culverts/trestles/overpasses

[wmihunter]

I posted this is the deer hunting forum as well. anyway, i mostly hunt public so...I was wondering how often big bucks used trestles, culverts and the like to walk under roadways, rr tracks etc. I have always had a hunch about this and wanted to hang a trail camera near one that I suspected deer traffic. I wonder how often they walk in the creeks and thus there are no trails in these spots. I have heard of animals out west using them and the govt putting them in under/over freeways to save vehicle animal crashes. I have also heard of reports of deer using large culverts to go under freeways here in MI.
I have several potential spots picked out-i need to do a little scouting to see if they are legitimate. Hunting near culverts/overpasses etc would allow easy road side hunting:) and/or little ground scent left-a key to being able to hunt a spot repeatedly

[Singing Bridge]

These types of areas are legitimate funnels, but keep in mind it is VERY easy for other hunters to mess them up.

Ask yourself if the buck could use it to escape from high pressure to an area of lower hunting pressure when gun season opens, for example. Also ask yourself if the woods in this area consistently is capable of producing bucks of the age and size you are hoping for.

I have a large culvert that passes underneath a major highway close to home, and one side of it was public land and the other private. A hunter on the private side shot quite a few bucks escaping the high pressure public... until the public guys figured it out and cut him off. The bucks he shot were splashing through the water inside the giant culvert to get to him.

[Wrinkleneck]

I have often wondered the same thing. Great topic.

[virginiashadow]

I scouted a particular spot of public land 2 years ago, extensively. I was set to hunt it last year but the entire area closed to some construction on the military base. Take a look at these maps....I just have a weird feeling that I could catch something moving and out of the no hunting area at the right time. Timing would be everything though. I could just imagine bucks moving through this area to check the doe bedding areas.

[Singing Bridge]

I could catch something moving and out of the no hunting area at the right time. Timing would be everything though.

Some interesting areas there, VS- it would be fairly simple to set up on based on current weather conditions for the day. I'd still worry about other hunters messing it up (I spend a lot of time in high pressure areas) and try to hit it on a weekday if I thought I could pull it off.

[virginiashadow]

SB--that area will not receive a lot of pressure until gun season kicks off in mid-November. The area was closed last year so I bet a bunch of 2.5 and 3.5 year olds survived in the area and have gotten that much bigger. To the northeast of the overpass there are some long north south points with a good deal of buck sign around them in the thicker areas. I might give it a go a couple of times in mid-October.

[publiclandhunter]

We travel through Duluth/Superior Minnesota and I oftentimes would see bucks in areas where they have to use the funnels under the overpass to travel through there. I haven't used them, but imagine that city-bucks wouldn't know the difference and use whatever is the path of least resistance, yet provides them safety cover.

Let us know after you check a few out as to what you find there.

PLH