Bottleneck help

[Proline]

I have a new piece I am going to try to hunt next fall. If you can envision an hourglass sliced down the middle the long way you have an overview of the shape.  The bottleneck in the middle is a dry piece of land approx 25-28yrds wide and runs East/West paralleling a highway fence on one side a swamp makes up the other side. To the east where the bottleneck opens up onto a small flat approx 2.5-3 acreas big that has in excess of 40 white oaks on it.  To the west of the bottleneck is where I tend to see deer beds on higher ground with good cover and have bumped a few in there scouting offseason.   My question is would you place a stand in the bottleneck that offers a 15-20 yrd shot or would place a stand in the white oaks close to where the bottleneck opens up?  I have never hunted a bottleneck like this and am wondering if the deer would tend to move through the neck to quickley not offering a shot.  If I go to far into the whites I may not get a shot if they get around me.   

[Woods Walker]

[font="Verdana"][/font]Bow or gun?

[DeerCamp]

Deer will move and go where ever they feel..Its way to tough to say the excat spot they will walk threw.. To me I like the cover an am use to only 15-30 yards if that bow shots, on some spots. However I believe your best bet would be just to sit a few days and see which works best. The 2nd option I have is to hang 2 stands, but DONT OVER HUNT THEM ! This however could put to much pressure on them as you could be hunting in 2 locations close to one another. So I think option one is your best bet. Good luck and let us know how it goes..Do you have a topo of the area you could possibly post on here, just for a better mental pic?

[metrx]

Some other thoughts for you to condsider...
 
Where is their food source in relation to this "bedding area" you have seen them?  Will they use this bottleneck to travel to and from a food source?  This may help or in fact determine if you will set up in or on either side of the bottleneck.
 
What is the wind/prevailing winds for this area?
 
How will you approach and leave this area each day you hunt it? 

[Proline]

This would be bow spot (really all I hunt anyway).  The bottle neck its self is about 65-75 yards long.  The bedding area I bump the deer in is approx 175 - 200yds from the entrance to the bottleneck.  The prevailing wind is North West and I would set up right on the edge of the swamp pushing the my scent out over it. Believe me I will sit the spot and adjust accordingly just trying to get a handle on where to start.  I live in Massachusetts and deer densities are not high.  Hard for some of you to imagine but in Mass. we are not in a position to "observe".  The old addage "first time you sit is stand is the best chance" isn't necessarily the best time.  You can sit a stand for days around here and not see a deer.

[metrx]

I read your original post again.  You didnt say if there was deer sign/trails running through this bottleneck.  Just because its a bottleneck doesnt necessarily mean its a good place to ambush deer.  Are they using the swamp maybe as a travel route and/or bedding area as well (better cover)?  Assuming there IS sign and trails through the bottleneck and the deer bed to the west and the oak flat is to the east of the bottleneck and you have no observation opportunities before the season starts...I would probably set up on the south side of the funnel, just inside the oak flat on afternoon hunts to try and catch them coming from their bedding area to the oak flat where they may be hanging out before they head to their main food source.  (assuming there is a main food source for them to the east).  Vice versa...I'd set up in or just west of the funnel, on the southside (downwind), closer to but not in the bedding area in the mornings to catch them heading back to the bedding area in the a.m. after feeding.
Also, if those oaks are producing well, that may not be a bad place to hunt to catch them feeding all day long. 
That said, you need to scout that area more for their primary food source. 

[Proline]

Yes there is a good trail going thru the bottleneck.  They dont seem to travel thru the swamp as it is thick and I believe when they stay on higher ground in the bottleneck they feel secure as it is paralleling the highway to the north and no danger comes from that side.  Probably I would be best to put my camera in there and see what I get.  Once the bottleneck opens right up into the oaks they seem to just "go anywhere" on the that flat, probably heading to the tree dropping the most nuts. I have not hunted a neck that tight before so I was really wondering if they would tend to scoot rite it and be tough to stop for a shot.

[metrx]

As someone said earlier, if the deer feel safe, they will walk through any area casually and not on "high alert". 
 
You also didnt state if this is public or private land and if it is used by other hunters.  Unless it is private land and you have exclusive rights to hunt it or know everyone else who uses it well, I wouldnt put a trail camera out...it may disappear on you.  This could also impact that bottleneck come hunting season when the deer start to feel some pressure.
 
Good luck

[Proline]

It is private, small in size and hard to get into becuase it is triangular in shape with houses on 2 sides and the highway on the other.  No sign of any other stands in there.  I have only hunted it once, very end of season to get away from the orange army. Scouted it right after the season ended and jumped 2 does.  Two weekends later I had spike, a 5pt and an 8pt with 25 yrds of me before they pegged me behind a tree.

[DeanoZ]

Hunt the oaks in the evening and the pinch point (bottleneck) in the morning when they are on their way back from feeding to bedding...is the swamp the only water source nearby?  Something else to consider, the white oaks will only provide mast for a short duration, so the real question is when there is no mast falling from the oaks...where are they feeding?  If you have a cam I would hang one at the pinch point and near the bedding area (not too close though) and see what ya got.  As metrx said do some more scouting and see what other trails there are.  Late season I'd hang close to that swamp in the early morning or late afternoons and see if you can catch a bruiser on his way back or to feeding.