Could'nt tell you if its right or wrong, I guess its just based on how you areuse to hunting and what works for you. I have never had to hunt over a feeder (its illegal in NY). But i will tell you this my first 6 years of hunting i hadn't killed a thing, my seventh year and i finally put it all together and learn how to hunt my area's (scouting, scent control, figuring deer movements, ect.), and i drop a 10 pointer. I have gotten at least 1 buck every year since and sometimes 2-3. That is the only way of huntingI know now doing all my homework. That being said.

Last year in one of my not so easy to hunt spots partially in the Adirondacks (all forest, swamps, ect.)were i had yet to score a deer i decided to move closer to the hunting camp because i knew deer would be coming that way to the apple trees at the camp, so i would cut them off, well i did and finally scored a buck, and i wasnt happy like all my other kills, seemed to easy but legal. Its just what you are use to i guess

Sorry for the drawn out post

The difference between "baiting" and a food plot is the size of the bait pile. If I spread shelled corn over an acre......is that "baiing"? Why isn't a food plot of the same size "Baiting"? If that's true, then (My statement).......

The difference between a "food Plot" and an "agricultural field" is the size of the field. Plant me a 100 acre food plot........or a 1 acre field of soy beans.....and tell me the difference.

As a hunter.....you can choose to downgrade your fellow hunter for employing practices that you're either ignorant to.....or don't approve of....in an effort to make yourself and your chosen methods seem "superior"/"elitist". Or.....you could simply STFU.....support your fellow hunter.....and recognize that he's hunting legally....and that YOUR concern over projecting YOUR ethics on him is absolutely ludicrous. He's hunting legally.....and he's not hurting our sport. Your problem with it (voicing it, boisterously) IS.

MY opinion. Pointing NO fingers. I'm going to climb a tree.

I'm late to the party here.
I don't have an interest in hunting over bait,I do understand where in some area's it is the only practical way to hunt or to control populations.I don't like how conditioned and desensitized an animal may become and I believe that to kill an animal under those circumstances doesn't present any particular challenge.To me it is more like shooting an animal for food than hunting.
The biggest objections I had to the seven year old killing the young buck was that the animal was completely desensitized,and that the set up of the weapon being used wasn't sufficient to kill cleanly and quickly,I also question whether a child of the age of 7 should be killing any thing yet,but that is another conversation.
I do see feeders being different than short term baiting,primarily because of the predictability of the response.Animals become quickly habituated.Years ago prior to it being illegal for a couple of winters I put corn out for deer after all the hunting seasons ended.I wanted to help them through the winter.In hind sight it was a mistake even though I fed them regularly from January through april.I would put the corn out in the morning before going to work.The deer actually became habituated to hearing my garage door opening and would come running and wait for me to put the corn out.20 or 30 deer of all different levels of wariness would stand in the field and wait for me.
I know the same thing holds true for the programmed timers on feeders.Do I think it likely a mature buck would come rushing in,no I don't,but if it were during the rut and a doe he was tending came in he would be close behind.
I am not opposed to the practice I just don't equate it the same way as other methods of hunting,taking an animal under those circumstances would not bring any particular satisfaction to me,other than enjoying the meat.
No offense is intended to anyone.

Whatever's leagal I guess - though personally, I wouldn't do it.

Don't see how people can honestly say that hunting over a 'natural' crop field is the same as hunting over a deer feeder. It's like handing the deer their food on a platter. Espically when manmade manufactured 'bait' is used - it's going to have WAY more appeal to deer than a bunch of old crusty soybeans laying on the ground or an alfalfa field? A feeder is like crack for deer.

I agree with what you have said but our opinions don't mean much to guy's that have different values and ethics. I don't think it is right to point out another mans ethics and say there wrong when it is perfectly legal in his area. I am sure that there is things in all of our lives that another man want agree with.

A story to show my point (hopefully)............

My father-in-law is from Louisiana, there culture and raising is completly different from anything I have ever had. I'm not saying there bad people, heck, my wife is from there. Anyway, this man, year after year kills as many as 6 fawns (I have seen his kills with spots). I have asked him time after time why he does it. His answer: " There very good eating and it's legal". I cant' remember what there bag limits are but I know he takes more than his fair share (has another fella to check them in for him). It drives me crazy, year after year of this unethical bullsnot. The thing is though that this man is 50 yrs old and set in his ways. He has been doing this stuff his whole life (raised to be like this) and there is nothing I can do about it. I spent the first 3 yrs of my marriage trying to change this mans views. That was three years that I couldn't enjoy my hunting because I was worried about someone else on different land and a different state. I think we should try to educate younger people and try to give them a higher standard of ethics.

As for the the little guy in the video killing the pet, hedoesn't have much of achance, I'm sure his father is the same way. It's kind of like when you have two crack head parents trying to raise a kid, that kid doesn't have much of a chance.

I hope that anyone reading these threads will at least concider your ethics as ahunter and try to mold them to a higher standard (not that I am were I need to be). If you don't though, it's not going to hurt my feelings. I enjoy the company of fellow hunters and appreciate everyones opinions but I draw the line at illegal. If your ethics are such that you think you don't have to obey the law thenI have no use for you as a hunter,and possibly as a person.

Oh my God I am so tired of this subject. On every forum on the internet someone makes a post on this at least once a week.

If you don't like it, don't do it. If you do, then enjoy. If its legal, leave the other man alone. Yeah, we know opinions are a dime a dozen, but my God people.

BIG

You make the argument that its not "challenging" b/c you "know" the deer are going to come to the feeder. How is this? Do the guys who hunt over feeders have a lead or tracking collar on the deer? In this case hunting over a feeder or bait is no different than hunting over a food plot or an oak tree dropping acorns. You "know" the deer are coming, right?

Ok. Here it goes:

You find a good oak ridge deep inside the woods, no one else knows about it. They are loaded with nice tasty white oak acorns and guess what? You look at your feet and they have started to drop. Man, oh man. you hit the power ball. Deer tracks EVERYWHERE!!!! BINGO!!!!!! You scout the area, pick a few trees to put a stand(s) in to cover every wind that you possibly can. You enter the area the next afternoon with hopes of that next Booner coming your way. An hour and a half before sunsetyou see him. Coming right into the acorns. You wait for the shot, let the string fly. WHHHHAMMMMM. He is down for the count. Congrats man!!! AWESOME BUCK!!!!

Ok...here we go:

You scout deep into the woods. You find a nice place where the deer have been traveling through well. You think, "hum, they are coming in here good, so why not put out some corn to try to get them to visit the area a little more frequently". So, you go back. Grab a 50lb bag of corn and throw it over your shoulder. A bag of corn over your shoulder, a stand in your hand. You get back to the spot. Find a place where you want to put out some corn. So, you do so. Then you pick a few trees that you put up stand(s) in to cover every possible wind that you can. You hunt the area with great hopes of the next booner coming your way. The next morning 2hrs after sunrise here he comes. OMG. You about fall out of the stand! You pull the string back and WHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAMmmmm OMG MAN !!! AWESOME BUCK!!!

Whats the difference? Oh. Wait, Let me guess??? "The corn was put there by the hunter, but the oak trees were "natural"", right? Um. did you notice how those oak trees were ina "row"? Um...trees don't grow in rows fellas. Or, did you know thata hunter found that spot years before and thought, 'hum, nice spot to plant some white oaks for my future hunts".

WHATS THE DIFFERENCE??????????????????????????
Have some of you "non-baiters" ever stopped and thought about the fact that most people that bait were RAISED into it? They were born and raised in a state that baiting was/is legal so to them its just as "natural" as throwing up a tree stand?

Here is a thought for you to ponder!!! Make a thread asking how many people have killed MATURE bucks on a bait station or pile or feeder or whatever you want to call it? Please do so!!!!

Oh wait. So, the guy who sets up his stand on the edge of an ag. field is better, huh? come on. Give me a break. Get out in the freakin' woods and leave people alone.

I'm on the fence post on this disscussion my friends because I agree to both sides..

Let me explain please.

I am a member of a hunt club here in Virginia & I see lots of Deer but when the season is over a few Club officers "including my self" will set out some Minerals & a few feeders to help the remaining herd through the rest of the winter, spring & part of the summer & around July we will take all of it out to be well within the legal status of the law, out side of a few members no one knows the location of any of the mineral & or feed sights unless they simply stumble apaun them & since we have marked stand sights 98% of the time members never even get to where these sights are located.
Now I agree 100% with this tactic because we are supplementing the herd with food & vital nutrients that they need to be healthy & possibly become very bountiful for us in the long run but since we do not have them out well in advance of opening Bow season & the fact that not many know of these locations we are not hunting dirrectly over them.

Now I will also agree with having a feeder out during hunting season & hunting near it "AS LONG AS IT IS LEGAL IN THAT JURISDICTION" because like my fathers tract of property which is mostly similar to semi swamp area, Deer rarely go through it & in an instance like this where public lands & ofcorse areas where farmers rarely grant hunting priviledges is a long drive away & the only time that a person has time to hunt is on maybe weekends, I can see where this would be a viable way to entice Deer to visit the only property available to this person but again AS LONG AS IT IS LEGAL IN THAT JURISDICTION.
"just to make it clear, I used my fathers property as an example not that it is being practiced because it is not due to the fact that it is ILLEGAL in the state of Virginia & my father does heve close by public lands available to him."

I'm not opposed to baiting where legal, but did want to chime in with something. It seems like a lot of the pro-baiters site that it's no different than hunting a trail or a stand of white oaks.

I tend to disagree with that assertion. The natural funnels, trails, sign, and food sources must be located through scouting, etc. The artificial food plot does not.

So, a food plot is natural? An ag field is natural? Planted oaks is natural? Roads and highways that "funnel" deer certain ways. Man made ponds, dykes, man made "forests". These are natural?

There is no such thing as "natural" today. Man has his hand in everything!!! GIVE IT UP!!!

QUESTION!?!?!?!?!

A man who goes out does all his scouting finds "NATURAL" food and "NATURAL funnels......but decides to put out a little corn in the area to "spice" things up.

Lets see. He scouted. Found all the "natural" stuff. Is hunting the "natural" stuff, but decided to maybe give himself maybe a 1% advantage. Um...lets see. what now?

oh yeah...the food wasn't "Natural" right?

but its alright to find honey suckle, wild grapes, oaks, and shoot fertilizer to them to make them produce more than they "naturally" would.....

come on guys. I've lived in the South my whole life...i've heard and fussed this top 100000000000000000000000000000000 times.