supaflav

I got the "Mapping Trophy Bucks" book and I think that it's a pretty good book, but it's kinda all related to midwest topography. So I'm finding it a bit difficult to identify some of the funnels, benches, etc. I just think it's really easy to see a funnel that is a small strip of woods that sits between 2 large crop fields. But down here, we have 1200 acres of timber company land that is planted pines and the only hardwoods are along the creeks & ditches. So alot of the places that look like a good travel route for the bucks are in short pines & you can only hunt some of it (from the ground). Any suggestions?

Jimimac

I don't know anything about the book, but the topography itself is pretty standard stuff regardless of area. You should be able to identify points, funnels, saddles, creek bottoms, etc., on pretty much any topo map.

davidmil

Hunt along the edges of the hardwoods and creeks. Edges are a funnell sort of speaking. Anyplace that restricts deer movement, ditches, creeks, ponds wide open fields will divert deer.Topos would seem pretty useless to me in a lot of the midwest. It's so flat that the countour lines would be non existant almost. The best contour finder/ pinch point finders'/funnell findersin such a case are binos, rubber time and feet.

Grasshopper13

Hey supaflav!

I have the book as well. Down here in SEMO, there's a lot of timber as well. Key in on saddles that allow a buck to quickly travel between doe bedding areas. It doesn't really even have to be much of a saddle...even a slight drop in elevation will make a funnel for deer. The wind is easier to play there too. I've foundthe hardest thing for me to find is my entry and exit route. Alot of times, I'll end up winding my way around to a saddle and will end up walking twice as far as if I just walked straight to it to avoid crossing deer trails.


GH

supaflav

Yeah grasshopper, it can get a bit tricky. I think that there's alot of good information in the book. The difference between an average hunter and a great hunter IMO, is details. The great hunters are the ones that do their homework and pay attention to the smallest of details. I'm just trying to take my hunting skills to the next level. And as far as hunting the wind....I don't really think that applies down here too much. With all the planted pines & clearcuts we have down here, there is no was to know which way that the deer will come from. It's just a different animal. I'm not saying that it's any harder....just different. And I see that you're from SEMO. Are you anywhere near Carrolton?

Grasshopper13

I'm not sure where Carrolton is, but I live and hunt around Poplar Bluff in butler county.

I think I understand what you're saying about the pines and clear cuts, but if you can find a saddle, you should be able to narrow it down which way the deer will approach. You can also use the thermals to help you on a morning hunt. If a ridge runs say roughly north and south, and you can find a narrow saddle in it, then your deer will walk 99.9% of the time either from east to west or west to east. If you can find a tree suitable for a stand on the north and south ends of the saddle, you have a great set up for a morning hunt. On a cold morning, the thermals will cause your scent to rise and go in the direction of the wind......so even in a less than stellar wind direction, you can still hunt there undetected for probably 3 hours or so. That's the great thing about hunting from a stand in a saddle...you get your scent up higher and then the thermals carry it higher. Don't discount the wind....and don't believe the scent lok motto either. Deer can and will smell ou if they are downwind.

Good luck man!


GH

gri22ly

Maybe GMMAT cantake a look at it for you. He's very good at reading them, he can find the funnels and feature's you need to focus on.

supaflav

I might ask if he can take a look at it for me, just to see if we are seeing the same things. I'll have to figure out how to post the picture 1st.

GMMAT

Gimme a break, Gri22....lol.

If you'll postyour topo....Gri22 can tell you where THE trails are. It's uncanny how good he is at these. I shot my buck yesterday on a trail Josh (Gri22) found on a topo for me months ago. With the leaf drop....it wasn't visible until now. That doesn't mean they haven't been using it all season.

davidmil

You got to remember when using these topo maps and satellite images. MANY of them are decades old. Very few are yesterday. When I was down south last week my nephew and I had taken a drive to get some gas. We decided to cut cross country. I got us there, but we almost ended up in a real fix when we got on a road that wasn't there. Good thing we backed off or we'd have ended up in a creek after sliding down a hill. If you're seeing deer trails on a topo.... it's a satellite image.[8D] Probably made yesterday,[8D] You narrow the search with topos, but you still have to do some leg work to get it right usually.

Jeff, do you really use and really need a topo to find that magical hidden trail in a 20 acre wood lot shared by dogs, does, gun hunters and bucks. LOL[8D] Hell, take two steps forward and survey the property.