Germ,

You aren't by any chance one of those crazy QDM guys? [8D]

Actually no I am not Shoot what you want, but I like to point out certain flaws in the way we do things in MI Take baiting away in MI and our deer herd would explode in population in the UP and NLP. I am 100% serious guys would not know what to do.

I help a friend this year with his setup. Here is how it worked.

1.We walked 300 yds into the woods.
2.Found an open area
3.Put a bag of corn and some mineral licks down
4.Walk back to car

This is what did not happen

1.Look for deer sign
2.Check the direction of the wind. How it will effect where stand placement is at.
3.look to see where the deer are coming from or going to
4.Look for a funnel, ridge, hogback or anything that resembles a trail or path a deer would take[:-]
5.Look for another food source, LOL We did not even look for Oaks or beechnut trees.

many more but I am headed north to the cabin, I have to get some work done

Germ, baiting has been legal in Ohio for quite some time now with seemingly no ill effects. My father and I have put corn out in two spots twice a week for over 3 years now. There are 2 things I learned: 1) that is a great way to keep a bunch of does around throughout the year (which could be seen as baiting in itsown right)2) a mature buck will only come to our corn when it is very cold (generally the season is over by then). We do nothave stands near our corn because of lesson #2. We do however have the corn positioned so we can watch the does and young bucks go eat it from our houses, which I always enjoy.

I agree! I don't see any problem whatsoever hunting over an oak. It's still not guaranteed that you will get a shot if a deer happens over that way. What about a deer heading to its bed on that slick trail you've been watching. You know he/she has to come down that way sometime, is that not fair either? It's all about preparation and common sense. Smart hunting is OK with me.

You have to remember in the UP there is almost 0 ag land, and there is a differnece in baiting and what was done in MI

I am talking about driving a truck on to state land and dumping a truck load of beets. Baiting in the SLP is pretty much does not hurt either, because of the ag land around us.

Until you experiance it, it is hard to grasp. I am just letting people know how I see it. UP has millions of acres of woods, it is way differnet than anyplace in the midwest. Execpt Northen Wis. Guys who bait in NLP and UP are not trying to hold does, they're trying to kill anything that walks in

I can see that. I didn't think about the land differences. I guess it is like digging a watering hole in the desert? Not much sport there for sure.

Here is the data from 2002

Archery UP
Deer shot over bait Early Season 82.5%
Deer shot not over bait 17.5

Archery SLP
Deer shot over bait Early Season 31.2%
Deer shot not over bait 68.8

I can tell you 90% of those deer shot in UP over bait are 1.5 bucks.

What I mean by that is that "Baiting" is the slang illegal term for using food/feeders/corn piles etc etc.

Now, all the states I have hunted in where baiting WAS legal, never came outright with it and said it. It just never said it wasn't legal. Often, you'll read that using placed food piles, feeders, etc is permissable.

Baiting is just a bad word. Like poaching. Only difference between poaching and hunting is poaching is illegal, often done out of season, or by illegal means etc etc. People who hunt on land they are not allowed on, even during the season, are tresspassers, but often called poachers.

Just a difference in words. But we are all barking up the same tree here.

Acctually, I think its much smarter to hunt over agricultural fields and or oaks with acorns. Deer would rather eat acorns than ANYTHING.

Most of you guys who have never hunted over feeders or corn during the fall really probably don't understand what the name of the game is. The vast majority of the deer will not change their pattern to come to the feeder. No no no no. Especially when there are more and better food sources around. Now way up north in the snow, when food gets scarce, then I suspect that it would have a massive effect.

But in most parts of the south, deer won't much go out of the way to hit corn piles in the fall. The way it works is you have to find a place deer are naturally traveling anyway and dump the corn right slam in their path. Only effect it has, for the most part, is it might make the deer funnel through on that path more often (useful for bow hunting). And it will almost definately make the deer stop to eat for a few minutes. Allowing you a shot opportunity.

Its not exactly like you can dump corn in the parking lot of the hunt club, and expect to see every big buck in the county meandering up in the middle of the day.

I could care less if others bait or not. I know I don't allow it on my land for two reasons. I have personally seen better deer since it has not been allowed. Also I put all the time and money for the food plots I would rather those were hunted and used. I know results may very at bait piles and I know some big bucks have been killed at bait pile I just haven't seen it out by me.

I think baiting can be a very effective means of hunting but there are others and for me it really is just personal preference.

Is there really a difference between hunting food plots or a corn pile. Maybe not directly but I get a little more satifactionknowing I put all that hard work in to grow a plot and it paid off. Notthat same as dumping a bucket of corn for me.