Baiting Deer?

We have feeders, food plots, minerals, and watering holes. We use all of these for the purpose of keeping the deer on the property and taking inventory. I hunt the properties with two other guys. All of which have young hunters. We have stands on the "bait" sites that we allow the kids to use. I've never personally hunted over a feeder however after spending time with my son over a feeder a handful of times last year I can tell you it doesn't make it a slam dunk like a lot of people make it out to be.

I say if it is legal to each their own.

 

Its legal here but only allowed so much at a time. As far as hunting over a bait pile, yes I have and will again. Really the only time I have/do is late season on properties without food source and want to try and get a doe for the freezer. Around here at least, your odds of killing a mature buck over bait is slim to none. I am yet to know anyone around me who has done so. If I am trying to kill a mature buck a bait pile would be my last option of strategy.

 

Legal here and yes. Corn piles are good for early and late season. We also throw apples down when we get ahold of some. When the acorns are dropping there's not much action around them. Although they are great spots for does and young deer I have yet to see a mature deer at a corn pile during shooting hours. I do know of some monsters killed over them mainly in that first week of the season but I haven't been that lucky.

 

try this, go put out a pile of corn,beans,oats right in the middle of a food plot. sit and watch and you will see, the deer will make a beeline for the pile
if its legal go for it but those that hunt over "bait" typically don't have many hunting skills as thats all they know. go to the same blind/stand, have know idea about natural deer movement,don't have much knowledge about deer habits"other then what they read".. ai'nt really bashing (baiters) but i thanks God it ai'nt legal here
flame away

 

So what if I spread a 50 pound bag of corn over an acre plot? Technically it's baiting and not a food plot. And if you live near farmland corn is part of their diet. So is your problem with the concentration of the bait versus the food plot? If it's about the concentration of the food I get that. My argument was merely from the viewpoint that both are placed just to attract deer. So in that sense they are the same.


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^THIS^

 

I think there is a fine line between baiting and foodplots. But there is a line in my belief.

I'll start out by saying if it is legal in your state then go for it, I will never hold that against you.

I don't think foodplots are like baiting since it is a more natural source of food for deer, no not 100% natural but more natural than a pile of corn.

I also think baiting gets associated with laziness which I don't completely agree with, but I will say lazy people don't usually plant foodplots because that is a ton of work with no guarantee.

Lastly, and correct me if I am wrong, doesn't baiting carry greater risk of spreading diseases?

Again if it's legal than go for it but those are the reasons I prefer doing foodplots and why I wouldn't exactly call them the same thing.


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i've been planting food plots for over 10 years. on sevearl different "KILLER" PROPERTIES"
in those 10 years, i have only had ONE time where i have had a shot at a big mature buck while sitting over a plot..
since baiting is illegal in MN, we don't start feeding deer (corn/beet tailings) untill we are done filling tags for the year.

when we start feeding, EVERY deer for a miles will be on the feed in a matter of days. the big bucks we "hunted" all year and did not get or even see other than trail cam pics will be seen even in broad daylight.
its like clockwork.


like i said before, if its legal and trips your trigger, go for it but their is NOBODY gonna tell me that putting out a bait pile is the same as a food plot.
there is no comparison.

if you have good ground to hunt that has a decent age structure of bucks and can't kill a big buck..........its because YOU HUNT THAT STAND TO MUCH!!.

 

I know people that do it in ohio on private land, to each their own. I personally do not bait and don't believe I would if PA allowed it. Just doesn't seem like something I would be into.

 

I agree.

 

First post and it is on baiting with an embedded link to a website...hmm I wonder if he is associated

 

It is legal in one of the county and not legal in another I hunt. I use bait where legal to draw the does in and get pictures of what is in the area. I use food plots where I can not bait. The deer are much more calm entering the food plots then the bait probably because of the lack of human scent in the food plot. It does not matter what time of day food plots are easier too hunt for me. If I could plant food plots where I bait I would but it is urban so the food plots would be to close to homes. My bait piles consist of apple sauce, corn or mineral (depends on time of year) and they do not offer a slam dunk approach to hunting. Beating the urge to eat is one thing, beating the sense of smell and eye sight is another.

 

I think it's legal here, but I wouldn't. To me, it takes away from the hunt.

 

It is legal in NC , I have used and not used , killed more deer not using just hunting acorn ridges ... Going to try a gravity feeder this year . I don't see where using bait takes anything away from hunting . If thats the case then hunting crop field edges , acorn ridges should be seen the same .

 

I have thought about this a lot because there is undeniably some legitimacy to the argument that food plots are "bait". It can be argued that any food source is bait if one is hunting over it to gain an advantage.

Ethics are a highly personal point of view. We tend to rationalize our own justifications for things we do either way but there is always a different perspective that could chip away at our personal rationalizations. As long as you can justify to yourself that what you're doing is okay with your conscience and legal...then it's your business alone.

Personally, I feel as long as I'm contributing to the overall health of the herd then I feel it's justified to kill an animal for my own uses no matter the mode of harvest. The animal is just as dead either way and as long as it's not fenced in, it made it's own choices whether it was coming to a food plot or a bait pile (or leaving). The main things I worry about is the quality of life that animal had and a clean kill. Everything else is literally arbitrary when you think about every arguable aspect.

To directly answer the question, I hunt over food plot staging areas. I don't hunt over the feeders and it is legal in KS. But...the feeders are spaced where it is arguable that any deer encountered is not all that far away from a feeder no matter where they are on any of the properties so it's a matter of perspective and rationalization.

 

BAITING IS COMPLETELY UNETHICAL AND WRONG, ITS NOT EVEN HUNTING, ITS KILLING, I am not trying to start anything here but i will tell you right now, you are not a true sportsman if you bait deer. I will add also that I do not believe food plots are at all related to baiting.

 

Might want to back down a touch there buddy, lots of people here with different beliefs. Some may take offense to that :carryon:


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You bait fish from the looks of your avatar pic...I guess you're not a "true sportsman" or you'd use scuba gear and a harpoon.

 

I have the opportunity to hunt a few small tracts of land in multiple states. Some baiting is illegal and some baiting is not. In the state where baiting is legal I do use corn feeders but I feed the deer year round, corn and alfalfa, even outside of season. Mainly because I want a constant reliable food source. I can certainly say this, baiting is no guarantee. I see more deer in the states that I can not bait because I have access to more cover and travel corridors. I have so many reasons to justify it I don't have enough room or time to write it all down. While I can truly understand others whose opinion varies we should not crucify each other for that difference. For example I don't care for hunting with dogs. But I understand its a deeply rooted tradition in some places so who am I to cast stones.

Long story short. Yes!

 

I love when someone says I am "not trying to start something" or "not to offend" then say if you don't do it my way you are not a true sportsman or unethical. WTF!!!