Leverdude

I dunno bout that statement. Alot of things bring deer together. In places with hard winters they yard up in big numbers, crop fields as well as most other food sources group them, not to mention that they are a very social animal. I bait in some areas mostly because everyone does & in the late season here if you want to see deer in the daytime a pile of corn helps. Its not a guarentee either, they treat it like any food source & aproach with the same if not more caution. Make no mistake about it, they know who put the corn or bait there. Especially if put out regularly. I thought it would be like shooting fish in a barrel & resisted it for a long time. As mentioned hunting property size matters alot too. Alot of places I hunt just aren't big enough to ambush them over the next hill or on the other side of the brook or whaty have you.

jimmy the foot

i hunt over bait everytime i hunt. oak tree forests, clover fields or patches, brassics, alfalfa, chicory, apples, corn you name it.

GMMAT

Let's see.....Is a food plot "baiting"? Careful ye who cast stones.....

Is an acorn tree with a stand in it...."Baiting"?

I hunt 48 acres with no food source or bedding area (Thicket). I do have 2 streams running through it.....and I've been lucky enough to have the deer use my land as a travel corridor. I plan on planting 2EA - 1/2 acre food plots , next year.....and yes...I'll hunt over them. I also plan on doing this to assure the deer in my area are being nourished. I "baited" deer and turkeys all season, this year.....to the tune of 100-150lbs of corn a week. I know my turkeys are happy.....and I know the deer are sporadically feeding on the corn. I've seen them eating corn in the field on the few occasions I hunt over the bait. I also haven't shot at a deer over bait, all season.

I'll continue to feed my deer as the Winter progresses.....even though hunting season goes out, here, this Saturday.

For the record.....I don't care too much for gun hunting or the practice of running dogs to hunt deer. Thin is, though.....it's legal to do both (in parts of my state). High fences??? Legal.

Careful ye who cast stones.......I might can see through your walls.

Jeff

Hunter_59

SBGobblers, you might want to check with the NWTF about their recommendations on feeding turkeys corn. I guess corn can have some sort of deadly aflatoxin in it that can kill turkeys. Just thought I would give you a heads-up.

mgk3961

Let's see.....People will use compound bows that shoot 300 fps, carbon arrows, titanium broadheads, trigger releases, 20 ft. high tree stands, scent lock camouflage clothing, scent killer spray, rubber boots, the list goes on and on and on....yet, these are the very same people that say hunting over a corn pile is somehow different than sitting at the edge of a corn field. I don't buy it. The deer has a choice in my opinion as to where it eats. If it makes that bad decision to dip into my corn pile and it's of sufficient size, it's going to take one for the team.

deernutz

Well if you plant the food plots for hunting over or around then it's a form of baiting.

deernutz

But personally I don't really care, I would love to have land to plant food plots.

BOWFANATIC

I wish they would make it illegal here so everyone could go back to hunting the way I was taught as a kid. It's not my idea of what hunting is all about. It's come to the point where ye with the biggest bait pile or food plots will have the most deer in the area. Truly sad in my opinion.

spde911

If it's legal in your area, I really don't see a problem with it. To me it's the same as sitting on the edge of a wheat field or other food source. I just got a new area to hunt this year and the only food source I've found is acorns. I have a stand set up in a wooded area that looks like it has some deer trails through it and there are lots of acorn producing trees there. I put up a home made corn feeder, but it hasn't been touched all season, except for birds, so I don't think I'll use it again. I'm still fairly new to hunting and I'm trying to figure out what brings the deer in. I'm still trying to figure out scouting and looking for deer sign. This was my third year hunting (second with bow) and I saw lots of deer last year, but not too many this year. I did get lucky enough to take one buck, but haven't seen much else all year. I plan on doing some work to the land for next year, ie: planting food plots and clearing some trails. I hope to figure this stuff out so that I can have a "more successful" season. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy that I was fortunate enough to take one doe last year and one buck this year. I love hunting and spending the timein the woods and I love learning more every year. Things are coming together and I'm sure with more experience it will just continue to get better. As for baiting, if it's legal, I don't see a problem with it. It's a personal prefrence. In OK, you can use feeders, but you can't shot while deer are feeding from them, only while they are walking to or from.