Is it possible to kill big deer not using corn?

I have dumped corn in a pile and put cameras out after tagging out before. I can flat out guarantee you that I could kill every good buck on the farm if not neighborhood over it. It would take nearly zero effort other than dumping out some corn from a quad or pickup. Even if it was legal, I would not consider it hunting here. I have hunted over bait in Texas and also found it to be as simple as putting in time on the stand because the game was coming no matter what. Maybe it varies by region, but I know a pile of corn here would be a guarantee to get a shot at the deer you are after.

 

Could be a regional thing...I work with a guy that's hunted KY (where baiting is legal) for over 20 year's and has never killed a P&Y buck here. But he has a lease with three other guy's in Iowa and in three trips has shot 2 P&Y and 1 B&C....go figure.

 

hey everyone has their own experiences, nice bucks. Like others have said it can be a regional thing and here in NJ there are nothing but master baiters on every section of public land in the state so bucks catch on to the trick pretty quick. Baiting is not for me but hey if it works for you guys and it's legal have at it.

 

Okay, to avoid any confusion, I am anti baiting.

I do applaud you for the effort that it sounds like you put in. Most baiters in my area would not do half of that much work.

However considering food plots bait is unfair. First of all planting a plot takes alot more work than dumping two gallons worth of corn. Secondly, food plots are often multiple acres in size, the deer are not brought into a specific location within 20 yards of your stand like when using corn, they could be anywhere in the plot.

As far as your oak tree statement goes, I'll say this....
The day that I can pick up an oak tree and move it exactly where I want it.... Then you can tell me it's the same as a corn pile.

You also make it seem that non baiters finding "something" that improves their odds is as simple as walking into the timber and dumping a pile corn which is rediculous. I feel that it takes a good bit more knowledge of the land and animals to improve your odds via this route.

 

You better get your facts straight before you run your mouth. It is only illegal here to hunt over bait. I can bait for cameras or just to feed. It is in fact illegal here to hunt over bait because of the ethics. You could not be more wrong. If you can't kill a deer with 2000 lbs of corn, you might want to take up knitting.

 

Like I said in my post. Its my opinion and that's all it is. Just like you have your opinion. There is nothing anyone can say that will make me think a food plot isn't bait. Its not growing natural there, a human altered the entire landscape to put it there for the specific reason and drawing deer there. Is it a much grander scale than a bait pile like you mentioned.. yes.. but when it comes down to it in my mind they are one in the same. You are anti baiting... that's your right. I'm not going to try to tell you that your opinion is wrong because I know I will never change your mind. I have access to private land with food plots I made myself. So I know how much time it is invested in those. But I just don't find it a challenge to hunt private land deer. So I make the drive to the 100,000 acres of public and bust my butt to find a good one. That's just what I enjoy. To each their own.

 

I don't find baiting deer to hunt as an ethical action either. I feed deer with several 350# feeders, some in a state that's legal to hunt over them and I still don't hunt over the feeders. I had a long time friend last season who has hunting rights that came to hunt and I didn't let him hunt over the feeders either even though he asked to.
It just doesn't seem right to me. To me, the feeders are there for deer nutrition, to try to remove food stress from them so the bucks rebound faster after rut and so does have big healthy babies hitting the ground. Food plots can only do so much in Jan, Feb and early March so our feeders are there to even out the food gaps. Hunting over those feeders wouldn't be like shooting fish in a barrel but if there was no advantage to it, people wouldn't want to do it and wouldn't be having annual success killing big deer by doing it.
Food plots...I can see the argument both ways. We all look for an advantage to harvest deer for whatever our goals are. We just have to decide what line we're willing to cross or where that line sits that we're not willing to cross. Spotlighting deer is an advantage but most of us aren't willing to go that far (legality aside). For me food plots comes down to size, under a half acre seems more like a kill plot. I don't do less than an acre sized plots, most are 3+.
Still, even a rub or scrape line could be argued as a bait. We know deer are going to return to them, it's just a matter of time. It comes down to a personal choice and how we individually rationalize a way to justify our actions to live with our own conscience. I wouldn't feel as proud of a booner I shot off a feeder a I would one taken off a nice sized food plot. That's my personal judgement.

 

Legality aside, each hunter should adopt ethics that best allows them to enjoy the sport and gives them the best chance at a lethal and humane shot.
For some, that's a stalk or classic still hunt with a recurve, no bait required. Power to ya. For others, that's a gun hunt with pricey glass in a thousand dollar condo stand. (And the rest of us in between those two extremes.)

Be who you are, accept challenges up the scale when/if you're ready, and just hunt.

 

I’ve also noticed a recent trend of worshipping guys who only hunt guided hunts at lodges...but that’s another story.

I’d rather kill my homegrown buck over corn than pay for a guaranteed rifle shot at some random buck on a ranch somewhere


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I see on AT that you basically got roasted on Tuesday over there for being a sanctimonious rube and then cried to the admins about the fall-out. Coming here and doing the same is likely to meet with the same result. Having a different opinion is fine, but when you spout off about topics that you know absolutely nothing about as fact, you eliminate any credibility you might of had. When you wrongly accuse a man of a game violation on a public forum, you just look foolish.

 

What's a 180" class deer run cost wise on a hunting ranch, like $15K-$25K? Since 2012, we've probably spent that easily on deer/wildlife management on the ranch. The grain was produced at cost but at market prices it would make it easily. Since 2012, we've produced 7-10, 160-180+ deer that we know of with a lot of good young bucks on hand (some great young ones were killed at 2-3yo by neighbors/poachers). A lot of money invested growing them as well even on a 2000+ acre ranch. It's easy to see the appeal of a turn key booner in a can hunt.

 

It's public knowledge. Please post the officer's name and phone number.

 

Keep digging. The bait site must be free and clear of all bait or mineral for a minimum of 30 days prior to hunting the area. Or, the area can be completely covered to make it inaccessible to the game. You were told that you can not bait and hunt the same area. We can not hunt on or near a bait or areas leading to, or coming from the bait. You just cant understand the definition of the law, or don't want to because it makes you look bad. If you don't believe me, go check out the Drury's, Lakosky's, and a dozen other famous deer hunters that now live and/or own hunting farms in Iowa and run feeders and bait sites for getting photos during deer season. It doesn't mean they are hunting on or near those sites. You need to man up and move on. It's over, you are wrong and the law speaks for itself.

 

I read them every year. I know them better than you know your name. I don't have to call anyone. I can understand them, you, not so much. I KNOW I have killed all of my deer legally.

 

No it hasn't changed at all. Lakosky's have had their camera going non-stop. I've followed them daily to weekly for like five years and it's literally still on right now and has been all through 2017 deer season. They hunt a few hundred yards away, they've stated the law numerous times on the chat, their show, in interviews, etc...
Fletch can't let it go because you're wrong and can't simply admit it and move on yourself.

 

Bye-bye. That should pretty well do it.

 

No, it wasn't. It was more like 60 days and several hundred yards away. And, its go "there", not "their". But, see ya.

I noticed that you shoot all of yours over bait. That must be satisfying, especially since its legal there. Cool deal.

 

I don't think they told you that, even if they did I don't think they know that for sure at this point. There's a defined process DNR goes through before they enact changes like that and so far as I know they have not done that yet in IA but that indeed I may not have been aware of. That said, I fully expect it to start being the case all over the country soon. A few counties in MO made it illegal in 17. In those cases they are concerned over transmission of CWD. Also DNR has had a serious problem and waged war against feeding some years ago. They've tried everything to encourage people to stop feeding deer even before CWD.

I'm in KS where it's legal to hunt over it if I so choose. I still don't hunt over it and I don't believe Fletch does either. People got upset because you stepped on some toes and did so unjustifiably. We take care of our own here when it's needed and deserved. I've weighed in simply to point out where you're wrong, not necessarily to defend Fletch....just so happened in this case it covered both.

 

Yeah well his dad can beat up your dad.
Probably
Maybe
I actually have no idea, it just sounded funny.