Virginia - removing minerals...?
#1

Okay, so here is a question for those of you/us from Virginia that utilize mineral bricks, mineral powder, mineral spray or anyother type of attractant/feed. How many take the time to make sure that all traces of the mineral/attractant/feed and the tainted soil are removed prior to the start of the season? The VDGIF regulation pamphlet stat that you cannot use feed/minerals or attractants after 1 Sept. but you also must remove the tainted soil as well. It doesnt say it in the regs, but a buddy of mine found that out by receiving a ticket for it. A bit strange that a bale of hay isnt considered feed and that you need to remove tainted soil....
I've written to a few of the attractant manufacturers to find out the life expectancy of thier products once sprayed in the field, but until then....
How many take the time to make sure that all traces of the mineral/attractant/feed and the tainted soil are removed prior to the start of the season?
I've written to a few of the attractant manufacturers to find out the life expectancy of thier products once sprayed in the field, but until then....
How many take the time to make sure that all traces of the mineral/attractant/feed and the tainted soil are removed prior to the start of the season?
#2

Dear Sir,
The problem with using minerals (salt) is that it seeps into the ground and cannot be easily removed. If there is any residue or salt still in the ground, then the area cannot be hunted. The manufacturers of these products don't often put the word "Salt" on the packaging. They usually use the scientific names such as Sodium Chloride or NaCl or some derivative of that. In most instances you have to dig out a considerable area to remove all of the salt from the ground. Unfortunately, you cannot put a number of days to identify when you could resume hunting an area like that. The best measure is to not put the salt out. If you will notice on the packaging of almost every single "attractant" out there - salt is in the ingredients.
If you were to feed with corn or apples, then it is easy to remove the bait from the area so it can be hunted after September 1.
As far as spraying your boots with C'mere Deer (which contains salt in both the liquid form and the solid form) you could be considered to be baiting.
You need to use scents for cover, not food attractants.
I hope this has answered your questions.
Good luck,
Scott
Lieutenant Scott E. Naff
VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
3801 John Tyler Memorial Highway
Charles City, VA 23030
804-829-6580 (office)
804-400-3623 (cell)
The problem with using minerals (salt) is that it seeps into the ground and cannot be easily removed. If there is any residue or salt still in the ground, then the area cannot be hunted. The manufacturers of these products don't often put the word "Salt" on the packaging. They usually use the scientific names such as Sodium Chloride or NaCl or some derivative of that. In most instances you have to dig out a considerable area to remove all of the salt from the ground. Unfortunately, you cannot put a number of days to identify when you could resume hunting an area like that. The best measure is to not put the salt out. If you will notice on the packaging of almost every single "attractant" out there - salt is in the ingredients.
If you were to feed with corn or apples, then it is easy to remove the bait from the area so it can be hunted after September 1.
As far as spraying your boots with C'mere Deer (which contains salt in both the liquid form and the solid form) you could be considered to be baiting.
You need to use scents for cover, not food attractants.
I hope this has answered your questions.
Good luck,
Scott
Lieutenant Scott E. Naff
VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
3801 John Tyler Memorial Highway
Charles City, VA 23030
804-829-6580 (office)
804-400-3623 (cell)
#3

Scott,
Thanks for your quick response. I appreciate your time to answer my questions.
This is not a new question from a new to Va hunter, but a question posed by a hunt club with many many years of experience.
The details of needing to remove the minerals/salt from the ground are not detailed at all in the hunting regulations.
Nor is the requirement to remove the left over bait (if there was any) prior to the hunting season. All the regs say is not to do it after 1 Sept.
With all the reports that I have read from this years infractions, perhaps the VDGIF could better outline this regulation in next years pamphlet.
Also if a hunter felt that they did not want to remove the soil/minerals from the area, what is/would be the minimum distance that the hunter would need to be from the area in order to hunt?
And yes, I do agree that cover scents should be used for cover scents and attractants should not. And personally I do not use attractants in that manner.
But if you go to each of the web sites for these type of products, they do state to abide by state laws but they also say they can be used as cover scents as well. And VDGIF regulations do not prohibit these types of products from being used in this manner, so a hunter might think since there isn't a reg against it, it must mean that they can..
I do appreciate your incite, and as a law abiding hunter/outdoors enthusiast I abide to the regulations as written.
Please take this as a submission for a upcoming VDGIF meeting that these concerns need to be more detailed and outlined in the Hunting Regulations Pamphlet.
r/
Alex
Thanks for your quick response. I appreciate your time to answer my questions.
This is not a new question from a new to Va hunter, but a question posed by a hunt club with many many years of experience.
The details of needing to remove the minerals/salt from the ground are not detailed at all in the hunting regulations.
Nor is the requirement to remove the left over bait (if there was any) prior to the hunting season. All the regs say is not to do it after 1 Sept.
With all the reports that I have read from this years infractions, perhaps the VDGIF could better outline this regulation in next years pamphlet.
Also if a hunter felt that they did not want to remove the soil/minerals from the area, what is/would be the minimum distance that the hunter would need to be from the area in order to hunt?
And yes, I do agree that cover scents should be used for cover scents and attractants should not. And personally I do not use attractants in that manner.
But if you go to each of the web sites for these type of products, they do state to abide by state laws but they also say they can be used as cover scents as well. And VDGIF regulations do not prohibit these types of products from being used in this manner, so a hunter might think since there isn't a reg against it, it must mean that they can..
I do appreciate your incite, and as a law abiding hunter/outdoors enthusiast I abide to the regulations as written.
Please take this as a submission for a upcoming VDGIF meeting that these concerns need to be more detailed and outlined in the Hunting Regulations Pamphlet.
r/
Alex
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: NOVA
Posts: 780

I dont use anything at all, but i was under the impression that Virginia Band all Baiting year long now? Maybe this is only in Northern Va, but i thought it was state wide. So at least what i have been told your not supposed to use anything not even in the summer to get photos. Although i know in Northern Va they have a problem with people feeding deer for their enjoyment and cause an increase in the herd due to available food sources that are by no means constant, they move the food source stops.
#6

That's interesting to say the least! I was under the assumption that as long as you didn't put out any minerals after Sept.1st you were good to go? I guess I'll be doing things differently next season! It sort of makes sense though.
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186

Try this .... provide the minerals in a container such as a cut-out HD plastic 55 gallon barrel. That is what we do .... and then pick up the barrel-troughs ahead of the season. As far as I can tell we have had no noticeable residue.
#8

Is the game warden going to test samples of the dirt everywhere it is torn up? Seems like as long as you don't have a heaping pile above the dirt, you ought to be OK.
Lets say you are hunting on club property and someone else has poured minerals out, and they have dissolved in the dirt, and you are hunting there without knowing it. Not exactly like hunting over a visible corn pile, is it? Is the game warden going to ticket you for hunting over improper dirt? Dissolved, invisible minerals?
Seems like there are some more serious crimes going on out there than hunting over improper dirt. I've read plenty of stories about cops saying they won't even come to the scene of a property crime if the perpetrator is already gone, but we have plenty of cops generating revenue with radar and now apparently writing citations for improper dirt.
Lets say you are hunting on club property and someone else has poured minerals out, and they have dissolved in the dirt, and you are hunting there without knowing it. Not exactly like hunting over a visible corn pile, is it? Is the game warden going to ticket you for hunting over improper dirt? Dissolved, invisible minerals?
Seems like there are some more serious crimes going on out there than hunting over improper dirt. I've read plenty of stories about cops saying they won't even come to the scene of a property crime if the perpetrator is already gone, but we have plenty of cops generating revenue with radar and now apparently writing citations for improper dirt.
#9

Is the game warden going to test samples of the dirt everywhere it is torn up? Seems like as long as you don't have a heaping pile above the dirt, you ought to be OK.
Lets say you are hunting on club property and someone else has poured minerals out, and they have dissolved in the dirt, and you are hunting there without knowing it. Not exactly like hunting over a visible corn pile, is it? Is the game warden going to ticket you for hunting over improper dirt? Dissolved, invisible minerals?
Seems like there are some more serious crimes going on out there than hunting over improper dirt. I've read plenty of stories about cops saying they won't even come to the scene of a property crime if the perpetrator is already gone, but we have plenty of cops generating revenue with radar and now apparently writing citations for improper dirt.
Lets say you are hunting on club property and someone else has poured minerals out, and they have dissolved in the dirt, and you are hunting there without knowing it. Not exactly like hunting over a visible corn pile, is it? Is the game warden going to ticket you for hunting over improper dirt? Dissolved, invisible minerals?
Seems like there are some more serious crimes going on out there than hunting over improper dirt. I've read plenty of stories about cops saying they won't even come to the scene of a property crime if the perpetrator is already gone, but we have plenty of cops generating revenue with radar and now apparently writing citations for improper dirt.
Yep, it happens all the time. and your senario happened in my club this year. Court date has yet to get here so we will see how "understanding" the judge is.