Finding Funnels
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brian from KY asks:I watch the show all the time and think it is great. I live in southeast Kentucky in the mountains and hunt ridge tops and hills over looking benches on the sides of hills wanted to know of any suggestion you have on hunting this terrain i have been hunting about 20 years and the biggest deer i have killed was a 6 pointer with my bow 15 years ago witch was my first bow kill. Also i hunt my own property and my friends which connect - ends up being 150 to 200 acres. Any suggestions would help.Winke Responds:Brian, Thanks for your support. It is tough to generalize on something as complicated as where to place a stand, but I will take a cut at it. I would focus on funnels anywhere you can find them. They may be a ditch that deer have to go around, the spot where the ridge narrows down, a creek crossing, maybe a saddle where the deer cross the ridge. Also, there should be heavy trails on the benches but they are hard to hunt because of swirling winds. If you wait until the wind stops and hunt them on falling thermals you have a chance (that would be early morning or late evening). If you are in the shadowed side of the valley the thermals will fall longer into the day and start falling sooner in the evening. A few small food plots (1/2 acre max) would really give you an edge. Keep them up on the ridges so the wind is predictable. Good luck. (10-26-11)
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wade from LA asks:You mention you love to hunt the upper end of ditches. What do you mean by a ditch ? Can you show or diagram what you are referring to ? Is it a gulley in the landscape with thick cover,briars etc running its length ? Congratulations on the best whitetail show out there,I look forward to each show and have learned much. It is nice to see a show that most hunters can relate to as opposed to the "ranch" pay experience.Great job!Winke Responds:Wade, Thanks for your support. Actually, I am referring to erosion ditches. In most farm country where there is rolling terrain, there are places where the rain runs off the ridges and ridge fields. These start as shallow depressions but some grow to be very intimidating ditches before they reach the valley below. I like hunting the top where the ditch banks are gradual and the deer can get across/around them easily. It is a good funnel that also has a built in exit/entry route (the bottom of the ditch). You may not have this exact terrain feature in LA, but as you elluded, any kind of obstruction the deer are reluctant to cross will have the same funneling affect. Good luck.
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Scott from MI asks:A number of times I have read an article where you mentioned a bluff as a funnel. How would you scout and set up a bluff as a funnel?Winke Responds:Scott, They are pretty easy because the deer tend to travel right along the edge of the bluff because they can't use the sidehill itself so they must funnel either up or down. I hunt the top edge because the wind is steadier. I then climb the bluff from below to reach the stand. If it is too steep, climb at the first stretch that is gradual enough to permit climbing. Then hunt it when the wind is blowing your scent out off the top of the bluff. It is a classic "no brainer" stand site.
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chris from MO asks:i have axcess to 4000 acers at my work problem is it is all hard timber. there are no crops around. what would be the best place to hunt?Winke Responds:Chris, You need to figure out what they are eating - probably acorns right now. If you find the food you find the deer. Then I would spend my time hunting funnels created by the terrain (ditch crossings, creek crossings, bluff edges, saddles, etc.) in those areas that have the most food and then just put in your time. The rut should pull the bucks past your stands.
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Kris from KY asks:Bill love the shows.. This question may seem stupid and I do relize you may not be able to answer it without seeing the ground itself, but my question has to do with hills giant hills. We often stay away from the back of our farm due to the massive hills. These hills are so big its easier to slide down. So I often wonder if thats where the deer go when they are pressured so I guess my question is what hill is to big. Do deer climb hills or do they prefer to stay on the tops.Winke Responds:Kris, They absolutely climb them. I grew up hunting the bluffs of NE Iowa along the Mississippi River and that is some of the most rugged country this side of Colorado - Surprisingly. They call it "Little Switzerland". Anyway, they live on stuff that you can barely walk on. I have climbed those things and had to literally pull myself along from tree to tree and then I cross a deer trail, crazy. So yes, they will definitely live there.
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Tracy from IA asks:I actually have two questions, one of the properties I hunt doesn't have much timber, but it is situated in between two large chunks of it, and there's a fenceline connecting them, do you think the fenceline would be a good place to hunt even though it doesn't have a lot of cover, and they have to cross a gravel road on one side? Also another place I can hunt has a fairly thick tree line running down from the ridges across the crop fields to a fairly major(50 yards wide on average)river. The deer do have crossings on the river there, but do you think they would cross in daylight, at least in the rut? And would they cross this big a river enough to put a stand there at all? Thank you very much. TracyWinke Responds:Tracy, Absolutely. I would rather hunt the fence line than the timber because you can get in and out of there so easily without alerting any deer. That is a prime spot - the gravel road is just an inconvenience. You can double check your choice by looking for tracks in the soft shoulder of the road toward mid to late October and you will know if the bucks are using it, but I would sure think they will be. I like the river crossing too - or at least a stand near that spot. It serves as a funnel and any funnel is good. If the area is not too heavily hunted, bucks will travel through the crossing regularly during the rut. Ideally, the crossing would be between a bedding and feeding area or between two bedding areas used by does to give the bucks a reason to cross it. If I had to hedge my bet on that one, I would stick to the side with the most cover or at least the nearest cover and that way you can catch them on other patterns (like traveling along the river) as well.
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Mitch from MO asks:Hey Bill, this next fall I'm going to be attending college in Springfield, MO. Id like to do some hunting down there, but i understand that it will be completely different than northern missouri where I call home. Any information about what i can expect to see as far as the quality of deer would be greatly appreciated. As well as any strategies on how to hunt the large ozark timbers.Winke Responds:Mitch, I have some friends who hunt southern MO every year. They tell me that the buck size is noteably smaller. Look for a 130 to be a really good buck in most places. Yes, they still shoot 150-180 class deer, but not as often as in N. MO where the genetics are different. As for strategies, if you can find crops in that area (or plant of small food plot) you will draw a lot of deer. Otherwise, you must focus on hunting natural food sources such as oaks dropping acorns and looking for funnels formed by the terrain (ditches, creek crossings, benches, saddles, etc.) and man-made obstacles such as fences and gates that would also serve to funnel the deer. Every farm is different, so it hard for me to make too many specific suggestions, but if you find the food you find the deer, so start there.
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John from PA asks:Hey Bill, keep up the hard work with this site, it rocks - very helpful. I do have some newbie questions for you. I've read and heard people mention about looking for "Inside Corners". I assume they are talking about a specific feature of a woodlot but I am not sure. Can you be more specific please. Also, I've also heard alot mentioned about finding doe bedding / core areas. Around the limited area here where I am allowed to hunt, deer are very pressured even in the early archery season and seem to travel around between a few farms in my area. How is it possible to increase my odds of finding a sucessful area to place stands?? Thanks for any info / tips you can provide.Winke Responds:John, Thanks for your support. I apprciate it. An inside corner is a cover feature. When one end of a square field is surrounded by trees you have two inside corners in the field where the deer will converge as they travel around the field. Anytime you have a corner of a field that cuts back into the timber you have an inside corner and a potential ambush site. Your second question is a tough one. I would look for any place where the deer are safe, sanctuaries, and then hunt near them. If there are none, you have to look for low spots in the terrain, and thick areas of cover, where a traveling buck might feel safer. I know that is vague, but without a lot more information, it is hard to offer specific advice. Think about it in terms like this: how would you travel through your hunting area if you were trying not to be seen. That is probably how the deer are doing it. They may be nocturnal. I don't have much help in that case, other than trying a few soft pushes (subtle deer drives). They can even work with a bow when nothing else will.
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Tim from MS asks:Bill, My question is I am originally from Illinois and have been station in Gulfport Missisippi for the last eight years, and the hunting is totally different down here i can not seem to get close or sometimes see deer around here. In Illinois they are patternable but down here i can not seem to get a break. could you help me figure a way to get a southern deer. Thank you for your timeWinke Responds:Tim, I have hunted MS several times. The best hunts I had in that area were always around food sources. Typically, you have to find the persimmon and oaks that are dropping and hunt close to these. Other than that, I have hunted green fields a few times, but not with great success. The morning hunts are tough if you are not near a mast bearing tree. You may be able to find a few creek crossings or ditch crossings, but the country is fairly level. Also, look for places where a couple of sloughs come close to each other where the deer have to funnel. Compared to what we have here in the Midwest, it is definitely tough hunting - especially with a bow. Good luck. Bill
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Caleb from IA asks:Hi Bill, First of all - I really enjoy your show, website and articles. Very nice work overall, keep it up! My question is related to choosing the right spot for a tree stand. I have access to a lot of farm land in south central Iowa, but don't know exactly where to place the stand. There are almost too many spots to choose from! What steps should I take to maximize my big buck harvest prior to hanging my stand? Thanks Bill, CalebWinke Responds:Caleb, Without a doubt, the most important thing you can use to narrow your stand sites down to just the best ones, is to look for those that you can get to and from without alerting deer. I have hundreds of potential sites in the areas I hunt too, but end up hunting about a dozen or 15 most seasons. The reason is because those stands are ones I can hunt without educating dere. If the deer know you are there they won't come past and if they know you were there, they will be less likely to come past in the future too. I focus on creeks and ditches as my access routes whenever possible. That works very well, but there are other things you can do too. Keep an open mind, be creative because the route you take to and from the stand is actually more important than the exact location of your stand. Good luck. Bill
