HuntingNet.com Forums - Michigan Baiting

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ORIGINAL: gzg38b

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ORIGINAL: MichiganArcher

Germ, I agree 100%. It's much easier to shoot a deer that is unsuspecting and every deer up there that comes into bait acts as though they're entering the firing squad. Keep me posted on the dipper, I'm interested. I tried a couple up there last year and had them ripped down by a big nasty bruin. He didn't like me.

Vito, I've seen lots of deer up there also, I'm talking within bow range. Up there I've sat for days and not had one pass within my 30 yard range and down here I don't sit a night without at least a doe if not a spike or small buck walking within range. Down here I hunt farm land fence rows and ditch banks where my cameras show me they are moving.

I hunt a farm along the Flint River near Montrose, and most of the deer I see travel along the river to the soybean or corn fields, then back to their beds deep in the timber. I also hunt in big woods in the TB Zone which is no baiting, and I actually see more deer up there. I think the ban on baiting causes them to move more during the daytime. They have to graze to find food instead of gorging themselves on a bait pile at night and bedding down all day.

I also think hunting pressure has alot to do with it. Down here, I hunt a farm that gets hunted by at least 7 other guys, which sucks. Up north in the no bait zone, there aren't many bow hunters.

Where to you hunt at up north? We hunt around the Onaway/Cheboygan area. Our biggest problem up there when baiting was black bear. My family has taken a number of nice deer from up there but always over bait. I may just give it a shot for a couple weekends up this year now that there's sure to be less hunters and see if I can't settle in near some nuts or a water source.