MY FAVORITE & MOST SUCCESSFUL "tactic" & "spot" in 30yrs of deer hunting is indeed that of finding & exploiting a great funnel! And barring no major changes in the area, a great funnel will be a great spot for YEARS to come.

A funnel is an area that via many conditions (water, open/thick areas, saddles in a ridge, a spot where a wood line narrows down, etc...) forces or constricts deer movement into a smaller or more predictable travel area.

Imagine a wood lot surrounded by fields. Now imagine that wood lot being in the shape of a "figure 8" when viewed from above. The FIRST & most predictable area to search for & expect great deer travel is in the smallest section or "middle" of that figure 8. That is a funnel.

Thus the name "funnel", if your wood lot/thicket is 50acres & narrows down on one end then the deer are forced down into that tighter/narrower area... Just like water poured into a funnel, it all runs together as it exits the narrow opening of that funnel.

I've even seen long fence lines become great funnels when a gate or small open section is placed in the right spot. There's millions more examples but you should get the idea now? Think "pinch points" & "narrowing them down"!