Fair chase.......
 

Okay you own a large chunk of land which you have crisscrossed with dirtroads, every morning you drive these roads with your truck with a feeder on the back spreading corn every morning first thing and about 2 hours before sundown every day. At strategic locations along the road you have built towers that allow you to oversee these roads and easily shoot deer that respond to food being put out along these roads by this truck. The question I have is this, is this hunting or training deer?

The Tazman

RE: Fair chase.......
 

In my state baiting deer is legal. It does train the deer to be nocturnal. You can get deer on bait but you better do it early. After the pressure of gun season starts they dont come to bait till after dark. I dont have a problem with any kind of deer hunting as long as it is legal. But in my opinion baiting is not fair chase.

RE: Fair chase.......
 

Taz, as you have posed your question, I would tend to call it training. As we all know, baiting is legal in some states to varying degrees, and as a person who feeds deer, I can testify that the deer don't always cooperate. Also, the size of the property comes into play, as well as the availability of other food sources. (acorns, etc.) Also, irregardless of where you put the towers, you can't be everywhere at once. Maybe your method of "spreading feed" might be considered by many people to be more sporting than concentrating it 50 yards in front of a blind. As a sidebar issue, I've often wondered what is the big difference between me putting out corn or planting food plots full of clover, oats, corn, or other attractants? Fair chase is fair chase, but feeding deer (IMO) doesn't mean that you're tagging out every year. Good topic, I'm interested to see what the reponses will be.

RE: Fair chase.......
 

Doing this would be illegal where I am from (Missouri). But, if it is legal in a state, I have no problem with people doing this. Even though I would choose not to do this. I think this hits that gray area of being ethical or being legal. Suppose a world record buck was shot doing this, would you support the fact that it is a world record, or, would you not acknowledge it as being so? If the buck was taken this way and done so according to the laws of that state, I would recognize it as being #1--even though I would not agree with the way it was taken. This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

RE: Fair chase.......
 

Where it was done was legal, I personally would not do it, because I view it as training the deer, but I have no problem with folks who bait where it is legal, I doubt I would do it even if it was legal in Va. I would rather outsmart a deer than train him to where I can kill him, but that is my choice.

The Tazman

RE: Fair chase.......
 

Tazman,It is illegle here but if I had to vote on it I would not want it to become legal in Pa.I think a big part of hunting is just that going out scouting,finding when and where the deer are at.I enjoy that almost as much as when I finally shoot the deer.Just my 2 cents.

RE: Fair chase.......
 

I guess it would depend first if it was legal and second what your idea of hunting was all about . I know there are people that do things like that and to them its hunting,I just don't agree . Whats your opinion Taz on food plots?

RE: Fair chase.......
 

Definately doing some training.lol

Not my cup of tea.

RE: Fair chase.......
 

as GT said what is the difference than planting a food polt or hunting over a corn field,or beet field, or cut over wheat or oats???
that is all a not natural feed sourse.as I see it unless you are hunting in the all natural woods where there are nothing but browse,acorns and berries,it would be the same as corn.
That is my 2 cents,there are 98 more.
by the way it is legal here in Fla,and I have 5 feeder stations going,I feed about 2 1/2 tons of corn a year. I think that helps my heard.


I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

Edited by - tree climber on 01/21/2002 17:04:31

RE: Fair chase.......
 

Baiting is against the law in Wa State. Even if it was legal I'd take a ZERO. Just my ethics. For people that do and it's legal. What ever floats your boat, this is not a poke at you just my preference <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>