Funnels
 

can someone please tell me what exactly is a funnel
people keep telling hunt the funnels ? is this a depression in the land comming from a hill top? if not can someone explain this to me please im tired of spending days on end in the woods with with very few sightings
thank you for any and all help
John

As I understand it, a funnel is a narrowing of cover that force the deer through a relatively small area. For example, two large wooded areas could be connected with a narrow strip of woods. The deer would most likely travel through this strip. So you would then look for their most used trail. Some hunters create their own funnels on their own land by partially cutting trees to create obstructions (hinge cutting). See the page at http://www.qdma.com/articles/bottled-bucks for some aerial photos.

A funnel can be so many different things. I call it hunting the terrain because its not always a funneling effect. Its basically any feature in the terrain that concentrates travel. You also need to have something deer want on both sides of a funnel such as cover on one side and food on the other. One of my basic funnels is a steep hillside along a deep creek the hillside and creek run about 50 yards apart. On one of the creek bends it bends in towards the hillside and creates a funnel where they become 10-15 yards apart.

Another settle funnel I hunt is simply less aggressive slope coming out of a hollow.

Going around ravines, traveling saddles across fields etc

Definitely not just a depression coming from a hilltop. Deer would actually funnel away from something like that in some cases.

closest easiest walking point from A to B for a deer (ridgetops, saddles, benches, etc) look for deer trails, they get worn down over time and are easy to see.
RR

Funnels without trails is often where you will find the big boys in the daylight:wink:

Of course you may not see a deer for days at a time.

Bucks that walk heavy deer trails in the daylight don't get old very often.

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"!

Couple of funnels I hunt. One is a big cedar swamp that has a cranberry bog in the middle that meet but there is a finger that stick out to with in25 yards of the other part. The deer have a trail thru that finger that is 6 inches deep or more. The bucks travel it as they are in cover longer that way.
Another is two cranberry bogs with not much cover and wet yet there is a area that is higher ground with hard woods between them so the deer travel that area to keep their feet dry and also it has cover.


You can also find funnels on a top map from high ground to other high ground with a valley between the two. Look for the area where the valley isn't so deep or the hills are not as high.


:D Al

Thank you all for your help I appreciate it a lot
I was totally looking at it all wrong I'm going to
Be anticipating some better hunts thanks to everyone's input
And advice
Thanks again all
John

If you can show us an aerial we could probably really help you out.

I can't find the web site I used to use to download
Topo maps with out paying ? Soon as I do I will
Deff post.
Thanks