Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I would like to see where everyone stands on this issue.

I do not bait nor would I. I had at one time hunted by a corn pile (it is legal in ohio) but I knew right then it just wasn' t for me. Never hunted over one again. It just didn' t feel right to me. It didn' t feel like I was hunting. I can not really explain how it made me feel. I am glad that I didn' t harvest a deer that day, I just know it would not have sat well with me over the past few years.

I am not saying one should or should not hunt over bait nor am I implying that it is wrong to do so. I am just saying it wasn' t for me and to see where others stand on this issue.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

This could get interesting.


When I see someone baiting deer I go[:' (]

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RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

It' s legal in Maryland. I think it screws up some otherwise good hunting possibilities. It works best late in the season..... but it screws up the deer patterns. In an " Unfed" wild woods the deer get cold, hungry and have to take on fuel. If they know there' s a big pile just up the ridge they don' t have to wander in search of the last acorn. Instead, they wait until last light and just about gallop to the bait piles. Once they find out there are humans near the piles(because you shoot one or they smell the heaavy traffic) they get more nocturnal and cautious. I think it becomes more of shooting and not so much hunting. I just love to see a buck wandering around a sunlit ridge at 3:30 looking for acorns in the fall leaves. You pile up bait he' ll show in poor shooting light surrounded by a dozen does and fawns. To many eyes. It also tends to make us become less like hunters and we develop bad habits. Why concentrate 20 deer in one spot when you can have them wandering through several spots on a regular basis. It gives me no joy to see 30 deer when others hunting with me without the pile see none. In short.... it just screws up the deer patterns. I' ve been around it(baiting) a little, but don' t really think it' s my kind of hunting. Nothing like a buck in the wild cruising for food.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

Dave,
You' re exactly right. On our lease on the Shore, all the other clubs bait. We don' t, and we' ve seen a substantial decrease in deer sightings on our land. We may have to start, just to pull some of the herd back to us.
Charlie

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

Treebark.... it would be expensive... but you can offer some tasty treats broadcast over a wide area that would really make the deer travel in your area. I think 100 pounds of raw peanuts in the shell cost about $90. You just have to use a little in with the corn and they' ll search out every last peanut first. I' d just sew it on ridges etc in a big dispersal pattern. I usually buy one bag a year for my back yard. I' ll use a half or less of a #2 can of peanuts to every 2 cans of corn. Sometimes they just dig threw it all and eat out the peanuts. They do love those things but they' re pricy. BUT then..... you become a baiter.[:' (] You can' t win. I will say I don' t think you' ll ever find the big boys going to a bait pile in good light.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

Thanks for the tip, Dave. They just clear-cut our lease last year, so we' ll see what happens to the deer movement now. We only use it for gun season, and it' s more of a hang-out-with-the guys kind of place. We usually get a few big does and a couple of buck off each year, between BP & rifle. I usually end up wishing that I was back here bowhunting. I do see more deer here, that' s for sure.
Charlie

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I kind of on the fence on this also. I don' t like hunting over a bait pile and usually don' t. Sometime in the " surburban" hunting in this part of the state you pretty much have to to pull the deer off of the anti' s property next door. I hunt mostly public property but once in awhile someone will ask me to come over and " help" them with their problem.
B

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I think baiting is fine. Usually I dont bait, but if I do I wouldnt feel any less of a hunter. Some people have always baited, and thats the way they hunt. I dont think anything is wrong with it.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I too think baiting is fine. I have on several occaisions seen deer walk directly past my bait, without a second glance and that wasn' t during the rut. So bait doesn' t always bring them in. Hey, we all know bow hunting isn' t like hunting with a rifle, where you can take a 200+ yard shot. 25-30 yards is probably the farthest shot a majority of bow hunters will take. Don' t we all want every advantage we can get in the woods?
ie:cover or attractant scents,grunt calls or rattle bags, camo

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I stand about 25 yards off to the side of the feeder.[&:]

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I feel that baiting will help you shoot a deer. I don' t think anyone will shoot a " good" deer over bait, but getting a deer is what most want to do.

All hunters fall into three types:

1 I want to fill my tag.

2 Let the small one go, I won' t shoot a doe, or less than a six point.

3 If it ain' t a trophy, I won' t shoot it.

In Wisconsin, we need to kill more deer. If baiting helps, with out spreading C.W.D. I' m all for it.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I dont really have a problem with it. I did it last year, and, it didnt help me at all. Soooo.....its kinda a non issue because i dont do it anymore. I did however try the peanut oil trick, and that im going to hunt over. I dont know if thats baiting or not, its more like a salt like, so yea i guess. But, i doubt it really helps any either. But, if somoene feels its going to help them, more power to them.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I think baiting or hunting over feeders should be banned. If its legal in your state and you want venison, hunt over bait. I hope Minnesota stays no baiting. I really think they will, theres been a strong push to stop feeding deer all together especially with Wisconsins recent problem.

Good Luck!

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

While I can but don' t bait, I say whatever floats your boat and is legal fine by me. I will have to disagree that you won' t shoot a good deer over bait, having worked in the outfitting industry and have many buddies who either still do or own their own camps, I know for a fact good deer are harvested annually over bait in my neck of the woods. In Saskatchewan 95% of outfitting employs baiting techniques and most of you know what kind of deer our outfitters take down on an annual basis...proof in itself baiting will produce good quality bucks. However or a big but is solid homework, scouting and planning play a key role to hauling in brutes on a yearly basis. While plopping a bait in a general travel area will attract deer, placing a bait in a safety zone that large bucks frequent will attract not only small deer, does and fawns but them same bucks to check baits under broad daylight. To be successful at baiting and harvest top notch deer it takes the same amount time, patience, knowledge and scouting as other techniques. As one who knows it certainly isn' t the easiest way to hunt and I really don' t think guys who take animals over baits are that much less of hunters (in general..meaning the ones who truly take the time and effort to do it properly). Again I don' t guide anymore or hunt over bait but have a versed knowledge of the practice and work ethic it requires in my area to be successful on trophy class whitetails and as such it ain' t as easy as one thinks.

I mentioned it once before but if you want to hunt employing bait fine by me, everybody has their opinion and techniques that elude to success...far be it for me to point my finger or look down my nose at a fellow hunter doing it legally, enjoying success & time spent outdoors.

PS: When baiting is employed in high deer density areas where the chance of disease spread (CWD, etc) is high than I would have to agree that baiting should be banned. Any practice hunters use can lead to herd health issues or damage than it is in the best interest to remove or ban that technique. Here in our province CWD has reared its ugly head in areas where deer have become over populated and see limited hunting pressure (mostly farmland in the south west) and in this case I would frown upon any individual who would bait with the knowledge that this could further promote such spread or cases. As a sportsman I think part of our responsibilty is to respect and protect the resource that we so dearly love to chase..part and parcel a sportsman must be a conservationist & educator to ensure our resource will be their for generations to come.

Good luck and have a safe season:)

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

To me hunting over bait pile isn' t hunting. there' s enough natural food sources out there that you can hunt by or the trails leading to them that they don' t need piles dumped out there for them.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

Same here. Hunting over a pile of food isn' t hunting to me. I prefer to hike around still hunting very slowly. Sometimes I sit over trails or near orcherds but I usually walk around spot and stalk style for pigs and goats. Tho I sometimes will pour a can of corn out and leave but I don' t watch it. I just make my way back towards it after a while to see if the pigs have found it and are eating. Got a nice young boar one time by doing that but I hardly ever do it.

I also could not afford a feeder and feed.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I will be the first to admit that I am no expert when it comes to baiting.
The area that I live in alows it but it is a practice that I have not employed.
The first thing that comes to mind is what is the definition of baiting? One of webster' s definitions of bait is " any device of allurement" . Now according to this definition wouldnt rattling,scent trails, or hanging a stand over a natural food source be considered baiting? As a hunter I spend my scouting time either looking for where the game feeds, waters, or sleeps. This is what all predators do.

I personally have never hunted deer over a man made bait station but I have hunted bears that way and I will attest to the fact that baits for bears are advantageous. It will give you the opportunity to better judge an animal in a more relaxed atmosphere,i.e. is it a sow with cubs or an immature boar.

Wether or not you personally choose to us baits is as individual as hunters themselves, I just ask that it not divide us as sportsmen. When we are divided over debates such as this it makes for an easy target for the anti' s to step in.

Be safe and good hunting

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

Downsides
1. CWD and baiting are linked
2. Mostely see young deer at the bait
3. Very seldom see bucks at a bait much less a big buck
4. Changes the natual movement of the heard.
5. Too many deer at close range at one time ie too many eyes chances are you will be spoted when you go to make a shot.

Upsides
1. Encreases your chance of seeing deer, squirels, racoons etc.
2. Good tool for up close picture takeing


Might have missed some in either bracket but I think the downside will always outweigh the upside.
IMO the best way to hunt over bait is to hunt a corn, bean or other kind if crop field. The deer will be moveing natually and could appear anywhere on the field makeing it a little more like hunting.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I think it' s a matter of personel preference, some do and some don' t. If it' s legal where a person hunts and it helps a person fill their tags then i have no problem with it at all, same as scents and calls. Imo i see no difference in hunting over a corn field, beanfield,acorn ridge,bait pile or using lures and calls. It' s all a way of harvesting game. As for me i have some stands i bait and some i don' t. I have to disagree that a big buck can' t be taken on a bait pile because i have some on my wall that were and i know others that have killed some big bucks on bait. I do agree that most of the time does and young bucks will come to bait but what better bait is there for a big buck than a hot doe. If bait draws in the does then the buck won' t be far behind especially when the rut kicks in. I' ve seen some really big bucks killed trailing behind does. I do whatever it takes to fill the freezer:D

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

Arthur P, you stole my line. I was gonna say I stand about 20 yds down wind.:D

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

out of about 15-16 hunters in our lease, I' m the only one that don' t bait deer. I personally feel like baitin is not givin the deer a fair chance. instead of just walkin to a stand and sittin over a pile of corn(because you know deer will show up) I like to scout for natural food sources, trails, rub and scrape lines, and figure out where to place my stand in relation to these.
that being said, I don' t hold it against a hunter that has only 20-30 acres to hunt on, for baitin. he has to have some way to hold the deer in there. but as long as a hunter has a lot of land that has plenty of food sources available, I don' t see the need to bait.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

Its illegal here so obviously I don' t do it. I also feel there are plenty of deer around my areas that if you needed to bait in order to shoot one, you aren' t a very good hunter.
BUT, for those areas with much lower deer densities and a way of hunting that' s built upon it, I' m not going to tell those people they are wrong or bad.
Just call me a fence sitter:D

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

If I grew up in an area where baiting was how everyone hunted, I probably wouldn' t know any different. But since I didn' t...I have a different opinion about it. I personally would quit hunting before I' d sit over a pile of bait. I don' t really consider it hunting, more like shooting. Training deer to come to a specific spot, at specific times doesn' t seem to require much skill. Folks kill deer all the time over bait, but I' d bet the # of mature bucks that visit bait piles during daylight is very slim.

That being said, if it' s legal where you hunt, and you want to do it....go for it. I won' t put you down for it, we all need to stick together as hunters...we got enough going against us as it is.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

up here everyone hunts over bait usually apples but they only go out the last half of the afternoon. for the last two years I have tired to get away for it due to lack of productivey, but I hunt over food plots which I consider baiting

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I will hunt over corn piles until disease becomes a problem. My time in the field is limited and I prefer venison to beef. I hunt to get outside and fill the freezer not necessarily to take a trophy. If I were into trophy hunting I would change tactics to at least make me feel better about the way I harvested the trophy.

Baiting is also good when you carry kids hunting. If they see game they are more likely to stay interested in the sport.

Besides, around here the big boys dont come to the bait.....but the tasty slick heads sure do!

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I disagree....

what about

4. Let the small ones go, shoot plenty of doe.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

Amen Rob, great point! That' s me, and I know alot of other hunters that are in #4 as well.

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

:DCount me in as a number 4!
;) As far as baiting goes, a corn pile, clover plot, bean field are all the same. It doesn' t require any more skill to sit over a corn field than it does a corn pile.If it' s legal in your area then go for it! The biggest problem with hunters is the mindset that if you don' t do it my way, then your not doing it right. It' s just more fuel for the Antis....

>>>---DAVIDP---SILERCITY,NC--->

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

It isn' t legal here in VA. So I don' t do it. Would I? hmm I don' t think I would want the WMA' s filled with piles of corn just cause it would make it even harder to hunt that area. private land. Hell It' s your land do what you want. The CWD issue is another story. I don' t know if anyone really knows that it spreads that way, but if that is where the research is pointing then they should stop the baiting and feeding altogether.
But let me toss a few other things out.
What' s the difference between hunting over bait and using scents?
does the doe urine spread CWD??
What about salt licks and mineral licks? I' ve created a mineral lick mostly to bring the deer in for pictures. Is that baiting?? According to the VA laws it ceases to be paiting 30 days after the salt has disolved. but where does the salt go? Lots of questions. some of the answers are kind of grey.

David

RE: Where do you stand on Baiting.
 

I am from Southern Il Myself And It took me a while to accept Baiting...In Texas its part of the deer hunting Religeon to bait...every body does it.

Let me tell ya, For all you Midwestern boys out there its very easy to judge baiting when all you have around you are soybeans, corn and wheat fields not to mention Forests exploding with Acorns!

Its a different story in Texas...The areas That I hunt if you can even find one white oak you have a treasure! Deer are more prone to " free Range" out here more than Northern Deer. Biating just evens up the hunting game out here thats all.