RE: Is my bait pile big enough?
From my experience with baiting, which I have done since I turned 14 and could hunt, is that you need to keep the bait a litle bit on the scarce side. We have always baited with corn, and we use 1 five gallon pail, and spread it liberally around, I would say like a 15 yard circle. One thing this does is it allows for more deer to come, because they are not competing over thesame kernel of corn as they are able to spread out. Also, if there is food there that is going to be disappearing and then re-appearing after you bait, we have found that the deer check the area more often. Almost like they swing by to see if any new bait is there, and then move along, especially in the morning. The times we have gotten big loads of bait, beets especially, we have generally seen fewer deer. It is strange how it works, but it sure seems to be the case. I really enjoy hunting over bait because you get too see lots of critters, whether you shoot one or not, especially for young hunters. Good luck this year!