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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 8:51 PM | ||
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I watch shows and read a lot of hunting books getting ready for my first bow season. I hear talk about "pinch points" (Where deer travel). I will be hunting public land and want to know how you guys identify these points. In early spring I was going to try to hunt in between the feeding areas and the bedding areas. Trying to find where the deer feel comfortable and like to travel will be a challenge this year scoutning. Im looking for advice for the early fall bow. Please post your thoughts. Thanks. __________________ Back straps..It's whats for dinner.
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 9:00 PM | ||
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Start with some topo and aerial maps of the area you are going to hunt. Look for terrain features that will concentrate deer movement through narrow areas (funnels).
Then go walk those areas and look for trails and old rub lines. |
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 9:13 PM | ||
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So basicallty im looking for a brush line, fence line. Im guessing they like the path of least resistance, common sense i guess. __________________ Back straps..It's whats for dinner.
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 9:24 PM | ||
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path of least resistance is not always true. On State land you should often look for the thickest nastiest stuff. The stuff most hunters would not even dream of finding a deer in. Think about it can you quietly sneek in ? So a beded deer will hear you coming. As you scream from the sticker bushes __________________ ProStaffer Just because i said so....Stupid....I use to many items to list them all..Just ask me about them i am an Expert.. Honest i am
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 9:28 PM | ||
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My son shot his first 2 bucks at Hacklebarney State park only 75 yards from the parking lot. two years in a row from the same tree. The thicket was about 150 yards across. I scouted it out by following a trail on my hands and knees into this stuff. And dead smack in the middle i found a huge bedding area and rub line. Of course for weeks leading up to youth day i baited it at night while the deer were away. __________________ ProStaffer Just because i said so....Stupid....I use to many items to list them all..Just ask me about them i am an Expert.. Honest i am
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 9:31 PM | ||
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Hung the tree stands well in advance. My Son and i belly crawled in the dark while the deer were in the field across the street. As soon as it got light we were surrounded by deer. Funnels are a great way to start your scouting. but look for the nasty stuff on State land __________________ ProStaffer Just because i said so....Stupid....I use to many items to list them all..Just ask me about them i am an Expert.. Honest i am
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 9:36 PM | ||
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Quote:
look for the nasty stuff on State land Good advice. Looks like im going to be doing a lot of walking this summer.  __________________ Back straps..It's whats for dinner.
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 9:37 PM | ||
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No crawling with gloves on  __________________ ProStaffer Just because i said so....Stupid....I use to many items to list them all..Just ask me about them i am an Expert.. Honest i am
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2008 9:40 PM | ||
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I hunt in the Water Gap, and my stand site is very good. I have a saddle about 100 yards away, and I hunt in a break of rhododendrons. Over the years I've trimmed the vegitation back so I have shooting lanes where the deer are most likely to appear. I'm just below a ridge and a steep dropoff too, so it acts as a funnel when the deer are pressured. I also have oak trees around for food. I just got lucky and found a site where many good deer areas come together. It takes work, but through trial and error, you will find a good stand site. __________________ NRA Life Member
FMBA Local 42 |
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 5:50 AM | ||
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I absolutely love discussing this type of thing. Look for areas where forests change. IF you are a gun hunter one of the best ways to set up for shotgun season is to walk the property in the off season and figure out where the deer run when you bump them. These are their natural escape trails. I like to set up in a thick area on an escape trail. If you are bowhunting. Solid rublines often will tell the story. You usually will be able to locate them between food and water sources and bedding areas. Topo maps are excellent for locating natural funnels and pinch points. __________________ EAT SLEEP HUNT Make your dreams a reality. Take a kid hunting. Film your next hunt. www.nloutdoors.com
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 10:43 AM | ||
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On my farms, I hunt thin strips of timber that connect larger timber pieces and/or food plots or crop fields. Mature bucks will travel in the thinnest of hedge rows.
During the rut, I look for the same features, but between doe bedding. Public land is tough. Alot of the time they are just a chunk of woods, not a farm with hedge rows, fields and wood lots. So, identifying a funnel or pinch point can be tough. First thing first..find the destination. Be it a crop field, food plot, bait site, or acorn flat. Then work backwards, towards the deer. Like said above, terrain features are what you need to find, along with areas of heavy thicket. Deer wil travel along streams. Find a good stream or canal. Look for the stream crossing(s), usually at the swallowest water. Hunting along briar thickets is always a plus. If you have ridges or hallows, deer will travel the bottoms in the evening and tops in the morning, especially during the rut. cedar thickets are almost ALWAYS a funnel for mature deer. They will bed in or near them and work them thicket while enroute to feeding or does. If you have a really open patch of timber in your woods, look where the woods start to get thick again. Areas with alot of mature timber, sapligs AND undergrowth- mature deer feel safe in these areas. Quote:
These are their natural escape trails. I like to set up in a thick area on an escape trail. I'm not sure about that tactic, Bri. I understand the theory behind it, but wouldnt bet on that tactic, alone. Too many factors, including the direction and time that you walked in. The MAIN things you want to find would be destinations and bedding. Once you've located those, you can spot the funnels alot easier. __________________ When a gun-hunter sees the animal he wants- the hunts over. When a bow-hunter sees the animal he wants, the hunt is just begining !
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 11:10 AM | ||
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Escape trails over the years have been very productive for me. But as you know Droptine I am extremely conscious of my scent exit, entrance, and on stand thermals. Believe it or not I have killed alot of deer with the bow off of drives on state land during the winter bow season as well with this particular tactic. Full Draw do you have any cameras? They tend to help alot. Droptine 249 and I have cameras out 365 days in the year in various areas and they really help us pattern bucks. __________________ EAT SLEEP HUNT Make your dreams a reality. Take a kid hunting. Film your next hunt. www.nloutdoors.com
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 11:19 AM | ||
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Droptine 249 and I have cameras out 365 days in the year in various areas and they really help us pattern bucks. Yes...CAMERAS !! Funnels and pinch points can be "sensitive" areas for bucks. So walking through them just a few times may distrupt that area for a few weeks or months !! Scout it, locate the destinations, bedding, and when you find that one, secret little trail..Drop your camera. LEave it there year-round. You'll start to learn a TON about the buck(s) using that trail. Just remember, when you're hunting a mature buck, close to his bedroom, you usually wont see many or any deer in that area. I was hunting a nice buck last year. I never found his exact bed, but located the area and knew where he was traveling. While hunting HIM, I saw NO other deer. Even the deer tracts in teh area were all his, no others. So if you're not seeing deer, dont get discouraged, that might mean you've done your job. I ended up seeing him once out of this stand set..and he knew something was up. Once the rut rolled around, I moved to a different stand, because I knew alot about him, I knew where he would travel. I ended up getting a shot on him with my bow but my arrow smacked a limb. 140-150" buck, too. North Jersey has got it going on.. Hopefully he is still around. __________________ When a gun-hunter sees the animal he wants- the hunts over. When a bow-hunter sees the animal he wants, the hunt is just begining !
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 11:25 AM | ||
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Funnels and pinch points can be pretty much anything. I've found and successfully hunted the following: Narrow strips of woods between wood lots, narrow strips of land between swamps, narrow strips of land running parrallel to a road bordered by ridge, ridge lines, saddles in ridge lines where deer cross over.
There are countless examples-just look for some natural features that will tend to concentrate deer moving through the area __________________ Support the N.J.O.A. and the "Littel Amendment" An amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution that Guarantees the right to hunt, trap, and fish in New JerseyNew Jersey Outdoor Alliance
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 2:12 PM | ||
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First thing first..find the destination. Be it a crop field, food plot, bait site, or acorn flat. Then work backwards, towards the deer. Some recommend that you setup about 15 yard from the spot where yu expect the deer. But sometimes this is impossible. Quote:
Mature bucks will travel in the thinnest of hedge rows. Do deer usually travel along the hedgerows or within them? Or is this something that can be known without scouting? __________________ Back straps..It's whats for dinner.
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 2:20 PM | ||
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Mature bucks tend to stay within the hedgerows because it makes them feel safer. You should be able to tell if they are traveling the interior or exterior of the hedgerow by scouting. __________________ EAT SLEEP HUNT Make your dreams a reality. Take a kid hunting. Film your next hunt. www.nloutdoors.com
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 2:40 PM | ||
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Mature bucks tend to stay within the hedgerows because it makes them feel safer. You should be able to tell if they are traveling the interior or exterior of the hedgerow by scouting. Sounds good. Thanks __________________ Back straps..It's whats for dinner.
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 4:00 PM | ||
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Quote: I hunt a 700 acre farm in Andover. I've seen deer inside the hedge rows, and traveling along them--mostly traveling along the hedge rowsDo deer usually travel along the hedgerows or within them? __________________ Support the N.J.O.A. and the "Littel Amendment" An amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution that Guarantees the right to hunt, trap, and fish in New JerseyNew Jersey Outdoor Alliance
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2008 4:17 PM | ||
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Full Draw, Welcome To The wonderful World Of Bow Hunting, Not One Thing Better In The Whole World, Good Luck Full Draw, Don`t Forget, "PICK A SPOT" Don`t Shoot At The Deer, PICK A SPOT!!!!!
"71 DAYS" |
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| Posted: 03 Jul 2008 1:04 PM | ||
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Feeding areas are key in the early bow season..(Between feedding areas and bedding areas is good stand location) Picking mutiple stand locations I would think is key because of wind direction, but what else might be a reason to have another location (Other than your spot is taken!  Also what should be some of the reason to have a seperate stand location for morning and evening hunts. (Or is this just determined on how the deer are moving in my particular location. Thx__________________ Back straps..It's whats for dinner.
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| Posted: 03 Jul 2008 1:09 PM | ||
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Keep in mind were the sun rises and sets.Its sucks when
the suns in your eyes. |
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| Posted: 29 Aug 2008 8:41 AM | ||
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Earley Season is a little diffent when it comes to travel corridors as the bucks and does each have there own, the bucks give way to the doe and fawns earley in the season for the best food in the area at this time of year.
I dont hunt without using topos before I go in the woods. I try to find an area were 3 drainages come together and determine were the funnel for all 3 areas converge into a single area this is were I set up my perminate stand location then I determine relitivity to North East South West and I check the wind direction before entering the woods so I know how to enter the area. If the wind direction is bad I simple to go to that location. I also bait the area I started baiting the area in the first week of Aug. I do most of my scouting of an area in January after hunting season as there is less leaves and more tell signs as to what happened in the area during hunting season. |
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| Posted: 29 Aug 2008 10:38 AM | ||
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ive never used a topo map to show these can someone show an example????? __________________ J.A.F. Construction
All Phases Of Construction "From big to small we do it all" Steelpenguin@comcast.net |
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| Posted: 29 Aug 2008 10:59 AM | ||
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My pinch point in one location is a piece of land near some swamp area. It is more or less a peninsula of land and leading into it there are two ponds on both sides. My stand is more or less in the middle and I have a shot 20 yards to the right and 20 yards to the left. Deer have to move past this pinch point.
My funnel is on private land and there is a field up above me and a river down in a ravene. I hunt the backside of this field/slope and the deer funnel down the slope from the field above in order to get into an area they feel comfortable to cross the ravine/river below. I take my kids out for a winter hike a few days after a decent snowfall into my hunting areas. All I do is stand at a distance and scan the woods with my binocs or walk right in and see where all the tracks go. You start off by seeing some tracks here and some there...follow them in the snow. As you follow, you will see more tracks join and before you know it, you walk right into their funnel! |
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| Posted: 29 Aug 2008 12:09 PM | ||
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ive never used a topo map to show these can someone show an example????? Basically all I do is look for funnels. Find funnels, scout them out, usually find good bowhunting spots. Heres some rough sketches I threw together to give you an idea of what terrain funnels I look for on topo maps. 
Saddles and hubs are my favorite things to find in big hilly woods, like that of zone 6 and some other parts of Northern NJ. Benches and hillsides require understanding having a really good grasp of understanding wind directions, predominant, variable, constant, vaccums and thermals. Aerial maps, or a fine eye for detail and a good understanding of topo colorations and markings are required to see other funnels such as fencerows, field corners, etc. For example, you may see a red dashed line on a topo, running from one green shaded area to another green, through an unshaded area, and know there is a fenceline running from one set of woods, to another set, through a field. However, you dont know how wide, or what the woods and fields consist of until you either view an aerial photo, or set foot there. Once you find these features though, you still need to put the rubber to the ground and look around. So many subtle terrain variations are not shown on topo maps. One of my favorite saddles in Jefferson twp doesnt show up on a topo...Its too subtle, but the deer use it like crazy... hope this helps a little. __________________ "Only in dictionaries does SUCCESS come before WORK." -Alfred K. Henderson
Will probably never kill a huge buck- PRO-STAFF |
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| Posted: 29 Aug 2008 12:52 PM | ||
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Welcome to bow hunting, Full Draw.
To answer your question about multiple stand locations. Think about accessing your stand. In the morning, when deer are returning from their feeding area to rest, you want to make sure you do not cross their path. Therefore, you choose a stand location that in between. In the evening, you have to be careful not to hunt too close to their bedding area because you may "bump" them and force them to choose either a different feeding area or possibly come out late at night when you cannot hunt. Main point of multiple stand locations is so that you do not have to cross the deer's path to get to your stand - based on time of day. __________________ Muzzy - Bad to the Bone
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