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Funnels are areas where different types of forestland come together. Funnels are great spots for stands as deer naturally converge to these spots. It could be where a river bottom meets up to a forest and a field. Unless you are in farm country, learning deer feeding areas can be difficult. The most obvious are mast trees such as acorn or apple. However, these are not always abundant and have a limited time in which deer frequent them. One of the best ways to learn where deer are feeding is to scout from a far with binoculars. You will learn where deer bedding areas are and where they are feeding. You may also pick up on a spot to place a stand.

3. Stands

Every hunter should have a minimum of two to three stands to choose from when it comes time to hunt. There are too many variables that could ruin a hunt like wind, weather conditions, or other hunters. Choosing a stand site can often be hit or miss. However, it is all part of learning deer habitat and what you learn from choosing a poor stand sites will help in deciding on future stands.

The types of deer stands you use depend on the territory. A climber stand is by far the most versatile, allowing you to move easily from area to area. The only drawback is not all trees are straight enough to allow you to use a climber. This is where a fixed position stand comes in handy. A fixed position stand allows you to setup in just about any tree, provided there is enough clearing to stand and shoot from. Ground blinds can also be very effective. Either tent type blinds or those made from fallen trees and branches work well. When building a ground blind, it is recommended to build them in advance to allow the deer to become accustomed to it. Remember, when you are in the woods it is like being in a deer's own living room so rearranging the furniture may spook a deer from the area.

Lastly, remember to clear shooting lanes. Any twig, branch or leave could send your shot off course. Pack in a foldable saw to clear branches you can reach. For those branches you can't reach, attach the saw to a stick with duct tape to remove those branches out of reach.

4. Eliminate Scent

Deer can smell a hundred times better than humans. Eliminating or reducing your scent is critical to any deer hunting success.

· Wash all clothing, backpacks, gloves, and hats in scent free laundry detergent. Line dry clothing if possible, if not use fresh earth dryer sheets. Remember to run your dryer for a half hour before drying clothes to burn off any excess scents.
· Pack your hunting clothes separately in an airtight container. Garbage bags are o.k. but they still allow clothing to absorb odors. There are scent proof bags on the market specially made to carry hunting clothes. Another option is to buy a large Rubbermaid tub with a lid (you may want to add a weather stripping to help seal the lid).
· For some added cover scent you can add six to twelve inch to pine or cedar cuttings in between the layers of clothing. The smell from the cuttings will get absorbed into the clothing.
· Shower before every hunt with scent free shampoo and soap. Even between morning and evening hunts, showering will help eliminate your scent.
· Avoid coffee, cigarettes and any other food that may give off a foreign odor.
· Use scent free under arm deodorant and use scent eliminator spray on clothing, hats and especially your boots.
· As you walk into your stand, don't intentionally touch branches or leaves. Doing so will leave your scent and may stop a deer in his tracks.

5. Play the wind

If there is only one thing you remember and master, that is to play the wind. Wind direction is by far one of the most critical factors in successful deer hunting. Deer can smell you from hundreds of yards away, so if you are directly down wind of a deer there is no chance you are going to even see them. When placing your stand, make note of which direction you will be facing and where you think the deer will come from. Then using your topographical map, note the stand and what is the best wind for that stand. When it comes time to hunt, a simple check of the weather to determine wind direction will help you pick which stand will work best for that hunt. Often times, you can play the odds with stands by placing the stand for a prevailing northwest wind. This is especially true for the mid-west and northern areas.

Playing the wind is also critical in successful deer drives. If you drive deer towards standers and the wind is at their back, deer will likely double back because they know what is in front of them. When setting up drives, check the wind and try to have the drivers push deer either into a cross wind or with the wind.

6. Deer Scents

Many people question whether deer scents work or don't work. I believe they do and for several reasons. Deer are curious animals and the scent of a strange deer in their area may bring them into investigate. I have also seen them work almost too well during the rut. During one bow hunt, I had climbed up a tree with my climber and realized I had forgotten to put out some doe in heat scent. Rather than climb down and place it in the appropriate spots, I just dumped a little on the trees and ground 15 below me. Low and behold a six pointer came in because of the scent and came within three feet of my tree. I unfortunately the buck came in behind me and I hit a branch as I turned around. The buck bounded away. Adding attracting scents also help cover up your own scent, increasing your chances of a encounter with a deer.

7. Target Practice

If you were to examine the success factors of the top 100 hunters in North America, you will find that they practice religiously. Whether you are a bow or gun hunter, you must do more than just sight in your weapon. You must get familiar with what the weapon can do and what you can do with the weapon.

For gun hunters, just going to the rifle range and sighting in your rifle a few days before the hunt is not enough. The main reason to practice more is when you are hunting you do not have a comfortable bench to sit on and a rest to hold your gun. Sure you can blast a hole in a target at a 100 yards when you are perfectly still, but who ever gets that chance. Most deer are moving, are at different distances and you are usually standing or sitting in an awkward position. I recommend practicing shooting at targets at different distances while standing up or sitting similar to how you may in your stand. At the same time, you must use the same caliber bullets (and preferably maker) you plan to hunt with.

For bow hunters, the rule to hunting is if it can go wrong, it will go wrong. Bow hunting is so challenging because you need to get within 30 yards of a deer with out being detected. It is hard enough to avoid noise, movement or scent with out getting busted. If you get an opportunity for a shot, you need to make it count. You need to take time to practice, get your sights so you know exactly which pin to use for which distance. When target practicing, use your own steps to pace off distances. Then when you get to your stand, use your own steps to pace off and mark spots in your shooting lanes. If your bow has not been maintained recently, get it tuned by a professional. I also recommend buying a handful of new arrows each year, they are inexpensive and then you know you are using good arrows. At a minimum, practice at least once a week for four to six weeks prior to the start of your hunt. During the hunt keep that pace up to ensure your equipment is hitting its mark.

Practicing is critical to any successful hunt, but it also ensures that as true sportsman we are doing everything we can to ensure a clean kill.

8. Early Bird Gets The Deer

There is nothing like the feeling of getting up at 4 a.m. and preparing for a hunt. A pot of coffee brewing, a little breakfast a good hot shower and packing up for a day's hunt is music for the deer hunter's soul. Unfortunately, the 4 a.m. part is sometimes hard to listen to. However, why spend all that spend all that money on gear, the time and effort practicing and scouting to only miss the best opportunities to hunt. Planning ahead and arriving early can make the difference between going home empty handed or bagging your trophy. This is especially important for those who hunt on public land. I have been on many hunts where other hunters come trudging in well after I have been in my stand quietly awaiting the morning action to begin. Arriving early also allows the area to calm down, especially if deer have detected you on your way in.

9. Hunting Calls

The art of calling in deer has been proven time and time again. Unfortunately, many hunters do not use them. I have used grunt calls in several occasions to draw a buck or doe in that I would have never had a shot at with a bow. On one hunt, I glassed a buck at 300 yards and was able to get him in within 30 yards. It took over 45 minutes before he was in shooting range and was one of the most exhilarating hunts I have ever experienced. The first series of grunts stopped the buck in his tracks. It then took a series of grunts to get him to come in closer. Often times, he would just sit there completely still looking for the source of the grunts. Every time he moved or got behind tree, I blurted out a grunt or two. When he got to within 30 yards (a marked spot where I paced off the distance) and broadside, I let my arrow go. Unfortunately, it was a very quiet evening and he jumped the string and the arrow lodged into a log.

There are other tactics such as rattling, doe bleats or a buck wease, all of which can be effective in calling in deer.

10. Tracking Deer

Your in your stand, a nice buck is in range and you make the shot. What you do next is as important as any other previous steps. Most wounded deer will run quite some distance before dying or bedding down. Hunter's must make every effort to recover game. Successfully tracking and recovering a wounded deer is like solving a mystery. To solve this mystery, you need to gather and examine the clues:

1. The first thing to remember after the shot is to re-load or nock another arrow. You may have to make a second shot.
2. Pay attention to your shot, where it may have hit and exactly where the deer goes once it has been shot. Was the tail of the deer up or down? If down, there is a good chance you have made a kill shot. If the tail is up, you may have a clean miss.
3. Mark a landmark where you last see the deer like a tall tree, a bush or fallen log.
4. Wait. Patience is the key. Wait at least a ½ hour before you begin your search.
5. Examine the shot area. For bow hunters, look for your arrow from your stand, it may have been a pass through and be sticking in the ground. Mark exactly where the deer was standing. Look on the ground for hair and blood. Use the following as a guide to building clues.
Examine any hair found and determine where it may have come from on the deer. This will help determine where the shot entered and where it exited.
· Examine any blood found at the kill area, the arrow and while tracking. Blood from the heart, arteries or liver will appear dark maroon. A flesh wound is light red, about the color you expect blood to be. A lung shot has blood that has pink foam or tiny bubbles. A gut shot will be light colored blood, usually with greenish bile or digestive material mixed in.
6. Depending on what clues you find, you may want to enlist your hunting buddy to help you track the animal. When you begin, use pieces of toilet paper or some other marker to indicate the last location of blood. Often times sign disappears and you have to step back to examine which direction the deer may have gone. Look for blood on the ground as well as a few feet up on vegetation.
7. You may have to get on your hands and knees to find spots of blood.
8. If and only if you lose all sign, you may begin a grid search. Begin with small circles and then widen your search.
9. Wounded deer will often times use deer trails and head upwind when wounded. They may also head for water areas.
10. When you find the deer, be prepared as the deer may still be alive. Approach the deer from behind and poke with a stick or your weapon. You may have to carefully place a kill shot.

Successfully bagging trophy bucks takes a combination of factors to include a little art, a little science, some skill and luck. Hopefully these 10 Rules to Bagging Trophy Bucks will increase all of these factors and ensure you bring home that trophy of a lifetime.

If you use these tips and have success, we at Sportsmans-Link.com want to hear about it. Send us an e-mail about your hunt at webmaster@sportsmans-link.com