What bait is best?

I know I know most of you guys are going to say "hunting over bait isn't hunting!". Well if you have a problem with it, then get off this thread. Now my rant is over. I hunt over apples and corn in Ohio. Around the area tons of other spots that are for someone else are set up with the same bait. My spot isn't as good as the others because I simply couldn't get out and feed all year because of my Grandma's cancer. The other person could do that, so they did. Now my spots aren't good and I do not know what bait to use. I cannot spend tons of money either. So what bait is even better than apples and corn for mature bucks? Please help and thanks.

 

This time of year travel routes going into and out of doe bedding areas will be a lot more productive than any food bait IMO.

That being said, monster Raxx spray attractant on a pile of corn is going to draw some deer in if you've got your heart set on hunting over food. And if you're lucky it'll pull a hot doe into range and a big buck will be following.

Good luck

 

Bait this time of the year is best for drawing in the does and the bucks tend to follow.

 

pumpkins/squash and.......
yeah, baiting sucks

 

I prefer night crawlers and shad.... sighs..... Seen way to many baiting posts as of late. What happen to good ol' woodsmanship ???

 

A doe in heat.

 

I have yet to see a buck chasing a doe this year. The only thing that has happened to me is little bucks on the camera at 1:30 pm. No other signs. I have seen 7 does this year and none of the were being chased by a buck.

 

It has been that type of year. As you can tell by being on here. It had been feast or famine. I haven't seen much chasing here either.

 

This.

 

Some people unlike you are unable to set up on spots like that. I hunt with my grandpa so we have to hunt where there's a heater

 

Corn covered with mollases theyll find it in no time

 

Well You asked about "mature bucks". Personally I don't have much luck with mature bucks hitting bait during shooting light. Along the same lines I don't like feeders. Good luck, enjoy your time with your Grandpa.

 

We have multiple "bait areas" or feeder (4 on 40 acres) but we don't have stands over them I use it to keep deer on my property or at least to try and keep them there, we have had better success like others say getting a few 100 yards away and hunting their travel areas during rut because food is not priority #1 to the Bucks during that time. May have better luck with it once rut us over.

 

Would their travel areas not include trails to food, as that's where the does would be?

 

In my experience that's true early on. At this stage of the game (in my area) the does avoid those places like poison because they are sick of being run by bucks.