Hunting Terrain Features

[Grandslam11]

Up until this year, I have never (confidently) intentionally hunted a terrain feature. Up until about 2 years ago I couldn't even tell you a funnel was. Looking back now, I have been set up on appealing terrain features but only because I have found sign there, not knowing the significance of how the land was laid out. Leaving disappointed more times that none, I am hoping to turn things around this year using topo maps and feet on the ground scouting. I have had a ladder stand on the best funnel on my property for 2 years and have hunted it one time (not seeing anything). Every time I go, I end up hunting a oak flat that has tons of acorns. Not my hunting land is very steep and is a CHORE to hunt, so I always have felt like the acorns would be my best bet.

Last year toward the end of the season I put a trail cam out ,in the funnel, just randomly over and opening and had more daytime pics of different bucks that I have never seen. That has given me more courage to hunt that spot this year than ever.

To the point to this thread. How does one train himself to be patient (hunting a funnel) knowing there is a big oak flat a few hundred yards away with more food than imaginable? The other thread got me to thinking, since nearly everyone there hunted terrain features vs sign.

Any input is appreciate. Please don't bash or call ignorance. I am a newer to this idea and continue to gain knowledge and confidence from this website. Thanks.

 

[Land Between the Lakes]

Those bucks will use terrain features to travel during the rut. I look at them like highways and interstates people use to travel, they are great travel routes. I have a good spot where a thick creek bottom is about 100 yards east of me, a thicket is about 50 yards west of me, and I am in the middle on a ridge that runs north/south. About 35 yards to my north is another ridge, that runs east/west. Where my ridge, and the other ridge meet, forms a perfect travel route for deer moving in all directions. That's the type of spots I try to find.

As for patience, it all just depends on the deer numbers in the area your at. The places I hunt, are mostly quality over quantity. I know I may sit one day and never see a single deer, but then on another day a nice buck may walk right through my area using a terrain feature, especially during the rut!

 

[Grandslam11]

This particular funnel and property for that matter for the past two years has not had a single rub that I can find. I know the deer are there because I have their picture, it is just hard to hunt with no sign.

 

[muddyboots]

Most big deer I kill are not around all the sign. I had a buddy who was good tellme every year hunt travel routes. That's all I hunt now.

 

[dburt]

I'm moving toward terrain hunting from sign hunting myself. There's another great recent thread on this with lots of info as well:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=337186&hilit=terrain+sign

I get that it's tough to NOT hunt places that have sign all over the place. And if you have good evidence of day use, then don't discredit those hot spots. But I've yet to see a big one hunting that way. Good luck!

 

[Grandslam11]

I think I am going to take the remainder of this hunting season and discipline myself to only hunting terrain features and just see what happens. I know you cant base results off one or two days in the stand so I would like to give it some time.

 

[jb357]

Big boys don't travel trails once they break up from groups in my experience . They'll travel a general area but it's rarely the same path. I bought in to the "find the buck trail above the doe trails" when I first started but it was more like "sit on the less used doe trail next to the other doe trail"

 

[dburt]

I think I am going to take the remainder of this hunting season and discipline myself to only hunting terrain features and just see what happens. I know you cant base results off one or two days in the stand so I would like to give it some time.

Good luck! Let us know what you learn. I may do the same...

 

[String Music]

Pressured deer often don't use open terrain much if they have a choice of staying in cover. Most food sources are open, be it fields, food plots or oak flats. Whatever movement you see in these open areas is only a fractional representation of daytime deer movement. Granted, you can't see as far or observe near as much in thick cover, so I'm some ways, it's more of an all or nothing affair. Hunting transition zones/edges and especially funnels within these edges is often Your best bet for a mature deer, whether you are hunting a specific deer or waiting for the unknown. This isn't to discount food sources or hunting open fields at different times during the season, but sitting on fields looking for movement for 30 min out of the day in no way reflects how much deer actually do move throughout the day. Anyone who disagrees has spent too much time hunting fields and food plots and not sufficient time in the woods and hunting limited visibility areas.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well said, Poser.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[String Music]

Those bucks will use terrain features to travel during the rut. I look at them like highways and interstates people use to travel, they are great travel routes. I have a good spot where a thick creek bottom is about 100 yards east of me, a thicket is about 50 yards west of me, and I am in the middle on a ridge that runs north/south. About 35 yards to my north is another ridge, that runs east/west. Where my ridge, and the other ridge meet, forms a perfect travel route for deer moving in all directions. That's the type of spots I try to find.

As for patience, it all just depends on the deer numbers in the area your at. The places I hunt, are mostly quality over quantity. I know I may sit one day and never see a single deer, but then on another day a nice buck may walk right through my area using a terrain feature, especially during the rut!

Exactly. Funnels are best this time of year. Don't get discouraged just yet. It only takes one hot doe to change your season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Grandslam11]

I got to my stand Saturday morning and the dang ladder didn't feel like it had a good bite on the tree so I didn't feel comfortable there. Thankfully I had brought my climber just in case. I got settled in about 6:35. I ended up seeing 2 small bucks who came straight up from where the terrain would have showed and both were just cruising around. That in itself gave me quiet a bit of confidence. (I didn't see a buck all year last year). I look forward to going back this weekend. My only issue is having the right wind. N wind is just right for deer moving up the ridge, Would you all suggest moving the climber to accommodate for the right wind or stay out of the area completely if the wind isn't right for where I hunted Saturday?

 

[Winchester]

I got to my stand Saturday morning and the dang ladder didn't feel like it had a good bite on the tree so I didn't feel comfortable there. Thankfully I had brought my climber just in case. I got settled in about 6:35. I ended up seeing 2 small bucks who came straight up from where the terrain would have showed and both were just cruising around. That in itself gave me quiet a bit of confidence. (I didn't see a buck all year last year). I look forward to going back this weekend. My only issue is having the right wind. N wind is just right for deer moving up the ridge, Would you all suggest moving the climber to accommodate for the right wind or stay out of the area completely if the wind isn't right for where I hunted Saturday?

Either move your stand accordingly or stay out when the wind is bad, could blow your only chance.
Some good advice given so far, this time of year hunting for older bucks terrain features are pretty much all I hunt, as it makes them a very high % place when bucks are up and moving during daylight looking for Does!
Look for more than just a single feature however, try to find a saddle that has an edge of maybe thicket touching open woods, or a funnel that leads from very steep to a flat, etc.

 

[String Music]

I got to my stand Saturday morning and the dang ladder didn't feel like it had a good bite on the tree so I didn't feel comfortable there. Thankfully I had brought my climber just in case. I got settled in about 6:35. I ended up seeing 2 small bucks who came straight up from where the terrain would have showed and both were just cruising around. That in itself gave me quiet a bit of confidence. (I didn't see a buck all year last year). I look forward to going back this weekend. My only issue is having the right wind. N wind is just right for deer moving up the ridge, Would you all suggest moving the climber to accommodate for the right wind or stay out of the area completely if the wind isn't right for where I hunted Saturday?

Here's the most important question for you to answer: Where do the deer on your property prefer to bed?

Every stand I hunt is predicated on bedding areas. I don't hunt open food sources. I either hunt actual bedding areas this time of year or terrain features/funnels within close proximity to bedding areas.

 

[Grandslam11]

Great advice. Thank you all. We will see what happens


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jcooper81]

Unintentionally myself I always choose pinch points. May just be the military in me but my cousin pointed it out to me this year. Says I'm always seeing the deer. I just told him I just find a spot and sit that's when he pointed it out to me

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

[Urban_Hunter]

I find the pinch points. I don't care if it's a deep ravine, a creek, a fence, a saddle... wherever I can find that concentrates their routes together is where I sit. Most of the time it is a combination of the above.

 

[Grandslam11]

Here is my setup. Triangles are stand locations. Rectangle is the open oak flat. Yellow lines are presumed funnels. Red is property boundaries (west side is marked by fences) Am I right on in my thinking?

[url ][/url]

Saturday I was hunting the S most stand located on the funnel with a NNE wind.