Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

I was wondering if baiting is allowed because states have no law written against it?

Here in MN they are trying to define the law better to not allow baiting. The feeding of wildlife is allowed but it was written that you had to be a distance from the placed food. So it was easy to get around this by hunting the trails to the feeding area. As long as you could not see the bait pile it was a way to work around the law.

Why is it so hard to word the law against baiting?
Can any of you word it so it was against the law?

" Food that is placed in an area by humans to supplement the diet of wildlife is baiting."

As I am a food plotter I would of course want this law to not label a food plot as baiting. I know I will hear the wrath of those who are baiters on food plots. Food placement is not the same as soil testing, adding lime, plowing, discing, quacking, placing seed, weeding, and praying for the right amount of rain/sun.

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

This is how the Colorado DOW words it.

It is illegal to:

#9) Use dogs or bait to hunt bears, deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, or moose. Bait means to put , expose, deposit, distribute, or scatter salt, minerals, grain, animal parts, or other food so as to constitute a lure, attraction, or enticement for big game on or over any area where hunters are attempting to take big game. Scent sticks that smell like food are illegal for bears.

This sounds plane old illegal. If you wanted to word it to not include food plots then one could add that the planting of food plots does not constitute baiting so as long as the food plot is maintained throughout the entire year to supplement the diet of big game animals. Or something like that.

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

Texas says: " baiting for game animals, nongame animals, and game birds is lawful on private property, except for turkey in certain East Texas counties and migratory game birds statewide"

Why is it legal in Texas? Simple, otherwise hunters could not kill enough to keep the 4 million deer in Texas in check, numbers wise.

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

Does anyone have summarized info on how we went from very few deer to overpopulation?

Back in 72 Minnesota didn' t have a hunting season on deer statewide. Our population compared to WI is about a third less, I think? Did WI mismanage there deer herd?

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

I highly doubt that the deer numbers in Texas have anyting to do with baiting being legal. I think that Texas being 90 some odd percent private land has a lot to do with it. Could it be that probably all of the law makers are land owners in Texas? Why is it legal to bait only on private property and not what little public land there is in Texas? Last time I hunted in Alabama baiting was not legal there but they have over two million deer in that state and it is no where near the size of 1/2 Texas. Texas could control the numbers if they allowed more than five deer per hunter in a season. Alabama allows one deer per day all season long.

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

actually Alabama' s deer population is 1.6 million. And it' s at it' s highest ever.

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

Depending on what county you are hunting in, taking more than one buck could hurt next years deer hunting, in other counties you could take 5 and not put a dent in it.
You can argue all day long about your food plot not being a bated area and you would still be wrong. Sorry just the way it is.
Rick

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

I stand corrected it is 1.6 milliion

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

Actually, there are 1,623,315 no wait, one just got hit by a car, so it' s now 1,623,314

Lets not get too serious here boys

RE: Non-attack ? for baiters & non-baiters
 

You and I are both right Bigbulls. If we didn' t have the private land, there would probably not be any need for baiting. However, since 95% of the hunting land IS private and baiting is used as a tool to kill enough deer, mainly does. The size of Texas is not really the issue, because the majority of deer are in certain areas. For example, the area I live in has 1 deer per 5-10 acres.

I have a question for you. Let' s say you just inherited a 1000 acre ranch in the Texas Hill country with a deer per 5 acres. Are you going to advertize: " Come one and all. Anyone with a deer license is welcome to come on to my land to hunt deer!"

When you inherit it, there is 1 buck per 2 does and 20% of the herd are mature bucks (4 yrs. +, 8 point +, etc.). If you allow access to the " public" , after 2 years there would be a deer per 50 acres and 90% of the bucks will be yearling spikes. Sound like a good plan?

Well, my family does own that 1000 acres with the better described deer population, and I don' t think I will be opening it to the public anytime soon. That said, I had 3 paid leasors and took 10 other nonpaying people who all got at least one deer, 2 swap hunters that took a blackbuck antelope each and 2 other swap hunters that got their limit of turkeys. That included 5 kids under 18, 2 of which was their first deer. The tone of you post seems to see us private landowners that won' t let just anyone hunt as bad. I don' t think I did too bad last year, and there are plenty more just like me.

Somebody mentioned swap hunts. They are great. If you have knowledge for elk hunting on public lands, I am sure you could swap even with someone for a whitetail, exotic, hog, turkey........ hunt at no cost to you.