When hunting whitetail deer, strategically placed funnels and saddles will make your choice of a deer stand more effective. Funnels are any feature - brush, rock, hills, water, or combination thereof - that encourage deer to travel through a narrow corridor. Funnels force deer, who have to keep traveling to forage for food, through small areas. A high quality funnel separates two similar areas of habitat, or two area that deer use regularly (like a bedding location and favorite feeding area). A small rise that offer the only dry passage through a patch of wetland is a funnel, as is stretch of ground with a creek on one side and a steep embankment on the other.
Funnels aren't artificial creations designed to herd animals in a direction they don't want to go - a whitetail can avoid a funnel by taking a less desirable route - but they'll usually take the funnel. Like most animals, whitetailed deer will take the easy way whenever possible. Mature bucks are especially likely to choose a funnel over a more treacherous or uncomfortable route. They haven't lived to maturity by wandering around in the open or scampering over rocks - a narrow creek bottom with a minimal amount of cover will give a buck a fals sense of security, leading right past your deer stand.
Saddles are similar to funnels - an area between two steep ridges, where you can set up a deerroute. stand and wait for deer to use the pathway. Saddles and funnels can be found through word of mouth (although good hunters are notoriously tight lipped about their best hunting spots) or by examining quad maps from the U.S. Geological Society (http://www.usgs.gov/). These maps are full of information on topography, hydrology, forested areas, and cultural features, are all clearly illustrated on these maps, which only cost about $4 each.
Funnels and saddles make for highly productive stand locations throughout the season, taking advantage whitetails' natural need for constant travel. Funnels and saddles are especially productive when hunting a rut, as bucks are driven to move in directions that have been successful for them before - so driven that they may not be as watchful as they would otherwise be. A stand set up over a funnel or saddle makes deer stand hunting more of a sure thing.