Funnels

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Boogieman1
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 6:42 am

Hatchetman wrote:In high pressure areas I've seen big bucks use them way differently than small bucks. Meaning they still use the funnel general area but will actually skirt quite aways down wind of the funnel itself even if it puts them out in the open. They seemed to not like getting too pinched down in certain spots in daylight.
I've also seen big bucks come right down the pipe but that's usually only when a hot doe is involved.


I've seen similar results. I've also noticed on numerous occasions a big buck come by right at daylight and bed down in cover downwind of common high traffic funnels and monitor traffic. If he sees or smells something he likes he cuts them off and avoids harms way all together. See this a lot on inside corners in farm country. It's tough to hunt cause nothing restricts the bucks movement and he has no set approach.


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Re: Funnels

Unread postby checkerfred » Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:29 pm

PK_ wrote:Secluded funnels in security cover close to bedding. You can hunt these any time of the year.

Bucks that have survived several hunting seasons will break those obvious funnels that see hunting pressure.


So do you mean the same type of funnels just inside or on the edge of that thicker cover?
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:47 pm

checkerfred wrote:
PK_ wrote:Secluded funnels in security cover close to bedding. You can hunt these any time of the year.

Bucks that have survived several hunting seasons will break those obvious funnels that see hunting pressure.


So do you mean the same type of funnels just inside or on the edge of that thicker cover?

Believe he is refering to the type of funnel 99% of hunters would walk through while picking there nose.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Mathewshooter » Tue Jan 16, 2018 3:24 pm

Some of the better funnels where I hunt are in ravines. People dont seem to bother hunting near them around here. Little drainages that feed into these large ravines are great spots for deer to climb up out of the ravine without having to go the steepest route....kinda like a saddle. Another great funnel in ravines is if you can find the first easy spot for the deer to cross in a long stretch of un-crossable area. I found such a spot last year. There was about 500 yards of un-crossable ravine where the banks dropped straight down to the creek the last 25 feet or so. On the upsteam end of this was an old logging trail that went across the ravine connecting the public land on one side with a large chunk of unhunted private land on the other. The thing that makes this spot look really good is that its a long ways from the road. I dont think many people would ever go back there. I ended up putting a trail camera in there to soak all bow season right where the logging trail crosses the bottom. Unfortunately, when I pulled the cam at the end of bow season it wasn't working. Come to find out the battery tray wasnt making good contact with the springs so I didnt get any pics.I think Im just gonna put a stand in there next season anyhow.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:14 pm

Mathewshooter wrote:Some of the better funnels where I hunt are in ravines. People dont seem to bother hunting near them around here. Little drainages that feed into these large ravines are great spots for deer to climb up out of the ravine without having to go the steepest route....kinda like a saddle. Another great funnel in ravines is if you can find the first easy spot for the deer to cross in a long stretch of un-crossable area. I found such a spot last year. There was about 500 yards of un-crossable ravine where the banks dropped straight down to the creek the last 25 feet or so. On the upsteam end of this was an old logging trail that went across the ravine connecting the public land on one side with a large chunk of unhunted private land on the other. The thing that makes this spot look really good is that its a long ways from the road. I dont think many people would ever go back there. I ended up putting a trail camera in there to soak all bow season right where the logging trail crosses the bottom. Unfortunately, when I pulled the cam at the end of bow season it wasn't working. Come to find out the battery tray wasnt making good contact with the springs so I didnt get any pics.I think Im just gonna put a stand in there next season anyhow.

I agree with you if you can get the wind to work they are like off ramps on a highway the bucks tend to favor one side or other when they travel them if they are fairly wide. i see a lot of big bucks use them. if you find a small bench between two ravens they normally have huge beds on them if they are 2/3 way up the mountain but they are almost fool proof bedding. i set up on them on a lower level about 1/2 way mark and wait for the dropping thermals. i look for big scrapes in swamps at bottom level. once i see those scrapes appear i know the big one is up above and its time to make my move. that scrape could be a half mile down to the bottom but that big buck above is the one doing it.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:17 pm

you will see the biggest bucks in the woods use that area. i have some giant sheds from spots like that.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Mathewshooter » Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:31 pm

ghoasthunter wrote:
Mathewshooter wrote:Some of the better funnels where I hunt are in ravines. People dont seem to bother hunting near them around here. Little drainages that feed into these large ravines are great spots for deer to climb up out of the ravine without having to go the steepest route....kinda like a saddle. Another great funnel in ravines is if you can find the first easy spot for the deer to cross in a long stretch of un-crossable area. I found such a spot last year. There was about 500 yards of un-crossable ravine where the banks dropped straight down to the creek the last 25 feet or so. On the upsteam end of this was an old logging trail that went across the ravine connecting the public land on one side with a large chunk of unhunted private land on the other. The thing that makes this spot look really good is that its a long ways from the road. I dont think many people would ever go back there. I ended up putting a trail camera in there to soak all bow season right where the logging trail crosses the bottom. Unfortunately, when I pulled the cam at the end of bow season it wasn't working. Come to find out the battery tray wasnt making good contact with the springs so I didnt get any pics.I think Im just gonna put a stand in there next season anyhow.

I agree with you if you can get the wind to work they are like off ramps on a highway the bucks tend to favor one side or other when they travel them if they are fairly wide. i see a lot of big bucks use them. if you find a small bench between two ravens they normally have huge beds on them if they are 2/3 way up the mountain but they are almost fool proof bedding. i set up on them on a lower level about 1/2 way mark and wait for the dropping thermals. i look for big scrapes in swamps at bottom level. once i see those scrapes appear i know the big one is up above and its time to make my move. that scrape could be a half mile down to the bottom but that big buck above is the one doing it.


These ravines are about a 200 foot drop to the bottom and about 40 yards wide at the bottom then straight back up the other side so any terrain advantage there is, the deer will use.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:37 pm

Mathewshooter wrote:
ghoasthunter wrote:
Mathewshooter wrote:Some of the better funnels where I hunt are in ravines. People dont seem to bother hunting near them around here. Little drainages that feed into these large ravines are great spots for deer to climb up out of the ravine without having to go the steepest route....kinda like a saddle. Another great funnel in ravines is if you can find the first easy spot for the deer to cross in a long stretch of un-crossable area. I found such a spot last year. There was about 500 yards of un-crossable ravine where the banks dropped straight down to the creek the last 25 feet or so. On the upsteam end of this was an old logging trail that went across the ravine connecting the public land on one side with a large chunk of unhunted private land on the other. The thing that makes this spot look really good is that its a long ways from the road. I dont think many people would ever go back there. I ended up putting a trail camera in there to soak all bow season right where the logging trail crosses the bottom. Unfortunately, when I pulled the cam at the end of bow season it wasn't working. Come to find out the battery tray wasnt making good contact with the springs so I didnt get any pics.I think Im just gonna put a stand in there next season anyhow.

I agree with you if you can get the wind to work they are like off ramps on a highway the bucks tend to favor one side or other when they travel them if they are fairly wide. i see a lot of big bucks use them. if you find a small bench between two ravens they normally have huge beds on them if they are 2/3 way up the mountain but they are almost fool proof bedding. i set up on them on a lower level about 1/2 way mark and wait for the dropping thermals. i look for big scrapes in swamps at bottom level. once i see those scrapes appear i know the big one is up above and its time to make my move. that scrape could be a half mile down to the bottom but that big buck above is the one doing it.


These ravines are about a 200 foot drop to the bottom and about 40 yards wide at the bottom then straight back up the other side so any terrain advantage there is, the deer will use.
the ones i hunt are like 1200 foot elevation change but i still agree with you they are like ditches bucks run in farm country. and id be setting up on them during rut for sure
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby tgreeno » Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:24 pm

I hunt pretty flat terrain, and have always been fascinated with the term funnel. I loosely understand the term. Usually for me it's a cover transition funnel. Where they are trying to stay out of the open terrain. I'll usually stumble on them. Have had limited success trying to hunt one. Maybe my lack of sucsess with morning sits, is directly related to this?

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Re: Funnels

Unread postby pewpewpew » Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:24 pm

Don’t forget that deer can climb like mountain goats. In my neck of the woods, The only thing I find that really pinches down travel is boulders, rock outcropping, cliffs, etc. if there is still soil, they can cross it.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Motivated » Tue Jan 16, 2018 11:11 pm

Boogieman1 wrote:
Hatchetman wrote:In high pressure areas I've seen big bucks use them way differently than small bucks. Meaning they still use the funnel general area but will actually skirt quite aways down wind of the funnel itself even if it puts them out in the open. They seemed to not like getting too pinched down in certain spots in daylight.
I've also seen big bucks come right down the pipe but that's usually only when a hot doe is involved.


I've seen similar results. I've also noticed on numerous occasions a big buck come by right at daylight and bed down in cover downwind of common high traffic funnels and monitor traffic. If he sees or smells something he likes he cuts them off and avoids harms way all together. See this a lot on inside corners in farm country. It's tough to hunt cause nothing restricts the bucks movement and he has no set approach.


Where I hunt there is an obvious funnel. Land pinched by water. I've sat Dad down there and tried to bump deer to Dad several times. The deer usually try to approach the funnel from downwind. If that isn't possible for the deer, there is a hill area next to an obvious funnel. They tend to stand there on the hill in decent cover a watch to see if the coast is clear before they cross.

I have started calling this hill area "the funnel within the funnel". That's where the money is. It sounds like these FWF's look different in different setups. It also sounds like they all are used to give the deer a greater sense of security before committing to the obvious funnels.

On the other hand I've seen bucks ignore these and walk through open areas in rut.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Rob loper » Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:41 am

Boogieman1 wrote:I have read a lot of stuff on here about how non productive a funnel is and I just don't get it. It's got me so messed up I'm to the point of questioning if what I hunt is even a funnel. So this is just my take on what a funnel is and how I hunt them. In hopes someone can shine some light on how these are no Bueno and I'm the luckiest man alive.

I don't look for hour glass patches of timber connecting 2 wood lots infact most of the ones I hunt cannot be easily seen from a aerial. If I find a spot I consider a possible funnel and put a cam in it for the entire season and it reveals it got a lot of daylight traffic during a specific time during the rut and let's say the following year everything stays the same food sources etc..... Why would I not expect these deer to use there same natural movement pattern?
If I have a stand where 3 creeks come together and any bucks paralleling those creeks would be placed in my lap, so why would a buck swim across 3 creeks unless he was forced and knew the spot was being hunted.
Another one I have good luck with is when another hunter has a perm stand and is baiting somewhat close to a road. I know that buck wants to get as far downwind from that perm stand as he can, the road provides the funnel he's not gonna wanna get exposed to traffic, so u set up in the sweet spot.
I think a lot of people see poor results from funnels because they get ruined before they were ever ripe for the Pickens. Or the funnel looks good on paper but in reality there's no reason for the buck to use it in the first place. In a high pressured public situation all the obvious ones would be stomped all over and I can see being worthless. But there's hidden ones that produce year after year.


I agree boogie but i think its how close the funnel is to bedding( mature buck bedding) which if it is close will see more daytime use from mature bucks. Rather than immature bucks I hunted corridors and funnels on a highly pressured farm this past season and i sat in both spots closer to bedding side of both places. One night thats it. I had a big boy come to me just at dark.( I wasnt close enough too bedding. )The only reason i know it was the one i was after was i seen his top crab claw shine a bit in moonlight. ( could barley see). But i know it was him. And this was november 17th still rutting But it showed me even during rut the big boys are still leary
During anytime too move during daylight hours But if i pushed in just 25-35 yards more i would have had a shot at him.live and learn. So imo i think it all goes back to how close these funnels choke points corridors etc are too bedding For ( mature bucks ). And daylight hour sightings
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:16 am

Lopedog699 wrote:
Boogieman1 wrote:I have read a lot of stuff on here about how non productive a funnel is and I just don't get it. It's got me so messed up I'm to the point of questioning if what I hunt is even a funnel. So this is just my take on what a funnel is and how I hunt them. In hopes someone can shine some light on how these are no Bueno and I'm the luckiest man alive.

I don't look for hour glass patches of timber connecting 2 wood lots infact most of the ones I hunt cannot be easily seen from a aerial. If I find a spot I consider a possible funnel and put a cam in it for the entire season and it reveals it got a lot of daylight traffic during a specific time during the rut and let's say the following year everything stays the same food sources etc..... Why would I not expect these deer to use there same natural movement pattern?
If I have a stand where 3 creeks come together and any bucks paralleling those creeks would be placed in my lap, so why would a buck swim across 3 creeks unless he was forced and knew the spot was being hunted.
Another one I have good luck with is when another hunter has a perm stand and is baiting somewhat close to a road. I know that buck wants to get as far downwind from that perm stand as he can, the road provides the funnel he's not gonna wanna get exposed to traffic, so u set up in the sweet spot.
I think a lot of people see poor results from funnels because they get ruined before they were ever ripe for the Pickens. Or the funnel looks good on paper but in reality there's no reason for the buck to use it in the first place. In a high pressured public situation all the obvious ones would be stomped all over and I can see being worthless. But there's hidden ones that produce year after year.


I agree boogie but i think its how close the funnel is to bedding( mature buck bedding) which if it is close will see more daytime use from mature bucks. Rather than immature bucks I hunted corridors and funnels on a highly pressured farm this past season and i sat in both spots closer to bedding side of both places. One night thats it. I had a big boy come to me just at dark.( I wasnt close enough too bedding. )The only reason i know it was the one i was after was i seen his top crab claw shine a bit in moonlight. ( could barley see). But i know it was him. And this was november 17th still rutting But it showed me even during rut the big boys are still leary
During anytime too move during daylight hours But if i pushed in just 25-35 yards more i would have had a shot at him.live and learn. So imo i think it all goes back to how close these funnels choke points corridors etc are too bedding For ( mature bucks ). And daylight hour sightings

For me there's a lot of variables. Early season yes u got to be right on there door step. But during the rut in low deer density hill country, they are gonna move. They have no choice. Now it's not everyday it's got to be timed. And deering the early pre rut when they are going through at night setting up there travel routes if they never detect any danger there, they will use them repeatedly cause it's the most effective way to get from point A to point B
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:21 am

Motivated wrote:
Boogieman1 wrote:
Hatchetman wrote:In high pressure areas I've seen big bucks use them way differently than small bucks. Meaning they still use the funnel general area but will actually skirt quite aways down wind of the funnel itself even if it puts them out in the open. They seemed to not like getting too pinched down in certain spots in daylight.
I've also seen big bucks come right down the pipe but that's usually only when a hot doe is involved.


I've seen similar results. I've also noticed on numerous occasions a big buck come by right at daylight and bed down in cover downwind of common high traffic funnels and monitor traffic. If he sees or smells something he likes he cuts them off and avoids harms way all together. See this a lot on inside corners in farm country. It's tough to hunt cause nothing restricts the bucks movement and he has no set approach.


Where I hunt there is an obvious funnel. Land pinched by water. I've sat Dad down there and tried to bump deer to Dad several times. The deer usually try to approach the funnel from downwind. If that isn't possible for the deer, there is a hill area next to an obvious funnel. They tend to stand there on the hill in decent cover a watch to see if the coast is clear before they cross.

I have started calling this hill area "the funnel within the funnel". That's where the money is. It sounds like these FWF's look different in different setups. It also sounds like they all are used to give the deer a greater sense of security before committing to the obvious funnels.

On the other hand I've seen bucks ignore these and walk through open areas in rut.

Those kind like u r describing I've never had to much luck with. I don't think the older deer like to be pinched down like that. The ones I have seen more times the not ran through full throttle. I look at funnels as 3 types: u have ones that restrict travel, ones that encourage travel, and ones that are based off mature deers instincts. I have the best luck with instinctive funnels.
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Re: Funnels

Unread postby headgear » Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:23 am

PK_ wrote:Secluded funnels in security cover close to bedding. You can hunt these any time of the year.

Bucks that have survived several hunting seasons will break those obvious funnels that see hunting pressure.


Yep I like to relate funnels to pressure, sometimes they are big and easy to spot, sometimes they don't show up on an aerial at all, other times they just connect bedding areas but the pressure is the key. No matter how good a funnel looks if a buck doesn't feel safe it can be worthless. I like those remote funnels and the ones that don't jump off the page without some serious scouting. Not that you can't catch a decent buck in an obvious funnel but in my experience they are hard to come by.


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