I think this post reminds me of a farmer who feeds his cows a lot of corn starting a month before turkey season.

Maybe baiting, maybe not, but one thing for sure. There will be a bunch of turkey's along on a regular basis to pick at this sh_t.

So is shooting a crossbow or a rifle or hunting with an arrow that weighs less than 400 gr. etc. etc. There are a lot of things that are legal in some states that aren't legal in others. That doesn't mean the practice is wrong or should be banned. Using that logic you would be a POACHER if you happened to shoot an arrow that weighs less than 400 gr. because other states have that law. I think that is going a bit to the extreme just as you have. You may not do it and that' fine but don't categorize everyone else that does it as as a poacher. Those kind of things can be flipped right back around on you and you don't want anyone calling you a poacher. You can make your own justifications in your own mind for what you do as far as seperating feeding from food plots or scents etc. but at the end of the day you are the only one qualified to judge how you hunt. I for one resent the implication that I am a poacher if I choose to hunt over corn in my state where it is totally legal.

I'm from Wisconsin where it is legal to hunt deer over a bait pile. What is the difference if you lure deer in with calls and scents or if you do it with a pile of corn? Either way there is a certain number of deer that need to be harvested to keep the herd healthy so it shouldnt' matter how you kill the deer as long as it is legal. I think the majority of people who are against it are just jealous because their states dont allow it.

IMO if it's legal, it's totally up to the individual. Personally, you couldn't pay me to hunt over bait. Thats just me. However, as much as I dislike baiting, I'm not going to run someone down for doing whatthey like, as long asit is legal. We have enough enemies without addingmore fuel from within our own ranks.
IMO, based on the way our country is heading, baiting and hunting with dogs will eventually go bye bye, unless the hunters standtogether on issues like those.

Wow, I think we all need to agree to disagree on this subject or else it will never end.
IMO I feel that putting corn out in a specific location to lure deer to that one spot is unethical. I see this different then planting a food plot because a food plot is multiple acres(ie. hundreds of square feet) where as a corn pile is maybe 3 square feet. When deer are coming to a pile of corn they are walking to a specific, small area. However when deer go to a food plot....They have hundreds of square feet to roam, and seeing how this is a bowhunting forum....most of us take shots of under 30 yds so if would be impossible to cover the entire food plot in your effective killing range. Back to the pile of corn....you can cover the entire pile with one stand and get shots at all deer coming to the pile....Back at the plot, you have to put up multiple stands and try to guess which trail the deer will take to the field. So my point here is that even with the advantage of a food plot you can't get all of the deer within range, where as with a pile of corn you can....that is why I don't think food plots are considered baiting.

As to all of this BS with scents and lures and decoys being baiting...as one other person on hear mentioned but I don't remember who...I've never seena herd of deer change their daily patterns to go to a can of tinks.

In the end, its legal in some states, illegal in others, so wether you feel it is right or wrong, ethical or unethical, fair or unfair, it happens so you are going to have to deal with it and allow people to have their own opinions because thats what we live in....a Democracy, not a Dictatorship.

That depends on the size of the plot but I have seen several plots over the years that were no bigger than 30 yards in diameter. You could effectively hunt the entire plot from one tree. Many of the hunting plots in the south are made this way. Do you consider it unethical if you can cover the entire plot from one tree?

All I have to say is come fall Im going to have a freezer full of venison to feed my family and I will have done my part to keep the deer herd in balance.All of this thanks to my corn piles.....

There is not point to arguing over this issue. It is a personal judgment call. I say as long as you bait in a way that doesn't promote the spread of disease you are fine. I pait with one bag of bait which is about 25lbs. I is usually gone in about 3 days time.

As for deer not changing pattern because of scents. Not sure what to say to that. Deer are curious animals you can use ammonia to hunt deer. So if they come into scents or chemicals I would say that their pattern has been changed.

I also agree with what was said above. A certain number of deer have to be taken. Who cares how they are taken.

As for the sporting part of it. Yeah I am a sportsman but I am a carnivore first.

Tom

No offense taken. Good post. Very funny and with some valid points.

I eat corn come hunting season for a cover scent. How's that fit into things.

Native Americans baited, heck they ran bison herds off cliffs. Ethical? If it is legal go for it. If you don't agree, then don't do it. I don't hunt over bait, but I would sure hunt an oak stand or apple orchard when fruit is dopping.

My two cents, I hope you all get it figured out.