NY Bowhunter

The problem I have with the statement is "feeding dozens of deer". It makes it seem like a zoo atmosphere. Wouldn't be much of a hunt if you could stand behind the fence at a zoo at feeding time would it?
The other part of the statement is "shoot one when I decide I want to". Well some of us arent' afforded that luxury. We can't just take one when we want to that has his head stuck in a pile of food. Makes me think about the 100 or so hours straight I can go at times without seeing deer.

zekeskar

rereading my post I sounded kind of harsh - I didn't intend to sound arrogant,disrespectful,or dismissive of others. Really, I do enjoy being in the woods and respect, maybe even envyothers who spend a lot of time doing it. In another stage of my life I might devote more time to it as well.

But right now, the reason I hunt is primarily because my family and I love venison and I enjoy harvesting the animal myself. Since we love venison andthestate(s) need to controldeer populations,we have a greatopportunity.

That said, right now, I do not feel in any way cheated if I shoot my deer at sunrise on opening day, take care of the meat and go about my other non-hunting business.I like hunting but no more than about 10 other hobbies and activities I love. There is no substitute for the meat in the eyes of my family though. Same way with the salmon I catch every year.Salmon fishing is a BLAST, but bottom line is I try to figure out the best place, time of year, and technique for taking salmon (within legal limits), as efficiently and quickly as possible.

I have some spots, based on years of scouting and hunting on my part and the part of my partners, that are proven winners. Iam happy to sit in those established spots and try to get venison quickly with as little effort as possible. Some years I have more time to spend and am happy to spend some of my time exploring new ground, looking for sign, establishing a new spot. But when push comes to shove, I'm happy to fall back on established, high percentage areas.

I'm just as happy with any deer(s) that will get meour meat.Trophys have absolutely no interest for me, so I do not work or wait for one.If I ever get a trophy deer it won't be because of my skill or patience, but blind luck. (editorial comment - this is how I feel about the "achievement" of those who pay for a hunt that puts them on a trophy deer without any scouting, or prep on their own part - it's a beautiful deer. It might be a tribute to their patience and shooting skill,but not a tribute to their own hunting skill, but that of the outfitter/guide - the deer is a trophy, but the hunter is not necessarily a great hunter just because the deer is great).

To those of you that work hard for trophies and have the ability and courageto wait for one - I do respect you a lot and am not criticizing you in any way.You should indeed be proud of your trophies and I would be tickled pink to buy you a beer and hear your stories.

For those of you that work hard for your meatdeer and like to spend as much time as you can in the activity - I make the same comment to you.

But I really don't care if anyone approves of my goal or technique in hunting: the goal is meat, the technique is least amount of effort I can get away with, legally. I do have a personal set of ethics and style, but for the most partItry foreasy and efficient.I know for a fact that those who hunt for subsistence purposes are closer to my attitude.

stoneman

Wow man. I don't think I could hack that - you are dedicated!...I've gone out almost every night for 2.5-3 hours, and at least 4-5 hours on sat/sun since the first week of October. Only one night did I not see any deer...I'm thankful I have the opportunity to hunt the area I do.It has a lot of deer, the opportunity to hold large bucks, AND it's very close to my home and my office.

Stickthrower

To each his own. If you want to bait, then bait. If not then don't. I use feeders, food plots, mineral suppliments, scents, calls and anything else that is legal. Does this make me a bad person, H*** No! I have been in the woods all my life as a hunter and we use many BAITS. Get over it! Those big trophy hunts you see, many use feeders! If i hunted the northern states where it was field after field of corn, soybeans ect maybe baiting would not be needed.

skipsbroan

Thanks zeke for putting that clearer than I was. You said exactly what I meant by harvesting game quickly. I too like to fill my tag early in the season! BTW, I didn't take any offense to your post, you were just voicing your opinion, same as the rest of us.

AJ52

If your neighbor baits - it does not mean you need to.If your neighbor has food plots,corn,soy beans,peas,sun flowers etc...why would he need to bait if you do

Baiting does not mean dozens of deer will come running to your corn. Fact is if your not smart with baiting along with some hunting pressure will force deer to feed nocturnal.

Baiting if done properly can draw deer in and thru a property. It doesn't mean everybody who "baits" is plopping piles of corn a few feet from stand and blasting away at bambi..

We draw deer from a very large WMA,Conservancy,and 600 acre farm. We do this with very little corn and few apples for scent - and its Legal.

Whats the big friggin deal?

If it ain't legal then your a slob hunter.

Seems some like to assume after reading some limited one sided material that baiting is Voo-Doo hunting.

For those that don't Pass Judgement on this subject- THANKS

zrexpilot

In Texas it's the norm. I hunted deer blinds and corn feeders for long time growing up as a kid, and I never once shot a descent buck from a a feeder.
If you want to see a lot of deer andhave a kid with you, feeders are great!
If you want to kill a big buck, stay away from a feeder.
Since I started rattling some years back,I always get mybig buck or two a year. To me rattling is unfair. but hey it's legal right ?
I can bring in bucks with horns bashing like no other, these deer come in dazed and confused, salivating at the mouth. I have even stood up and the deer are like WTF are you ? Wheres them bucks I heard fighting ?
rattling is crazzzzzeeee ! Too frickin easy !

BuckBox Displays

Baiting is not fair chase. It's not the hunting I will do, nor is it the hunting I will teach my children. It offers an unfair advantage for the hunter and it takes away the aspects of scouting and good old wholesome hunting.

buckwild eb

most of the hunters i associate with in NC are prolific baiters. its a common sunday practice to go out to each others stands and put out corn or apples. well i went off to college a couple years back and baiting became impractical. i also became a lot more educated than my homebound friends on the subject as well as many other subjects regarding deer hunting. baiting is very legal in nc unfortunately. i do not bait and hunt half as much as my homebound friends but still seem to kill more/better deer without feed. coincidence? i think not. im a pretty impressionable personality and i think my knowledge is finally rubbin off on some of my buddies but its hard to teach an old dog new tricks especially in a state where literally everybody feeds corn and totally ruins the hunting for everybody else.

Lifeguard

Let's clear one thing up. It's not the bait that is causing me to see the number of deer I see. I can walk through the woods where there is no bait placed and see 25-30 deer in a matter of a few hours. In my hunting region it is common place to drive by an alfalfa field and see up to 60 deer on aquarter section(160 acres). The bait doesn't ensure me a chance at a deer each season. Geographics does. Anybody hunting that area of Saskatchewan will have a chance at a buck within two days of hunting no matter how you hunt. A doe will take you probably less than an hour. I find hunting in a stand over bait very relaxing and enjoyable. I can watch the deer behavior and get a good look at the deer in the area. I also have chronic severe back pain, and cannot walk for more than about 4 hours. Therefore my morning hunt I usually walk for the first couple of hours, and then I hunt from the stand the rest of the day.

If you want to talk about feeding time at the zoo though, let's talk about the game ranch set up next to my property. Every year hunters(usually from the USA) pay a local outfitter $5000 per animal to shoot an Elk or Bison out of the ranch. I have watched in disquist as the outfitter chases the animal the hunter is after into a corner of the ranch, the hunter shot the animal, a front end loader came and picked the animal up set it in front of some bush so you couldn't see the fence. Pictures were taken of the hunter with his "trophy", then the animal was lifted with the loader again dropped in the back of a truck, and they drove away. This is considered hunting to some people. People are telling me baiting is wrong when this kind of "hunting" is happening. And I know there are lots of "hunting ranches" in the U.S. as well, where maybe the hunt is a little more sportsmanlike, but you are still shooting a penned animal.