Big Woods Funnels

[SilentStalker]

As I have been reviewing topo maps of my hunting ground in the ADK's as I do every year when I get the itch , I try and pinpoint funnels to check out - at least one or two every year in addition to my already established spots. I think its a cool topic so I figured I would ask what type of funnel locations all you big woods hunters search for. I know several that I look for, beaver dams, saddles (even the most subtle), high points in swamps, benches, and change in forest ie: hardwood to softwood, etc.
Beaver dams and swamps have produced for me over the years, but I have yet to find a saddle that has produced. My area is primarily comprised of rolling hills with long fingers running through. Should I be hunting the beginning or end of these fingers? The north end of the property is cut offf by a decent sized river (have yet to find their crossing location) and in some spots steep ravines to the river that no deer could get down as they are drop offs. I know the deer run parallel to the river and have set upa  coupel nice stands by it, but havent found "the one" yet. 
I'm looking for an new stand location and was wondering what other things I can look for as well as just general thoughts on finding funnels for deer. Thanks in advance.

Go NORTH!

[stka]

I'm not a big woods guy, but what I would do first is find out where they're bedding and what they're eating. If your after mature bucks I would look for the best cover for them to travel in and find a bottle neck. Best bet would probably be the best exit cover from the bedding area since they will be the last to move out and the first back.

[upstatehunter]

Very few saddles in the Adirondacks are great stand sites. They always seem to run the wrong way as far as wind direction. Plus given the thermals
we have, and the direction of the ridge will usually set up a swirling effect on your scent. Not that the deer won't use them, but it's only a matter of time until your busted either getting to or out of your stand. I prefer the ends of ridges, about 1/4 the way up from the bottom for my morning stands. The swamps and flows will
also be good if you can stay back far enough to keep from jumping the deer out that get pushed in during the day.
One of the biggest draws of my attention will be a shelf along a ridge. Bucks like to travel along them. They aren't skylined on the top and can see off the side.
One of my best stands is on the ridge across from a small shelf. Thing isn't 15' wide, but it is constantly rubbed like crazy, and have shot three small bucks cruising it
during the first two weeks of the gun season. I'm sure at some point one of the big guys will be traveling it during daylight hours.

[SilentStalker]

Ok so my suspicions arent crazy in reference to saddles.  When you say ends of ridges, what exactly do you mean (like the end of a finger ridge or where a long and larger ridge starts to flatten out?) and what would they look like on a topo map?
So the shelf you are talking runs along the ridge and provides the deer with a way to traverse the ridge on some flatter ground? Are you above the shelf in the am and below in the pm?

I'm going to see if I can get a photo up of the property as I think it would be fun to see where people would put stands as compared to where we currently have them.
Thanks for the help.

[SilentStalker]

I cant seem to figure it out. Oh well.

[upstatehunter]

I look for the end of a long ridge or finger that runs into a likely bedding area. Just have to remember early or if they aren't pressured much, the deer up here like to bed on the south face of open ridges a lot. Most times they will feed down off that finger or ridge sometime in the early afternoon. They may head to a low area
to stage before heading to the feeding areas. Those staging areas are great spots for stands. Especially once the rut kicks in, sit there all day.
Yes to the shelf, if wide enough I'll set a stand for bow. But most of the time I find a place where it may start on the ridge, or like I said across from it.
Use those mostly for gun season. You'll find that the most heavily used shelves are on steep faces of ridges. From below you may never see a deer on it,
so above would be best.

[Litchfield Hunter]

I tend to like to hunt edges, weather its a ridge, edge of a swamp, creek bank, gully, or even a switch from  a primarally hardwood stand of timber to a primarially soft wood stand of timber deer seem to like to cruise those areas, so I look for a food source, bedding area and then find the edges that run in between them.  I then make my desicion on where to set stands based on the number of "edges" that are close enough together to create a funnel, prevaling winds and amount of sign