HuntingNet.com Forums - View Single Post - Baiting vs. Planting Deer Feed

01-06-2006 | 07:12 AM

#49

MassBowhunter

Fork Horn

Joined: Feb 2003

Posts: 220

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From: Taunton MA USA

RE: Baiting vs. Planting Deer Feed - what's The Difference?

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Gr8ful Deer

Many on here have tried to twist it by comparing to hunting near NATURAL FOOD SOURCES ... or even harvested agricultural fields. This is not what is at question.

The question is what is the difference between planting DEER FOOD & putting outa pile of DEER BAIT.

I don't think I was twisting anything when I asked youwhat the difference between a cornfield planted for human consumption and an alfalfa field planted for deer consumption was. I simply believe there is a question within your question.

But here's my answer to your exact question as I understand it. Which is what do I think the difference is.

To begin,in my opinion BAITING means to trick or take advantage of a deer's natural instincts.

A field full of DEER FOOD is still an open field and the deer will treat it the same way they would treat an agricultural field. They're not going to drop their instinctiveself preservationhabits and walk out into the field because the DEER FOOD tastes better than corn. If they do I think there is an underlying reason for it that has nothing to do with the DEER FOOD. So I don't see where a person is taking advantage of any natural instincts. They are simply hoping that the DEER FOOD will bring deer into the area because it's a good food source. They're not trying to trick them into doing something they normally wouldn't.

DEER BAIT is generally placed in the woods. In this case you are banking on the fact that the deer will be more comfortable coming to it because they are in the woods where they spend most of their time and feel secure. So you are tricking the deer into thinking they are secure while eating the DEER BAIT. You're clearly taking advantage of their natural instincts. Not the instinct to feed, the instinct that tells them they are secure in the woods rather than in the open in the middle of the day.

DEER BAIT in the form of a feeder also takes advantage of a deer's natural instincts. After a while the deer will gain a sense of security at the feeding station because they haven't been bothered there all year long. So their instinctive self preservation habits tell them that it's safe to come to the feeder whether it's in the middle of a field or the middle of the woods. In this case you're taking advantage of the deer by tricking them into a false sense of security.

In human terms.....if I'm headed out to buy some hunting gear and there is a Wal-Mart down the road in a niceneighborhood (DEER BAIT) I'm going to visit that one instead of the one in the middle of gang territory (DEER FOOD). My instincts tell me I'm more likely to run into trouble in the middle of gang territory (AN OPEN FIELD) than I will in a nice neighborhood (THE WOODS). If my car was stolen from the parking lot in the nice neighborhood someone took advantage of my instinctive self preservation habits.

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