Funnels

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Jrichard
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Funnels

Unread postby Jrichard » Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:30 am

What is everyone's favorite funnels to hunt? I try to find them all over, but I can never seem to find them. One of my spots though, have a broken rock wall where the deer tend to walk through. Anything else?

Any input on saddles would be great too. not too familiar with these at all. Even just good features on saddles and benches. And how to set up on them and such. Totally clueless here.


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DeerDylan
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby DeerDylan » Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:23 am

Are you in hilly country or more lowland/swamp/marsh?

Is there any water ways? Like creeks or ravines?

I hunted a low spot in a old rock wall leading to a thicket a couple times. I never saw a good buck before the property changed hands but I did see a lot of deer in early November.

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DaveT1963
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:28 am

The best funnel I have found and hunted was an inside corner of a large CRP field that was in conjunction with a narrowing river bank (opposite side of a large oxbow in river) ... double funnel that always had good bucks pass through it in Nov

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Hawthorne
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Hawthorne » Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:29 am

In my area I've learned funnels are excellant for getting venison and maybe a 2.5 year old buck. The older bucks don't usually walk thru them. My best funnel was a strip of dry land that ran between impassible pot hole swamps that connected a bedding area and a corner of a crop field. When the potholes are flooded in wet years the deer would walk around them thru the funnel. I think it's just their lazy nature

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mheichelbech
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby mheichelbech » Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:31 am

Two of my best funnels have homes on one side. One has ag fields on the other side. The other has valleys. The ridge top funnel is a bit less predictable but also offers more stand options and is less susceptible to hunting pressure.

My favorite bigger woods funnel are steep draws with narrow crossing points....especially large ridge lines with several steep sided draws. When hunting In areas with other hunters you can use them to pressure deer to areas that if hunted wisely can be very productive.

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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Whitetailhunter63 » Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:51 am

On some public land we have here in CT they have a long stretch of 5' tall wire fencing set up with a small corn field on the other side. It looks like an area of the corn field gets to swampy to get a tractor through so the farmer cut the fencing in 2 areas about 50' apart so get the tractor around the low spot. I like to set up right between the two opening and catch the deer on their way into the field
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DeerDylan
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby DeerDylan » Wed Jul 20, 2016 11:07 am

The best funnel I've hunted was in Missouri. Flat land with a 80 yard strip of woods between a pond and a cut bean field.

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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Jeff25 » Wed Jul 20, 2016 1:23 pm

best funnel i had was about 75-100 yards wide between the cove of a lake and an open pasture. The two wooded areas it connected were very thick with few trees so it helped cut down on pressure. killed the buck in my avatar in it.
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kurt
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby kurt » Wed Jul 20, 2016 2:42 pm

Sometimes you look for too perfect of a funnel. Its true to a point that big bucks avoid obvious funnels in high pressure areas. Most likely due to the scent left by hunters year after year.

Terrain can create great funnels but the most obvious ones are notice by other hunters is the short of what I'm saying.

But a funnel can be as simple as a fallen tree. One of the better beds I've hunted has a massive fallen oak struck by lightning. It works two ways it limits 4 trails down to 2. It also offers good cover for me to sneak close to the bed.I've been slightly suprised deer haven't bedded by fallen tree. That's a good funnel and it's very subtle. Not something you can see from a map. There are all kinds of examples of less obvious funnels. Just something to remember.

I'm not saying all obvious funnels are bad just take advantage of things on a smallet scale too.

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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Bucky » Wed Jul 20, 2016 4:28 pm

If ur in the hills.... look for a deep drainage or draw going up a hill.... the top is usually a great spot to setup during the rut. Or follow a creek or river until it makes a large oxbow or sharp bend... those are usually both great funnels.

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Re: Funnels

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Wed Jul 20, 2016 4:55 pm

Hunt a funnel in KS every year...terrain and a broken fence make the mother of all funnels. Big bucks use it...does use it. Small bucks use it. You can see the pounded run that goes through it. And it all runs right along the edge of a major doe bedding area.

Its my favorite spot to be come November.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Rich M » Thu Jul 21, 2016 7:11 am

I have a funnel that has wet weather ponds on either side - there is a strip of high ground in between that is loaded up with rubs.
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DaveT1963
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu Jul 21, 2016 7:55 am

Thought I would draw a picture of the funnel I mentioned and why it worked so good. It is actually a double funnel and I'll explain why later.

Image


Yellow star was primary stand with a SW, S, and any N wind as long as it was consistent
Red Star was secondary stand for North based winds that were gusty or swirling

What made this spot fantastic is that a large # of does bedded in the oxbow. With a south based wind the bucks would cruise across it scent checking for does and pass just downwind of my preferred stand (yellow star). My stand was right at 25 feet and my scent usually carried right over them – especially with a SW wind. A south wind was a little more touchy but most of the time my scent stream was just off wind and passed east of where they entered the oxbow when travel from west to east. I had to watch to ensure the wind was consistent as a touch of SE wind would swirl my scent back into the oxbow. Once I learned to hunt this area I never got busted from this stand using a SW or S wind. The wind in the oxbow was always swirling but that happened primarily inside the actual oxbow.
With a North based wind I could also hunt this stand as the larger more mature bucks would then cruise the tight funnel created between the river and the field….. and my scent easily passed over them and out into the CRP. I used the river from the East for access.

Note: When I hunt funnels I prefer to set up just before or after they pass through the funnel rather than directly in the funnel as they are usually hyper alert while in the funnel in my experience. When the north wind was gusty and swirling (which is typical for this area in Montana just after a front passed through) I moved over to my secondary stand (red star) but could only cover one side of the river funnel from there.

As I stated above the yellow star stand was actually a double funnel. The first one is easy to see as a pinch point between the CRP and river. However, I saw more bucks in the less noticeable funnel created as the bucks, being lazy, cut across the opening of the oxbow. While it is not really apparent, the fact that bucks are lazy makes it a funnel that most hunters overlook. If memory serves me right three total bucks were taken from this stand (2 at primary stand and 1 at the alternate stand) I can’t remember ever hunting this stand without seeing at least some action in one or the other funnel…… I always saved this stand for late Oct/Early Nov.
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:22 am

Great illustration Dave.

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Lockdown
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Jul 21, 2016 12:47 pm

The SD funnel I talked about in the rut thread was a river oxbow that abutted a steep and very long hillside.

What made it extra special is the hardwoods transitioned to canary grass at the exact same spot where the river met the hill. I knew it was money when I saw it... Just one of those gut feelings...

The oxbow itself had bedding on both sides and was about 300 yards long. The river was 30-40 yards wide and deep with some pretty good cut banks.

A river is one thing but if there's a cut (eroded) bank they can't get up, that screams funnel.

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