Baiting without the "bait?" (It's illegal here)
#1
Baiting without the "bait?" (It's illegal here)
Hey guys. I need some legal ways to bait deer. I BOW hunt in southern WI where it's illegal to bait deer, but I hunt a farm with corn and bean fields that are 100 x 300 yards. The deer just never seem to follow and set trails seeing as the fields are rotated so its always a crap shoot when choosing the stand to hunt out of. What are some LEGAL tips or tricks you guys use to attract deer when "bait" is illegal? A food plot is out of the question but any other ideas would be great.
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079
Other than glassing the fields to see the best probabilities of the trails the bucks are using and having a good wind favorible access routes to your stands there isn't much else you can do. Calls/decoys may or may not work. One thing I would try is to offer to pay the farmer to leave a few spots of standing corn/beans in your favorite areas. It wouldn't take much, just six or so rows 30 yards long and that should help concentrate the deer.
#3
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: delaware
Posts: 128
if its on private land you could always drop a little molasses on some of the plants in the field and it will help. not all the way legal though. that is a stupid law. maybe someone on here knows the reason for it, id be interested to hear.
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2010
Location: South East Pa.
Posts: 526
I don't know what constitutes bait in your state, but some of the trapping lures I used years ago brought deer in. Vanilla and even fox in heat lure pulled them in. Like I said, I don't know whats legal in your state.
#7
They ban it to stop the spread of desease from deer eating in one area cwd I think. But try some ansie oil or vanilla. I don't know if it works everywere but I had luck with charcol lighter fluid found that out by accident last year I spilled some on my boots and had a doe follow my traill righht to my stand
#9
Spike
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Randolph County, IL
Posts: 58
I would agree with StealthHtr22. I have been hunting Southwestern Illinois for 8 years now and have no control over the crop rotation on the land I hunt. You just have to see how the deer pattern for a few years before you figure it out. In my spot I know how the deer will move if one field is corn and the other is beans or vice versa.