Food or funnels.

[Iglow]

Me and a buddy are texting, I'm in one of our ladders that is killer during the rut but I told him there's really no reason for a deer to be here now. This time of year it's about food and funnels. Find the acorns and you'll find the deer, find a hole in a fence, a low gap, a bridge strip of woods leading to the acorns and you'll see deer.
Agree or disagree?

 

[quackaholic]

Where I am hunting right now, food is everywhere. So ideally you would find hardest hit source and then a funnel leading into that source from bedding areas. A converging hub would even be better.

 

[bigtex]

I agree 100%! Find a funnel with food and your good to go.

 

[deerhunter10]

It's about those things the entire year. The rut and deer running randomly sometimes makes it seem like those things don't matter at much. Funnels are good all year, food is good all year. Deer just aren't generally traveling as much to get to food especially with acorns falling this Is the reason we don't hunt early season. Hard to get where you need to without blowing out spots.

 

[recurve60#]

Food at the moment, funnels in the near future.

 

[Tn_Va_Hunter]

A funnel full of food ?

 

[backyardtndeer]

Still a lot of beans in around us, deer really are not using my property much yet. Without preferred food, a funnel right now, unless it's going to food or bedding isn't probably going to be very effective.

 

[Ski]

Depends on what you're after. If you want does then hunt the food. If you want an older buck then hunt as close to his bed as you can and hope he moves before dark.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

I tend to hunt funnels. They are more dependable, for me at least.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Food at the moment, funnels in the near future.

Agreed.

If you have a lot of food, hunt funnels. If you have limited food, hunt food. We have limited food (basically just some red oaks). What I saw over the weekend - hunt where you find the squirrels. They've done your scouting for you. You just have to be downwind of that

 

[BSK]

I don't bow hunt anymore, but when I did, I preferred funnels very near food at this time of year.

 

[Iglow]

I tend to hunt funnels. They are more dependable, for me at least.

Me too. If you get busted in a tree right on top of acorns or persimmons those deer will be circling down wind next time I bet.

 

[Acorn]

Funnels with acorns or persimmons right now. Hunt food right now.

 

[BSK]

Funnels with acorns or persimmons right now. Hunt food right now.

If you have acorns or persimmons, which we don't.

 

[Iglow]

If you have acorns or persimmons, which we don't.

Last year you could put your hand down randomly anywhere in the woods and there would be 5 acorns under it, me and a friend were talking about the acorn crop and agreed it was the most we'd ever see in our lifetimes, (I'm 62 and he's 79) he said his cows were not great by September last year but put on a ton of weight once they got on the acorns.
This year they are scarce everywhere I've looked.

 

[Brokenbow]

Hunted a funnel/staging area between two food sources yesterday evening. Tons of fresh sign, scrapes, scat, tracks. I got caught up in the amount of sign. Didn't see a thing. Should have done what I normally do this time of year. Push in close to bedding. I think this was nighttime sign.

 

[Iglow]

Hunted a funnel/staging area between two food sources yesterday evening. Tons of fresh sign, scrapes, scat, tracks. I got caught up in the amount of sign. Didn't see a thing. Should have done what I normally do this time of year. Push in close to bedding. I think this was nighttime sign.

I think after about Nov 1 about 3/4 of the sign found is night time unless you've got a bunch of land that ain't pressured.

 

[BSK]

I think after about Nov 1 about 3/4 of the sign found is night time unless you've got a bunch of land that ain't pressured.

Much depends on where it's located. I've been keeping track (with trail-cameras) of activity at scrapes for years, and one of the things I've been analyzing is what percent of visits by bucks are during legal hunting hours versus at night. When looking at scrape visits by older bucks (2 1/2+) for field-edge scrapes versus those "back in the woods" (isolated scrapes or those along old logging roads), the percent of visits in daylight stays fairly stable across the three primary months of the season (Oct, Nov, and Dec) for "back in the woods" scrapes. However, for scrapes along field-edges, daylight visits rapidly decline as the season wears on. Again, for visits only by older bucks, field-edge scrapes visits start out at 30% in daylight during October, but decline to 22% daylight in November, and fall to 12% daylight in December. The percentages for daylight visits for "back in the woods" scrapes are Oct 32%, Nov 33%, Dec 29%.

 

[Brokenbow]

Much depends on where it's located. I've been keeping track (with trail-cameras) of activity at scrapes for years, and one of the things I've been analyzing is what percent of visits by bucks are during legal hunting hours versus at night. When looking at scrape visits by older bucks (2 1/2+) for field-edge scrapes versus those "back in the woods" (isolated scrapes or those along old logging roads), the percent of visits in daylight stays fairly stable across the three primary months of the season (Oct, Nov, and Dec) for "back in the woods" scrapes. However, for scrapes along field-edges, daylight visits rapidly decline as the season wears on. Again, for visits only by older bucks, field-edge scrapes visits start out at 30% in daylight during October, but decline to 22% daylight in November, and fall to 12% daylight in December. The percentages for daylight visits for "back in the woods" scrapes are Oct 32%, Nov 33%, Dec 29%.

Great info! This is public land definitely gets pressure. I've had the best luck in these cases moving in deeper but the amount of sign got me. Should have known better.

 

[BSK]

Great info! This is public land definitely gets pressure. I've had the best luck in these cases moving in deeper but the amount of sign got me. Should have known better.

Hot sign is like porn for hunters. We can't look away!

 

[Ski]

Much depends on where it's located.

That really can't be overstated. Each location is so unique with its own specific "hot" times. Here in TN I hunt two farms that are only 10mi apart but the timing is nowhere near similar. One gets hot early to mid November. The other gets hot around beginning of December. Baffles me. I suppose it probably has more to do with site specific does' estrus cycles than anything.

 

[deerhunter10]

That really can't be overstated. Each location is so unique with its own specific "hot" times. Here in TN I hunt two farms that are only 10mi apart but the timing is nowhere near similar. One gets hot early to mid November. The other gets hot around beginning of December. Baffles me. I suppose it probably has more to do with site specific does' estrus cycles than anything.

Our two main farms are 40 minutes apart opposite sides of the county. And it's crazy the difference in them. It's also funny how big weather fronts makes them the same.

 

[lafn96]

That really can't be overstated. Each location is so unique with its own specific "hot" times. Here in TN I hunt two farms that are only 10mi apart but the timing is nowhere near similar. One gets hot early to mid November. The other gets hot around beginning of December. Baffles me. I suppose it probably has more to do with site specific does' estrus cycles than anything.

Whether you prefer hunting pre, during, or post rut; that's doubling your preferred hunting season. Wish I had that problem

 

[ImThere]

Hunted a funnel/staging area between two food sources yesterday evening. Tons of fresh sign, scrapes, scat, tracks. I got caught up in the amount of sign. Didn't see a thing. Should have done what I normally do this time of year. Push in close to bedding. I think this was nighttime sign.

Sounds like you were at the destination which is a lot of time after dark. Where they spend a lot of time.
Funnels before food.
Close to the bed or you won't see the head (gear) lol

 

[BSK]

That really can't be overstated. Each location is so unique with its own specific "hot" times. Here in TN I hunt two farms that are only 10mi apart but the timing is nowhere near similar. One gets hot early to mid November. The other gets hot around beginning of December. Baffles me. I suppose it probably has more to do with site specific does' estrus cycles than anything.

Bullseye!

Shocks me how different peak rutting activity can be on two properties just a few miles apart. I'm sure it has to do with genetic estrus timing in doe family groups, but peak breeding on my property is easily a week to 10 days earlier than on surrounding areas, even properties almost directly adjacent.

 

[Bone Collector]

Me and a buddy are texting, I'm in one of our ladders that is killer during the rut but I told him there's really no reason for a deer to be here now. This time of year it's about food and funnels. Find the acorns and you'll find the deer, find a hole in a fence, a low gap, a bridge strip of woods leading to the acorns and you'll see deer.
Agree or disagree?

I agree to an extent. If you find acorns you will usually find the deer, but when lots are falling you not only have to find acorns, you have to find the ones they are eating. I sat Sunday morning red and white acorns falling and saw 0 deer.

funnels work anytime having a food source near one will increase your odds for sure.

 

[Brokenbow]

Sounds like you were at the destination which is a lot of time after dark. Where they spend a lot of time.
Funnels before food.
Close to the bed or you won't see the head (gear) lol

Tonight I sucked up tight to bedding cover. Rubs and trails leading in and out of cover. Tons of sign. No deer. So don't listen to me I'm just wandering around in the woods.

 

[BSK]

Tonight I sucked up tight to bedding cover. Rubs and trails leading in and out of cover. Tons of sign. No deer. So don't listen to me I'm just wandering around in the woods.

Don't worry. We've all been there!

 

[deerhunter10]

Tonight I sucked up tight to bedding cover. Rubs and trails leading in and out of cover. Tons of sign. No deer. So don't listen to me I'm just wandering around in the woods.

Lol the amount of times deer make me look like an idiot is a giant number.

 

[BSK]

Lol the amount of times deer make me look like an idiot is a giant number.

Let's see, I've been hunting deer for 45 years, and deer have been making me look like an idiot for about 45 of those 45 years.