Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Want everyone's opinion on whether baiting should be legal or illegal.

I personally do not have a problem with baiting. The deer population grows so fats that it helps the animals, and also helps the hunters harvest more.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I do not hunt over bait, but I have no problems with people who do. I would not be as proud of a buck that I killed over a bait pile, it would not be completely natural or fair chase IMO.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I think it should be legal, up to the person who wants to/doesn't want to bait. Personally I don't do it. As Double said, I wouldn't be as proud of a buck I shot over a pile of bait, but for some people in certain areas that's the most productive way of getting a mature animal.

EDIT - I should also add that I feel if you're going to legalize one form of baiting, you should legalize it all. Here in Washington it's legal to bait deer and elk, but illegal to bait bears. I find this to be a rather stupid restriction, but I can see where the game department is coming from. Deer and Elk won't generally attack you if you come across a bait pile where as a bear might. Either legalize it all or none.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I know that over hear in Louisiana that most places are so thick that if you wouldn't bait you would hardly see a deer. And I do mean hardly. There are very little agriculture crops around, so you don't have those to glass or hunt by. Also with all the thickets the deer can bed anywhere. There is very little elevation so you saddles and ridges and benches are really well defined making figuring travel routs difficult. If I didn't have to bait I wouldn't but that is the way it is. For me if you use any doe in heat scent, grunt calls etc. you are baiting. Otherwise just sit in a spot and wait for them to come.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I hunted over bait years ago, and didn't see too much of an advantage. Of course, we didn't get into much detail with it. If you took the time, it could provide a huge advantage. All we ever saw were does and small bucks. I see many mature bucks now.

Personally, I think it's for each hunter to decide, though and I wouldn't judge somebody for it.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I think Pro-Line is right. You might get a nice 2 1/2 year old buck making a mistake by visiting a pile of corn but that is the exception and not the norm. The older deer know what’s going on with that bait and the heed caution, only hitting it at night or not even messing with it at all unless their natural food sources are dried up. I have friends from all over ranging from Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina, etc. and they all came down here to hunt with the same notion of not baiting and before it was said and done they were throwing out corn, and scratching their heads.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Ditto, Im in East Texas, Good Point.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Should using scent be legal? How about rattling? Treestands? Should it be legal? Why not. To not be as "proud" of a deer over bait than not? Really?[&o]

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I wouldn't be as proud of a deer I shot over bait because I would know that I didn't put my heart and soul into the hunt. Anyone can go out and throw out a ton (sometimes literally) of food for an animal and kill it. It takes a certain amount of knowledge of the animal that you're pursuing in order to scout said animal, place a stand, and harvest it.

Bait alters an animals usual pattern, scent doesn't, treestands don't. That is the only problem I have with baiting. People who go out and scout before season and then have their scouting ruined because someone put a pile of corn a half mile back in the woods and changed their patterns irritates me. Placing scent on a trail doesn't do that. It may get the buck to stop for the extra second you need to place your shot, or bring it in the extra ten yards, but it isn't going to alter their usual patterns like bait will.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I'm pretty much in agreeance with everyone else - I wouldn't personally hunt over bait unless I had to, but at the same time I don't think it should be illegal. My grandfather was still bow hunting when he was in his late 70's. He has emphesyma pretty bad and can't get around much anymore, so he would sit up in the loft of his barn over a corn pile and shoot his doe every year for meat. Had baiting been illegal he wouldn't have had that opportunity.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

last year , while bowhunting on private land my dad heard an awfull noise, then deer ran from all directions to the area he heard the noise , well it got dark and the next evening my dad locked up on a trail he saw a doe on the day before and put me on a tree were he saw some more go by,well 30 minute before dark crash the noise again ,and like clockwork the deer were troting down our trails , i stuck one and so did my dad, after returning to our car we found the neighboor all ticked off he had placed a feeder in the thickets on the bourder of our property and we cut him off he watch the whole thing from his ground blind about 1oo yards away,,,,,,, i never in my life seen anything like that ,i have placed bags of corn out infront of my stand and it took weeks for the deer to eat it , not once did i see a deer eat the corn.......

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Should baiting be legal? YES, with certain exceptions. Like in areas with CWD problems.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I think it's funny how the people talk about they wouldn't be proud of a deer they killed over bait probably never have hunted over it because it's illegal to do so in their state. :eek: In Texas we can hunt over bait legally. Last year the three of us that bowhunt together never shot any of our deer hunting over bait. Just because it's there doesn't necessarily mean it's like riniging a dinner bell. I didn't even see a deer near my feeders and 99% of our pics of deer at the feeders were at night.

This is like the high fence debate, if we keep arguing about it amongst ourselves, chances are that at some point in the future we won't have to worry about it anyway because none of us will be hunting. If you don't believe me just ask hunters that use dogs in parts Alabama; or at least used to use dogs. That's been going on for generations in the South but now there are several counties where you can't hunt with dogs. Don't fool yourself into thinking that it can't happen to "ethical" hunters because you're only kidding yourselves.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

:D (thanks guys):D

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I'd don't care either way, but I'd rather have Sunday hunting here!

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Illegal.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

leagle

I realy see no differince in baiting and hunting over a food plot,agg filde or for that matter over oak trees.

You are hunting over a food scorice in each of thoes situations

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

i agree with bt

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

your pretty much baiting if you hunt under an oak tree deer change their patterns for the acorns

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I think baiting should be up to whoever is hunting.Whatever tickles your fancy.As long as it is done in an ethical manner.
I wouldn't mind baiting bears if it were legal.
Elkshed

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I wouldn't set out man made bait or plant a food plot if it were ever legal here , but I won't throw stones at those who do either . To each their own .

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I have no problem with baiting in areas with a need to thin out an over populated herd, I wouldn't hunt over bait, but to each thier own.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Dang Hoofers...that would be tough. I don't know what I'd do on Sundays if I couldn't hunt.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

i agree with taz. whatever you want to do. i personally don't hunt over bait, but i don't have a problem with other folks doing it...

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

If big deer will hardly ever visit bait except at night,why have I seen literally hundreds of pictures and video's of deer visiting feeders during the day time?

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I've heard this argument used alot. I hunt in NY I know people that huntin the Adrondacks and Catskills that kill deer consistently with out bait. They are both large and thick and no bait can be used.

You also can't tell me there's no difference between a food plot or a stand of oaks and a solitary feeder.

Having said that, if you enjoy hunting over bait and it's legal, have at it. I would never try and get it legal in NY. From what I've read in other states it creates alot of problems on public land and between neighbors.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Charlie...Baiting should never be legal on public land IMO. Not a morality thing...just a common sense thing.

That's just askin for trouble. You'd have 10 guys sittin on a bait pile they didn't put out. Then the fistacuffs would begin.

In OH and WV, baiting is not legal on public land.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Mike, I have hunted over bait and I have killed several deer hunting over bait. There is no challenge IMO, it changes a deer's natural feeding pattern. I also think you miss out on some unbelieveable hunting when you only concentrate on hunting over bait.

In cases like you mentioned where you rarely ever hunted over the bait, I have no problems with that, baiting to hold deer on you property is fine by me. But IMO, there is no challenge associated with hanging a stand over a bait pile.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

hola,new guy here, just joined the site. my thoughts on baiting, i love it. i see all kinds of critters, few deer and nothing really old enough to harvest.lots of pigs though man do i love fresh pork.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Ahhh, the ol' to bait or not to bait debate - gotta love it.

If you really put your mind to work and think about it for long enough, you will all realize that baiting is merely another extension of a long line of advantages we give ourselves to hunt the elusive white tail. It's a tool. It's not for sissies or beginners or lazy hunters. How many pound let-off is unfair? How true or fresh of a scent lure is unfair? At what point do we call the camo and cover up scents and carbon suits and all the other crap out there unfair? I know some guys on this board will spend millions this year in all the latest fads with no-scent this and un-scent that as well as the latest technology in bows to squeak that arrow to its 25 yard destination a whole millionth of a second faster than last year's bow. My point - baiting should NOT be illegal under any circumstances and I will cite two reasons why: First and foremost, it is nothing short of the anti's getting a bigger grip around our ankles to take us down - it's taking a freedom away, one more thing that "they" can say "we" cannot do. Secondly, it's not a guaranteed kill by any means, ever. I've been hunting over bait for 23 years and I will continue to hunt over bait. I've killed some nice bucks over bait, but that's not why I hunt over bait - I hunt over bait to get some venison in the freezer, then I hunt the patterns of the bucks and forget the bait. Nothing wrong with that IMO.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Challenge, Double Creek??? Methinks that's a matter of low importance in today's bowhunting world. 300 fps bows, carbon arrows, mechanical releases, mechanical heads, scent blocking this and that, treestands, camo to match each and every tree and bush in the forest, calls, scents, decoys, gps, radio communications, lazer rangefinders, aerial maps... the list goes on and on and on! ALL these things are for one purpose - to reduce the amount of challenge in taking an animal with a bow and arrow and stack as many odds as possible in the lap of the bowhunter.

Automatic feeders are a very nice fit into modern bowhunting equipment and theory.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Welcome to the forum Shishkabob!

With a few minor exceptions - Baiting is not legal in Illinois.
I would like to have the opportunity to decide for myself whether or not to hunt near bait.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

personally i dont bait. its more of a challenge and more rewarding not to. i dont mind if you do. ive gone with a buddy of mine and he hunts over a bait pile. i guess it shouldnt be illegal, but there should be restrictions on how much. by our place everyone around us baits. so that draws the does in and the does draw the bucks.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

What's the difference in hunting over a food plot you planted, hunting over a clump of white oaks that are dropping acorns, or hunting over corn. Poring out corn is no different than planting a food plot and hunting over it. Deer change their patterns to the specific food source. If a certain group of white oaks quit producing , the deer are going to find the next group that is producing. Being able to harvest more deer because of bait is helpful in controlling the deer population. IMHO

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Baiting should be legal IMO. In some areas this may the only way to get deer to frequent the property you can hunt. If you want to put out a nutricious food that the deer will benefit from I do not have a problem with than. In some instances the bait being used may not be healthy for the deer and this I have issues with.

An alternative to baiting would be to improve wildlife habitat on your property in the form of cover and food sources. Some may call this baiting and I can understand that arguement. I have planted two small food plots for the deer in my area. These are food sources that will be avaiable to the deer throughout the year and provide them nutritiuos forage they will benifit from. This is the first year I've planted food plots. I have no intentions of hunting over the plots. They were planted to supplement the deers diet and to improve the health of the herd. By improving the habitat the deer will frequent the aera more and provide better hunting opportunities. I will hunt from the same time tested stand I have for the past 12 years. I'll hunt the funnels and travel lanes that have produced for me in the past, hopefully with more sightings of bigger healthier deer as a result of the habitat improvments.

And IMO also. I believe there are ways to increase your odds without sitting over a bucket of feed.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

This is dumbest argument of all time. Ok, so you mean your bait pile is the equivalent of me hunting over my 7 acre food plot? Are you kidding me? Do you spread you bait pile over 7 acres? I doubt it.

Baiting is the same as hunting over oaks?...... What!? ......My land has hundreds if not thousands of oaks on it. Do you have hundreds of baitpiles? I doubt it......

The "master" baiters need to come up with better arguments than that.

BTW A.R. Hunter, this not directed towards you, you post was one of MANY I have read with the same point of view. Welcome to the board.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Actually, yes. You planted that food plot to change the deer's feeding patterns and bring them out of those oak trees. Same concept. You're just using a larger bait pile. ;)

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

ArthurP, yes many products and advances in archery do reduce the challenge associated with hunting. IMO the ULTIMATE challenge would be harvesting mature bucks using bare bow. However, I am not up to that challenge. I will reduce the challenge enough to give me a decent chance at being conistent. That is why I use compounds, etc.

It's like my jogging. I jog every day. The Boston Marathon would be the ulitmate challenge. However, I am not up to doing what it takes to accomplish that. I am very satisfied just running a 5k or 10k. I get what I want out of it and it challenges me.

With that said, to each his own with baiting, BUT don't expect me to respect what you killed over bait the same why I will respect what someone killed under natural conditions.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

Come on now Arthur, you know that is BS. My food plots serve another purpose for me, I use them for nutrition. I don't have a stand any where near my plots, but even if I did, there is no comparison b/t a 7 acres food plot and a 7ft bait pile.

RE: Should Baiting be Legal or Illegal
 

I never said I've hunted over bait. As a matter of fact, I don't. I don't hunt over man-made food plots either. I don't disrespect you for hunting over your food plot. You shouldn't disrespect someone else for hunting over a feeder. That's the point I'm trying to make.

But it still changes the deer's feeding patterns, draws them to a certain area and makes your scouting MUCH easier. Just like a bait pile. BS flows two ways on this food plot vs feeders issue.

Even if I used feeders or food plots, I'd scout the trails coming into it and hunt the trails instead of hunting over the bait itself. I'm sure the food plot will have more trails to choose from.