I called DNR and asked them about moving acorns and other nearby natural food sources around because I really did not know if this was illegal baiting. Well they said it was so I'm glad I asked and I'll not play squirel and be moving any nuts around.

I would assume a food plot would be considered baiting based on this definition.

LEGALLY, it's whatever your local authorities say it is.

ACTUALLY...and this is just my opinion...it is ANYTHING you do to attract deer, PERIOD! I don't care if it's a salt lick, a doe decoy, CREATING a funnel, planting food plots, using scents and sounds...WHATEVER. To me, it's all the same. The point is to lure deer into coming to you by ALTERING what would naturally occur IF YOU WEREN'T THERE.

Now, I'm not saying one way or another that there is a problem, or not, with any of the above. I'm just saying they are ALL a means to the same end.

I agree with this 100%.

Don't have to worry.... We have common sense and baiting is legal in Kansas.. Plenty of room for ya'll to move in!
Live it up! Doug

Really, I have never understood why baiting is "illegal". We are over-run with deer in many states and I would think that the respective DNRs would encourage any ethical solutions to harvesting more deer. All of the rumors of increased disease transmissions, reliance on baiting as a primary food source, etc. are just not scientifically founded. For those who want a more challenging hunt, more power to you.

I bait, because it is legal and it allows me to bring deer into a more ethically killing zone. Not to mention at least get them to stop for a shot. My BIGGEST concern when hunting is making an ethical kill (period). Baiting assists this task.

I do not hunt over a feeder or put 100's of pounds of corn out... I ussually spread about 25 pounds of corn around my stand in piles where I have clearings (open shots). I might through a couple apples around for good measure.

Anyway, I know I just hijacked this thread, but I needed to get that off my chest...

Couldnt have said this better myself. But to add to it baiting DOES NOT guarantee a dead deer. To the OP scents,decoys are fine just not anything edible.

How about rattling or a grunt call? Same as a decoy. You might be pushing it a little.

If you were fishing in a no-bait tournament, would they DQ your lures because you are altering what the fish would naturally do?

I guess my bullet or arrow is a lure then, because they sure alter what would naturally occur if I wasn't there. If I weren't there, the animal wouldn't get shot.

"Bait" means eating. It isn't baiting to use attractants, even if they smell like food, so long as the animal doesn't actually ingest it. Mineral licks are baiting because the animals eat the minerals.

I dunno, can you spray some kind of attractant on the lures? I'll tell you what, I've caught a lot more fish on lures than on food bait. But using fishing as an example is kinda apples to oranges. The fish are in the water. You need something to get them out. Deer are in the woods and fields. You can be in the woods and fields too. And you can shoot them. It would be pretty tough to spear fish except in very shallow water. And good luck with a fishing tournament where everyone's doing that.

I'm not trying to get nit picky on semantics. If you want to get picky about it, if you use "bait" as a noun, then it is technically food. If you use "bait" as a verb, then it means to entice and lure. Kinda like when you talk about a chick that's trying pull you in...she's "baiting" you. Kind of a good analogy, don't you think [ESTRUS]?

What I am basically trying to say is that, to me, there is very, very little difference between baiting and luring. You might say, "Well, what about timed feeders?" Or, "You can put a lot of food or a salt lick down and it will last for a long time. Rattling or using scents happens in the moment." Valid points, but there ARE timed mocked scrapes and other things. But , in a way, you're still pulling one over on a deer by putting things that don't go there, there. And they're falling for it.

Again, I'm not saying I agree or disagree with any one method...that isn't the point. But it DOES burn me up when one hunter who uses one form of LURE or another hypocritically thumbs their nose at another hunter for using another form of lure. Or bait. Or whatever.