Funnels

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
Boogieman1
500 Club
Posts: 6589
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:18 pm
Status: Offline

Funnels

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:20 pm

I have read a lot of stuff on here about how non productive a funnel is and I just don't get it. It's got me so messed up I'm to the point of questioning if what I hunt is even a funnel. So this is just my take on what a funnel is and how I hunt them. In hopes someone can shine some light on how these are no Bueno and I'm the luckiest man alive.

I don't look for hour glass patches of timber connecting 2 wood lots infact most of the ones I hunt cannot be easily seen from a aerial. If I find a spot I consider a possible funnel and put a cam in it for the entire season and it reveals it got a lot of daylight traffic during a specific time during the rut and let's say the following year everything stays the same food sources etc..... Why would I not expect these deer to use there same natural movement pattern?
If I have a stand where 3 creeks come together and any bucks paralleling those creeks would be placed in my lap, so why would a buck swim across 3 creeks unless he was forced and knew the spot was being hunted.
Another one I have good luck with is when another hunter has a perm stand and is baiting somewhat close to a road. I know that buck wants to get as far downwind from that perm stand as he can, the road provides the funnel he's not gonna wanna get exposed to traffic, so u set up in the sweet spot.
I think a lot of people see poor results from funnels because they get ruined before they were ever ripe for the Pickens. Or the funnel looks good on paper but in reality there's no reason for the buck to use it in the first place. In a high pressured public situation all the obvious ones would be stomped all over and I can see being worthless. But there's hidden ones that produce year after year.


Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
-John Wayne-
User avatar
Tim H
500 Club
Posts: 2811
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:37 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090396597022
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby Tim H » Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:29 pm

Funnels are a good topic to discuss in depth because I could imagine many people viewing funnels as several different things. I think it's a term young hunters pic up early by hunters at deer camp.

When I've often heard the term looking at a topo map, someone will point out here's a funnel, oh and here's another one. I then think what makes you assume that a deer will only take that route? Just because it looks on a map that the features pinch together? I've seen deer walk and run in the least obvious places often. They don't always walk where you think they do, in fact they walk in a lot of places you least expect them.
User avatar
OH nontypical
500 Club
Posts: 823
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 1:32 am
Location: Northeast Ohio
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby OH nontypical » Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:48 pm

Funnels can be magical in hill country during the rut especially. I often hunt the tops of drainages that I find on maps then verify in person hunting. I have one that is always hot for about 5 days staring around Halloween.

I have had several nice bucks in this one funnel in the last 5 years and have killed one, missed one, and had the biggest walk with in-twenty yards while I was packing up to leave this November 5th. Sad part is it was still legal time but he saw me draw behind the tree and bugged out.

Point is if you find a good one they can produce year after year once the bucks get moving.

Just a side note this funnel is between two hillsides of thick bedding cover and one side has a very steep drop off allowing me to hunt it with the wind blowing at the deer but high enough that it goes out over them into the drainage.
User avatar
Lockdown
Moderator
Posts: 9957
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:16 pm
Location: MN
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:17 pm

Boogieman1 wrote:I have read a lot of stuff on here about how non productive a funnel is and I just don't get it. It's got me so messed up I'm to the point of questioning if what I hunt is even a funnel. So this is just my take on what a funnel is and how I hunt them. In hopes someone can shine some light on how these are no Bueno and I'm the luckiest man alive.

I don't look for hour glass patches of timber connecting 2 wood lots infact most of the ones I hunt cannot be easily seen from a aerial. If I find a spot I consider a possible funnel and put a cam in it for the entire season and it reveals it got a lot of daylight traffic during a specific time during the rut and let's say the following year everything stays the same food sources etc..... Why would I not expect these deer to use there same natural movement pattern?
If I have a stand where 3 creeks come together and any bucks paralleling those creeks would be placed in my lap, so why would a buck swim across 3 creeks unless he was forced and knew the spot was being hunted.
Another one I have good luck with is when another hunter has a perm stand and is baiting somewhat close to a road. I know that buck wants to get as far downwind from that perm stand as he can, the road provides the funnel he's not gonna wanna get exposed to traffic, so u set up in the sweet spot.
I think a lot of people see poor results from funnels because they get ruined before they were ever ripe for the Pickens. Or the funnel looks good on paper but in reality there's no reason for the buck to use it in the first place. In a high pressured public situation all the obvious ones would be stomped all over and I can see being worthless. But there's hidden ones that produce year after year.


This is the make or break. Pre-Beast I used to have funnels in the forefront of my mind when scouting. After joining the forum, I believe it was Singing Bridge who said "You can set up in the most beautiful looking funnel in the world, but if they don't have a reason to go through it you're wasting your time."

One good example of my poor funnel choices is where a cattail slew meets standing corn. They're obviously not going to walk out in the slew, and if they're heading from A to B, USUALLY they'll follow the corn edge and not wander through the middle. Especially if they have to go across the rows. I had a few great encounters over the years in this situation, and it got to the point where I looked for this situation constantly. Some sets worked great... others yielded nothing. Repeatedly. Back then my mind set was "something could come out of the corn anywhere, at any time." - And they can. But I was relying on pure luck in a low odds situation.

After reading Bridge's comment and thinking back to the successful sets, they all had one thing in common: the deer had a REASON to be on that corn edge and use that travel corridor. Be it nearby bedding or a hot food source.

My largest MN archery buck came from a terrain funnel... with bedding on both sides.
User avatar
checkerfred
500 Club
Posts: 1950
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2013 2:49 am
Location: Alabama
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby checkerfred » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:23 pm

To add, some funnels may only good for a short time. Also some may not have much sign. I think pressure effects how they use them too. If you can find subtle ones that not everyone sees from a map. Almost every half decent hunter can pick out saddles
User avatar
OH nontypical
500 Club
Posts: 823
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 1:32 am
Location: Northeast Ohio
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby OH nontypical » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:33 pm

checkerfred wrote:To add, some funnels may only good for a short time. Also some may not have much sign. I think pressure effects how they use them too. If you can find subtle ones that not everyone sees from a map. Almost every half decent hunter can pick out saddles


Checker Fred is correct. Key is you can’t over hunt them. They are usually rut based. The funnel described above is bedding, terrain, wind, and time of year specific. It’s also on private ground. I am one of only a few guys that hunt this ground and the others are my friends.
I also use a climber here and never hunt it until. Halloween. It’s fresh when I hunt it.
User avatar
JAK
500 Club
Posts: 1051
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 5:49 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby JAK » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:42 pm

I think what allot of the guys on hear mean is more times then not those big mature bucks arnt going to use those funnels like the younger deer will. I'm not saying funnels don't produce I've killed my fair share of good bucks in funnels. But there usually the ones most people over look and I've got some that are only good on really wet years and others that just produce every year.
User avatar
Tim H
500 Club
Posts: 2811
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:37 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090396597022
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby Tim H » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:49 pm

Another thing to consider on funnels is that in the event it's public land and everybody and their brother knows of a funnel that could be productive, many hunters may have already used the spot and either burnt it up or possibly ruined it. Also as it's been mentioned, the big mature bucks don't normally walk where are deer walk and that includes funnels.
User avatar
Boogieman1
500 Club
Posts: 6589
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:18 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 4:37 pm

I agree with all things mentioned, think I also call a lot of things funnels that might not be looked at that way. For instance a thermal tunnel tells me where most deer should travel putting them in a tighter spot and narrowing down where u set up. Another on when u bed hunt and are deciding where to set up for the evening and u notice the cover is just a lil thicker over here I call that a funnel. A lot of you guys are killing at 30 to 40 yards I'm not that good of a shot I need them close. It doesn't do me a whole lot of good to watch one run bye out of my life 50 yards away. I play odds a doe bedding area has greater odds of seeing deer then the funnel leading to it, however the funnel gives me greater odds overall of getting a short range shot off.
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
-John Wayne-
bwwma
Posts: 185
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 6:55 am
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby bwwma » Mon Jan 15, 2018 4:47 pm

I hunt public hill country and I agree with the op. Funnels do work. The obvious ones get pressure which make the mature deer avoid them. Human pressure often create funnels.
User avatar
elk yinzer
500 Club
Posts: 1229
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 5:39 am
Location: Central PA
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby elk yinzer » Tue Jan 16, 2018 1:12 am

I avoid the obvious funnels' the type that are pointed out in every other issue of field and stream. All of them have multiple treestands here. There are many places I hunt that I call funnels but are much more subtle. Minor terrain and vegetation changes that bottleneck deer into a travel route. Usually can't even tell by cyberscouting. Maybe it is a definition issue but those are great for me too.
Treasurer, United Bowhunters of PA
https://ubofpa.org/membership-3
User avatar
<DK>
500 Club
Posts: 4484
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 10:02 am
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:23 am

The "F" word... :shhh:
Redman232
Posts: 1251
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:20 am
Location: NE Indiana
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby Redman232 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:37 am

Boogieman1 wrote: u notice the cover is just a lil thicker over here I call that a funnel. A lot of you guys are killing at 30 to 40 yards I'm not that good of a shot I need them close. It doesn't do me a whole lot of good to watch one run bye out of my life 50 yards away. I play odds a doe bedding area has greater odds of seeing deer then the funnel leading to it, however the funnel gives me greater odds overall of getting a short range shot off.


I believe this is what separates those that have encounters and those that get kills consistently. I would say that 90% of the setups I use have some characteristic that funnels the deer movement into archery range, because I seek it out when choosing a tree to setup in. None of those setups would looks like a "magazine" funnel.
User avatar
PK_
500 Club
Posts: 6894
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:10 am
Location: Just Off
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby PK_ » Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:18 am

Secluded funnels in security cover close to bedding. You can hunt these any time of the year.

Bucks that have survived several hunting seasons will break those obvious funnels that see hunting pressure.
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
Hatchetman
Posts: 291
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2016 11:42 am
Location: Wi
Status: Offline

Re: Funnels

Unread postby Hatchetman » Tue Jan 16, 2018 6:31 am

In high pressure areas I've seen big bucks use them way differently than small bucks. Meaning they still use the funnel general area but will actually skirt quite aways down wind of the funnel itself even if it puts them out in the open. They seemed to not like getting too pinched down in certain spots in daylight.
I've also seen big bucks come right down the pipe but that's usually only when a hot doe is involved.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 85 guests