Building Your Own Funnel?

[lpo1981]

Anybody you ever built your own funnel with fallen trees? Have a long finger ridge that runs the length of my property and the deer use the lower sides of it but it's steeper on one side so you can't feasibly cover it from one stand setup... Was thinking about falling a few trees and building a little makeshift funnel to force the deer to come closer to the top of the hill to get around it... Any thoughts or opinions?

 

[Okatoba]

Funnels...When I scout any new place, if I run across a fence that's still up out in the woods I generally wet my pants with glee! You can build funnels, esp. to move deer coming through low gaps to shelves. You can move them to your side of the gap for sure. Be careful you don't push them even lower on the side of that ridge,they are lazy and might take the easy route rather than climb.

 

[lpo1981]

Funnels...When I scout any new place, if I run across a fence that's still up out in the woods I generally wet my pants with glee! You can build funnels, esp. to move deer coming through low gaps to shelves. You can move them to your side of the gap for sure. Be careful you don't push them even lower on the side of that ridge,they are lazy and might take the easy route rather than climb.

It's a very steep ridge on that side with a small shelf they travel on. Problem is it's so narrow and steep that you can hunt it without sitting right on the shelf part of it they travel.. The only way down is where the water run off are between little finger ridges.. It's pretty much a rock bluff in most places..

 

[DaveB]

It will take more timber and effort than you might think.

I built a fence by dragging dead tree limbs until the fence was high and wide enough to cause the deer to go around. All they did is go back nearly to the spot where they would have crossed except for my fence. I need probably triple the linear feet to accomplish anything.

 

[Okatoba]

I'm not sure I understand? You are trying to drive them off that side of the ridge altogether and get them to travel the top of the ridge or the other side? Maybe think about this, IF THE WIND WILL LET YOU, hunt the ends of that little shelf (any point of a ridge with selves is a fantastic place to hang a treestand) or maybe block that shelf at one of those water run offs to get them up? After you block the shelf put a salt lick at the top of the way up to get them liking that route over the summer. They are lazy but they are like goats,there ain't no place in the woods they can't go if the want to. I asked my dad how high a deer can jump, he said "As high as he has to".

 

[lpo1981]

The only way I can hunt that particular shelf is with a south to south east wind... I had that particular part of the ridge clear cut 2 years ago and aside from getting on the ground I have the closest tree with a stand which is 70yds from the shelf.. I'm not trying to drive them off the ridge. Just make them travel a little further up the ridge about 20-30yds where I can see them from my stand... Not sure if I'm making sense... I'll see if i can come with a topo map and draw it out and post it..

 

[Okatoba]

Ok I see what you're trying to do. Is the area pretty thick? If so go back about 50-75 yards or so from where you want to see them and block the shelf good, like 10 yards below the shelf and the shelf and cut them a new trail beginning at the top of the blocked shelf with a chainsaw and cutters like you use to trim hedges. Cut them a good easy to walk path. Bring the new trail up to where you want them. If you make it the easy route from point A to point B they will start using it. I have that problem when we cut trails in thickets to get to ladder stands. The deer start using our trails. Bad but it's the way it is sometimes where we hunt. It's too late to do it this year but get in there in january or febuary and fix it.

 

[Hunt 365]

I've built one. It definitely works, and you get the added benefit of hinged trees for browse if you do it right. Try it!

 

[Hunt 365]

Generally, deer are like people when they'll take the path of least resistance, absence pressure

 

[duckriver]

We have bushhogged strips in crp fields and grown up hay fields from. Point A to point B and they walked right down the path instead of going through the thick stuff. I thought it was crazy when I first heard about it until we tried it