I don't bait, but no I don't believe it would make them avoid your stand at all. In fact as the rut approaches if you are attracting doe, the bucks will follow.
I have in the past.....being honest. I've never killed a deer over bait, though. In '05 I hunted a feeder almost exclusively. Never killed a deer that year. In '06 I finally figured out it was easier to kill 'em when they were acting relaxed. Deer coming to bait are extremely skittish (in my experience).
I kept a feeder going for the first half of '07......mainly just to keep deer in the area. I never hunted near it, last year (didn't need to....as I have a lot of deer here).
I've tried sporadically baiting deer to target does (both for my hunting, my son's and for friends hunting here)....but to date, no one has been successful when it's been down. So I actually don't see the point, anymore.
LAST thing I would do in most of my hunting areas, now, is introduce bait. Bait draws does, here (eventually they dominate it). Not what I'm after, right now.
"Avoid your stand"? Tough call. "Know something's up".....I think so.
Deer eat corn (bait). When they eat it is a $50 question. Sometimes they will early, sometimes late, sometimes at night only. I have to stick with Jeff on this. Unless deer are extremely accustomed to bait (feeding), they are very skittish coming to it. I would take a relaxed deer over that any day of the week.
LT
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"The Whitetail Deer". Call them dumb, call them curious, call them whatever you want, but one day, the biggest one you ever saw will turn you into a babbling fool.
Do you bait? Yes.
Do you think baitingmakes bucks avoid your stand? It'spossible.
Have I had a deer come into range since Sept 6th? No.
Am I inclined to quit baiting? No.
Is there any difference in hunting over a corn pile versus hunting a "food plot", pond, acorn tree, or the trail leading to those things? No. Food is food, how or why it's there is irrelevant, the only difference is mental.
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Paper tune, try different broadheads, fletching, or shafts; don't move the sight for broadheads.
Bowtech SWAT 67# 29'' draw. 360 gr. @ 301 FPS
Bowtech SWAT 68# 29'' draw. 430 gr. @ 279 FPS
Bowtech Equalizer 40# 25.5'' draw. 380 gr. @ 213 FPS
Do you bait? Yes. In some stands
Do you think baitingmakes bucks avoid your stand? Sometimes. Early in the season, if they've been fed all summer, they hang around some. Later on they wise up after you come in a couple times when you're 'not supposed to'. I have seen em come in a little later in season, after the rut.
Have I had a deer come into range since Sept 13th? Yes. The same 1.5y/o buck. But Ive only hunted the one stand in hopes that he brings a friend.
Am I inclined to quit baiting? No. Ive got other places that aren't baited that are just as productive.
Is there any difference in hunting over a corn pile versus hunting a "food plot", pond, acorn tree, or the trail leading to those things? Yes. Food plots, acorns, beech nuts, muscadines, etc dont require frequent human activity once established or producing that year. Ive seen a lot more deer over 'natural' sources. I put corn out this year because there are no acorns on my property this year and I figured corn may help hold them around during daylight hours since they generally dont hit the fields til around dark or after. So far it has been semi effective. I havent bought corn in a couple of weeks. I have been raking white oak acorns out of my yard and bagging them up and putting them out instead. Seems to work fine.
yes i do why not you are hunting to lower the population #'s so i use any tool to help me do it. have to put bait on the hook to get a fish so put bait on your hook to get your deer
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"The history of the bow and arrow, is the history of mankind"
-- Fred Bear
Do you bait?
