I've recently been asked to hunt a small property in my neighborhood at the end of my street (5 acres). Its a residential neighborhood with town/state woods surrounding the area. All of the state and and town land in the area prohibits hunting of any kind, and as a result, the deer population is incredibly high. Its like a safe haven for deer that live within a large suburban community. However, since it is private property, and CT laws have no minimum acreage restriction for bow hunting, i can legally hunt the property. My neighborhood is in a zone that just so happens to legally permit baiting deer as a method of hunting. I've never baited deer in my life, nor ever considered it until now. I've always been one to spend the summer months in the woods scouting and patterning deer movement. Therefore, I dont know anything about it. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what kind of bait to use (I do not want to malnourished the deer, I want something that is meets their nutritional need), and how often I should be bating them in order to program their patterns to that one location; or would it even be worth baiting an area with such a high deer population as it is? I should add that the deer in my neighborhood don't seem to shy away from human scent or activity, I've been able to approach a herd within 10 yards from them. Even then, they just turned and walked away, they weren't spooked. CT bow season starts Sept 15, and IF I do decide to bait, I might save the property for closer to the rut. I just want to know how to bait correctly. Let me know what you guys think
I've never baited but Corn seems to do the trick from what I heard. mix it with some of Uncle Tom's magic MosterRaxx spray and you'll have a little peice of heavon on your first sit.
I'd say start baiting now. The reason being that if you wait until the rut to bait, the deer will be scattered all over. They are driven by breeding, not food. Before and after the rut (especially after when food is more hard to find) the deer will be looking for food sources thus making a bait site more productive. If you start now you may be able to get them coming to the site frequently within the next few weeks. If they make this a regular pattern, the does may draw out of area bucks onto the property during the rut.
Sounds like you'll be shooting fish in a barrel. If you really wanna go the simple route - pick up a cheap-o feeder from a department / sporting goods store and fill it with corn. Set it up a few weeks before you intend to hunt so they get on a regular schedule. They'll hear the feeder and come running. Not really "hunting" in my book, more like harvesting but if you need/want to help control the population that's an effective way of doing it.
That's just an excuse. You have no idea about baiting and it shows with your ignorant statement. To the OP, bait ASAP, don't bait often they'll figure you out. That feeder sound making hem come running is BS.
Build U a simple tube feeder out of pvc pipe fill it with corn strap it to a tree where deer are known to be around and mother nature will work her magic. There no huge secret to baiting or feeding deer. It's illegal here in va during Sept thru Jan. But I do urban archery as well which doesn't end until end of march so I feed and hunt.
It could be as easy as putting out 3-4 gallons of corn and 10 apples once a week or so. If you can keep some does around the bucks will show up. Rub some apples on a tree a few times to get the smell out. Deer will come for a free meal.
I don't have any tips for you. Just wanted to say I support you. Don't let anyone tell you its not real hunting or anything like that.
I'd use a PVC tube, with corn. It's cheap and effective. Start now. Put a cam out (if possible) and check the bait and cam about once a week. Be scent-free and get in & out as quickly as you can. Use rain to your advantage, when possible.
Get some corn and spread it out over a small area and never in a pile because they will eat it faster. If you can get apples put them out because they love them and get full very fast while eating them so it lasts a while.
Be careful with any type of supplement block. Like a mineral or salt block. With over population your deer are more prone to disease and with multiple deer licking on the same block, if one gets sick they all do. We can't bait in Iowa but we are allowed to feed the deer in the off season. I've always had luck getting great cam pics with a corn/molasses block.
Oh please. I have no idea how baiting works? (I'm talking a permanent feeder - not dumping some corn/attractant near a trail to lure them every once in a while) Do you have any idea what psychological conditioning is? If an animal hears a feeder and gets food from it sooner or later they associate the sound with food. Its not a complicated concept. Ever had a dog as a pet? Same thing - you say "treat" every time you give the dog a treat and sooner or later all you have to do is say the word and the dog is ready and waiting for that treat. You obviously also didn't read OP's post fully. The part where he states These deer obviously aren't spooked by human activity so they're not going to "figure you out" and disappear forever. We can argue back and forth on the internet all day but when its all said and done it doesn't matter because you have your opinion and I have my opinion. Having an opinion doesn't make one ignorant or wrong. What does make you ignorant (and close-minded) is if you can't differentiate an opinion from a statement of fact. Its as simple as that. **Edit - and yes my opinion is that baiting with a permanent feeder is not so much hunting as it is harvesting.
