ORIGINAL: CarpetBagger
Im not really for or against baiting, but can see advantages to it. Problem is here in Pittsburgh, PA that alot of the areas where hunting is permitted are very very over hunted! We hunt a private 60 acre farm here in WMU 2B and alot of our deer sightings have alot to do with when the farmers cut the corn on the other properties surrounding...when it finally all comes down we have many more deer sightings...Well its finally all down here...
Aside from that, alot of the areas around the homes and housing complexes here in the suburbsare over run with deer and you cannot gain access to hunt them. Baiting here in WMU 2B would solve alot of problems with both home owners and discourged hunters. It would get the deer into the areas where hunters could legally take them, as well as solve alot of the problems with homeowners, as well asdrivers who continue to butcher deer here on a daily basis.
WMU 2B which is Alleheny countyallocates 60,000Antlerless tags each season like a vendetta vs the whitetail deer. Half of which are still available here. The hunters who can gain accessin legal areas thin the deer herds in a hurry with the antlerless tagswhile the suburban deercontinue to thrive with the only thing thinning their numbers is the traffic.
I have seen more giant deer around my parents house than anywhereelseI have everhunted.
sounds to me as if your state should adopt an archery only hunt around those populated area's you speak of. this would also solve the problem and would be a better solution then legalizing baiting. baiting won't bring all the deer away from the suburban area's but being able to hunt them with a bow in those area's would put hunters in the area's with all the suburban deer. plus it could be used as an extended season to increase the oppertunity to hunt for all hunters.