I hunt all public and with u in VA I'm sure you know the struggle everyone is having. Pulled couple cams yesterday I've had hung since early June I've got more than my share. Just glad had them Hung up 8-9' high or those cams would have been beat around the trees 100 times by now.
I only hunt two small suburban spots in Lynchburg, i scouted some public this summer but never saw any sign Sent from my SM-G930P using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Nice young bear there. I'd guess 120-130 lbs Sent from my SM-G920V using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
What impact do bears have on hunting? Environment? Harassing hunters? Do they do as much damage as hogs here in the south?
They will run ya deer off kill deer fawns tear up any cam or stand ya have in the woods and they demolish corn fields just as th corn starts getting into the milk stage
I don't care so much about the corn piles because it's the same thing as hunting a field or field edge which is what most shows do these days. What I don't watch are any gun hunts or hunts at ranches/outfitters. I prefer bow (not crossbow) hunts in the woods because that's what I do. I also have no interest in watching mule deer hunts where the hunter stalks a sleeping deer in a sand pit. Nothing against any of these means of hunting and I'm not implying they're easy, they just don't interest me whatsoever.
I don't see much difference between a food plot and corn. You are using both for the same purpose. You are attempting to attract the deer to where it is more advantageous to the hunter. I would agree with what was said earlier about larger bucks tending to avoid the corn piles during daylight hours. If you are legal and that is what you would like to do then I have no problem with it. You still need to scout, determine trails, intersections and funnels and try to get between bedding and food sources. You still need to have good basic hunting skills to close the deal, especially with a bow. If there is a big buck in front of you at 20 yards he will zoom in on you for the slightest reason and he will be gone without the slightest hesitation whether there is corn there or not. Concerning bears, I have hunted bears over bait in Maine and I can say that the smaller bears are much less wary about coming into the bait site but they become educated very quickly. What I noticed is that most of the nicer sized bears would circle the bait sites before coming in or come in during the night and I can tell you from experience that their nose is every bit as good as a deers if not better. Was busted several times by bigger bears because of this circling and scent checking. Even though you may think it should be easy the bears have a way of leveling the playing field.
Personally, I think there's a huge difference between a food plot and a corn pile. The food plot will provide year round tonnage to deer and other animals to consume. If maintained, it is a constant source of food. A corn pile is a temporary food source that can disappear at the whim of the hunter. Deer that have become reliant on that food source, especially if they are not in an ag heavy area, will have trouble going back to their native browse and can starve because of it. It causes higher than normal population densities which will cause unnatural stresses. Food plots or agricultural fields are usually large enough that they are not causing the deer to fight over a pile of food. There's really no comparison when you look at the actual pros and cons of each. http://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/WildlifeSpecies/White-tailedDeer/Documents/feeding_deer.pdf
I would agree with the assessment of the advantages of certain food plots as it relates to the nutritional value for the deer herd as opposed to corn as corn does not provide much in the way of nutrition for a deer but is in essence more like candy to us. That was not my point, the point was that corn and food plots, for most hunters, are put in for the same reason which is to attract deer to certain locations where hunters will be. I don't know of to many people which spend all the time and effort to put in food plots without thinking about stand placement, which crops will be attractive at certain times of the year and about how and when to hunt those food plot areas. My point was that food plots and corn were being put out for the same reason not about the pros of cons of which was better for the deer herd.
Give me a video of a bow hunter in the woods and a video of a bow hunter on a field edge or over a corn pile and I'm watching the hunter in the woods 10/10 times. I agree that a pile of corn is different than a corn field, I was just implying is that both are hunting over food.
Sure, no doubt it's about hunting. Not necessarily for the same reason though. Your dumping a corn pile 20 yards away from your stand or your cultivating a 3 acre field that you know will continually feed and attract deer to that area without negatively impacting them through supplemental feeding. When someone kills their deer, do you think they continue to supplemental feed those deer? I would bet not in most cases, but with a food plot, it's still there all season.
