Hunting a Terrain Rut Funnel

Taking advantage of terrain features can be highly productive and is a necessity in high pressure areas.  Funnels can be valuable tools for hunters who are trying to close the distance on a cruising buck this archery season.  In the past I hunted these areas by default because they were where I found sign- trails, random rubs, etc.  I was also unknowingly hunting them at the wrong times during the season and in the wrong wind conditions.  This spring I found what I consider to be a rut funnel on a piece of New York Property I hunt and I drastically changed my approach to this spot.  I prepped a tree and I plan to save this spot for when the bucks start cruising during the last days of October and into the Beginning of November.

Here is a picture of the setup:

The black “X” indicates my treestand placement and I believe this spot has multiple things going for it to make it potentially very productive as a late morning sit with a Southern wind.  The funnel is created by a 30 yard wide bench with an old logging trail, situated 20 yards inside the woods, running parallel with a large alfalfa field on top of the hill.  To the north side of the bench is a steep hillside that was clear cut a few years ago and is incredibly thick with regrowth.  (Note: The photo is rotated 90 Degrees counter-clockwise.)  In this area, the deer typically utilize the top 1/3 elevation or the bottom 1/3 elevation.  Very few trails run parallel with the hillside at center elevation.

During the early morning hours I would expect the deer to travel at the bottom 1/3 of the North facing slope taking advantage of heavier cool air and still-falling thermal drafts.  However, I do not have access to this part of the woods, so, because the North facing slope will take longer to warm in the morning than a South facing slope, the thermals will kick in later in the morning, making a later morning access a better option for this spot.  I plan to ask the adjacent landowner to the East for permission to access this stand by way of the open alfalfa field after first light so as to avoid spooking any deer who may have returned to bed in the woods before daylight and likewise, to avoid spooking any does who may be feeding in the alfalfa field in the dark.

A South wind will have does bedded in the clear cut so they can smell anything on the hill behind them and see anything approaching from below.  This same South wind will allow a rutting buck that is cruising in the later morning hours in search of bedded does to walk this terrain funnel and scent check the bedding below him due to the rising thermals while also being able to scent check the alfalfa field for any late feeding does without exposing himself in the open field.  He also can avoid moving through the harder-to-travel clear cut and steep grade by following the terrain funnel.

Additionally, the only cover connecting this piece of timber with the piece of timber to the East is a brushy fence row.  A buck moving from East to West has to use this fence row or expose himself in a wide open hay field.  This will also help to naturally funnel deer travel routes to the higher elevation.  You can see this fence row in the photo.

The one draw back of this stand location is that it has to be hunted in a Southern wind (S, SSW, SW) which will allow a deer approaching from the East to smell the hunter at about the same time it will enter the shooting lane.  This kind of just-off wind can be advantageous in that the deer will feel secure moving through the area because it will feel the wind is in its advantage.  To avoid getting busted, I put another section on the climbing stick and will hunt approximately 4 feet higher than I usually do.  By hunting higher, I allow the prevailing Southern wind to take my scent over the top of the backs of any deer walking on the trail 25 yards to the North of the stand and out into the valley below.  This is where utilizing milk weed seeds can help to tell the story of what the wind currents are doing and help you more effectively take advantage of those “just off” winds.

So, what do you think?  Have you located any terrain funnels on the land you hunt?