no I am serious, I really don't know, wasn't trying to be smart or anything. I have never heard of a bottleneck. Sorry bro.

Yea, I was gonna say, damn Mobo, who peed in your cheerios? He really did'nt know what you were referring to and was describing his spot for you. Anyways, picture a traffic bottleneck on the road, but instead it's a bottleneck of woods. The deer are forced through a more narrow area, trying to stay concealed and bam, there you are waiting for them.

so kind of like there is a thicket through the woods and then a clear path, and that path is the bottleneck?

Gentlemen, my apologies. I misunderstood, and am embarrassed by my reaction.

A bottleneck is also referred to as a funnel. This is any terrain feature that limits the travel of the deer. For instance:

Say you have 2 large wooded areas joined together by a narrow strip of woods. This narrow strip would be a funnel. If the deer want to go from one area to the other they must travel through this strip. The corner you refer to is a funnel as well. Deer will cut the inside corners of these fields to make a shorter travel path. The path through the thicket you described could also be a funnel. If you have a fencerow, and there is a low spot in the fence, or better yet, an open gate....funnel.

Say you have a ridge, and perpindicular to this ridge is a deep gulley that runs to the top of the ridge. Now, especially if the top of that gulley is at a field edge, that's a great funnel.

Am I making sense? You can also do a google search and find lots of articles.

Again, please forgive me for my earlier response. I have no excuse.

Think of a bottleneck beeing a funnel something that forced these animals into smaller strech weather it is man made or natural a road a cliff a pond brush pile a field a farm. Find the funnel and hunt there when the wind is right not every day!

This is how I think of it, and it's pretty simplistic. When I used to hear about "funnels", I instantly related that term to open areas between the thick stuff. I've learned that it's exactly the opposite. Look for those strips of thick stuff between open areas. Or, look for a saddle (low place) between two ridges. Deer will almost always go low instead of exposing themselves higher up. It's trite, but focus on edges of cover. Those old bucks will often get in amongst the thickest, nastiest stuff they can find, and catching them coming or going is the best bet. Lots of times, the lay of the land will tell you how the deer will travel. Hope some of that helps. Good luck!

ok I get it now........I think, wow, there is alot more to hunting than just going to the stand and waiting. I thought I had done something when I hunted all day for the first time. LOL.


Not a problem mobo, I think its very easy to take someone the wrong way online.

Hey, hunting all day for the first time is a big deal! Now just think about all of the things that you will get the chance to learn. For me, that's one of the best parts of hunting. If you pay attention, you'll learn something every time you get out there. Don't focus on the fact that deer aren't running you over. Take the opportunities when nothing is happening to look around. Observe the critters. Look at your surroundings and try to figure how to enhance your set-up. Most important, enjoy the time that you get to spend out there.

I have been hunting White tail for 24 years and 22 with a bow. Trust me ya learn something new every year! As long as you are willing to accept it!

When I first started hunting, I knew next to nothing about deer, and I would basically pick a place and hope the deer came by me. I never thoughtabout scouting, orfood plots,or wind direction, but once I started paying attention tothe details,I began tosee more deer.And I don't care who ya are, when you're seeing more deer, you're having more fun.