Well I'm lucky enough that my good friend/farmer has offered to let me hunt on a tree stand he built for another hunter friend of his.

He'll even skin, dress and hang it.

So I've got a good opportunity to learn the basics here. I've been practicing shooting all types of archery, (compound, recurve, crossbow) for the last three years and am pretty handy with it now. I think this first shot at things will be a success as long as I can actually see a deer.

I got a boat load of deer bait a bought at a bankruptcy auction. It all came in a big mix and match box, and there is tonnnns of it. every item imaginiable.

So my question is. With all that at your disposal, when do you start baiting your deer, and whats your weapon of choice?

Normally I use my bow, but sometimes I do use a louisville slugger.

Seriously, I feed them all year, so they can grow and stay around in the area.

go with snything sweet or salty-they love it


such as apple juice or a salt mineral thing, and i know people talk down the mineral licks, but i still think theyre decent enough to give them a shot

i just put out a a salt block and a little corn ina place where i can watch just so i cansee wat will come around

Can't bait here...... but bears are another story. None of the stuff will work. I'm convinced aleady. Send it north to me and feed a black bear

I bait all year, and I try and mix it up. sometimes corn, sometimes apples, sometimes stuff I buy. I keep it interesting haha. seems to work

You are better off putting in a food plot.

I'm convinced mature deer stay away from bait stations during the daylight hours in most hunting lands.

But a food plot is much more natural, and I feel increases your chances of drawing a buck in.

i bait all year

You are correct here. The only problem though, with me any way, is the soil on my property will not grow a decent food plot. I don't have the equipment to prepare even a decent plot. It would cost me a small fortune to make food plots that would even benefit the wildlife. Also, I don't really hunt my feeders a whole lot. When I do, I'm hunting for a doe with my bow. I invite a few people from time to time and let them hunt a feeder. If I am hunting for a buck, I will not be hunting a feeder.I filled two feeders this past weekend. I'll keep them both going til the end of Oct. After that, I'll keep one going til a couple of weeks before turkey season opens. That would be mid March. With the price of corn so high, I'll be cutting down on throwing times. I always get my feeders going the first of August.

NEVERits illegal in illinoiswe just plant food plots