cjclemens

Once upon a time, food plots were considered "baiting" in Illinois. In the rule book, it defined a farm as being a for-profit operation, where residual feed materials were "incendental." Obviously, a combine is going to miss some beans and a few apples might be left in an orchard, but its usually a small amount and not intentional. I'm sure there's some grey area in between, but it should be pretty obvious if the crop was placed there specifically for the deer or if it was part of a for-profit farming operation. It doesn't matter anymore, though - the rules here in Illinois have been changed to allow food plots anyway. Baiting with food or mineral blocks is still illegal.

Now, when it comes to those annual food plots that have turnips and sugar beets in them, I don't see that as any different than dumping corn on the ground. You're concentrating a highly desirable food in a small area, so the deer don't have to 'forage' for them. They know where the food is, and you're sitting there waiting for them. Don't get me wrong - I'm not opposed to it, as long as you follow the rules. Its just not for me. I prefer to improve long-term habitat, by planting native prairie grasses for bedding, perennial grass and clover mixes for summer grazing and oak trees for fall forage. I understand that guys with hunting leases may not be hunting the same place year after year, but the ground I hunt is family land, so I know long-term improvements will eventually pay off. Long story short, I'm not against it, but I don't see much difference.