Finding funnels

[thepennsylvanian]

I like to find a funnel within a funnel.

I killed my first public land P&Y 10 years ago on a double funnel. I was hunting pre rut outside of a tight river bend that brought the deer closer to the water. A ditch consolidated all the deer movement down even farther.

These type of spots are how a lot of 3.5 year olds and younger are killed every year with archery equipment. Mature bucks are to smart to walk through these spots. That’s why you have to find those primary bedding areas in the off season.

So given that my target is a 3.5 yo I might be going the right direction looking for these areas? The public I hunt just doesn't the quality of deer that the Midwest guys target so I'm setting my sights on these two really nice 2.5-3.5 yo bucks that I've got a bunch of times in an area simalar to a double funnel you described.

[Bonehead]

I like to find a funnel within a funnel.

I killed my first public land P&Y 10 years ago on a double funnel. I was hunting pre rut outside of a tight river bend that brought the deer closer to the water. A ditch consolidated all the deer movement down even farther.

These type of spots are how a lot of 3.5 year olds and younger are killed every year with archery equipment. Mature bucks are to smart to walk through these spots. That’s why you have to find those primary bedding areas in the off season.

So given that my target is a 3.5 yo I might be going the right direction looking for these areas? The public I hunt just doesn't the quality of deer that the Midwest guys target so I'm setting my sights on these two really nice 2.5-3.5 yo bucks that I've got a bunch of times in an area simalar to a double funnel you described.

2.5-3.5 sure will use a funnel during the rut, at least where I hunt.
Finding these funnels between bedding areas and hunting them during the rut will be your best tactic for the target age buck your after.

Have you scouted this area and know where the bedding is? If not, cyber scout for suspected bedding. Then cyber scout for your pinch or funnel in between different bedding areas, or suspected bedding areas. A buck is usually going to travel downwind of bedding, so set up accordingly.
Also a cruising buck will also travel perpendicular to doe trails running in and out of bedding. Look in the tactical threads, or the hunting public on YT to get a idea of what to look for and how to set up on these kind of spots.
Like a lot of guys have allready mentioned, a funnel can be drastically different from each other, based on terrain features, vegetation, water ect.

[Bonehead]

I really thought finding a true funnels would be easier. Areas that I thought we're for sure funneling deer.....aren't. So my question is this, how have you guys seen deer move through "funnels" during the rut? Will bucks tend to stick to cover at all costs during daylight or are they moving where they know they'll be concealed? I'm really just learning this stuff so it's hard for me to recognize what would have potential and what wouldn't.

I highly recommend the book “Mapping trophy whitetails”. Best book out there on this subject.

[Brandonkinchen]

The textbook magazine funnel is usually a pinch point of a narrow strip of woods between two fields. I don't hunt those.

Really it is a very broad term that maybe we need to quit using. A funnel can be a lot of things. A strip of thick brush through more open woods. A bench or saddle can be a funnel. Some other terrain features. Where two types of edge cover converge.

I don't really seek them out in a sense, but a lot if my great spots are indeed funnels.

And yes, mature bucks most always stick to heavy cover on pressured ground. That rule takes priority over all others, imo.