doe feeding locations and cross these doe trails leading to the food source and scent check them. Setting up down wind of one of these parallel trails is supposed to be a good strategy. Therefore my plan for the evening is to get in between the doe bedding and feeding but set up in the timber like 20-30 from the edge where bucks should feel safer moving in. Is this stuff I’m hearing hog wash?
Does this seem like a good evening set up? How would you recommend I set up for evening hunts near ag. Sorry for all the dumb questions but I am fairly new to whitetail hunting and am trying to learn as much as possible. I have taken many deer in my lifetime but not a white tailed deer so far. I have only hunted whitetails for 4 seasons, all on public land and on short 5-10 hunts in early November. As you can imagine I am champing at the bit to get one and want to do everything I can to try and make that happen this up coming rut. I even made a cross country trip to fo some spring scouting earlier this month to try and up my odds. Now my onx is full of dropped pins marking bedding locations, feeding locations, major trails, funnels etc. Now I am trying to put the all puzzle pieces together.
Thank you so much for your input I greatly appreciate all comments and advice!