If you are a bowhunter, you probably know that a “staging area,” a place where whitetails gather in the evening prior to entering prime feeding areas, is an excellent place to set up for an afternoon hunt.

But often the entire area is too big for one hunter to cover, with multiple deer trails that enter beyond your shooting range. The key to shifting the odds in your favor is to set up 15 to 20 yards away from the most heavily used trail, then use deadfalls, brush and the clippings from your shooting lanes to block the other trails back where they branch off from the main trails that lead to your stand.

Deer, much like most people, will always travel the path of least resistance. So rather than going around the brush piles you’ve made, they are much more likely to just amble down the open trail, and right into your setup.

Dave Teufel, Senior Public Relations Representative, L.L. Bean