Ethics
 

I'm wondering how you guys feel about baiting deer. Personally, I hunt in a zone where baiting is not allowed, but even if it were, I wouldn't do it. However, I wouldn't really criticize anyone who does bait. What are your thoughts on the issue?

Hate it and wish it wasn't allowed anywhere!!!

Baiting is cheating in hunting. I know there are situations for certain animals (way northern bear) that require it, but people who do it to shoot the next walking piece of venison they see just disgust me. I have always had a saying "Ethics before Antlers."

I put corn out in front of my trail cam, but don't hunt over corn.
I just put it out for the pictures.
It's legal in NC to bait, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
I don't condem any one that does bait, as long as its legal.
JMHO

Uh oh - $20 bucks this thread hits 10+ pages by this time tomorrow!

Illegal here in Indiana. Hunted Kentucky where it is legal and still didn't do it. I am physically able, and have enough knowledge about whitetails that I don't need it. I don't really see the need. I always abide by the law anyway. If you don't need it to kill, don't use it. Generally, taking a whitetail isn't that difficult if you put some time into it.

Too bad some people abuse the practice which makes those who do it within their states laws look bad. I bet there are a lot of hunters (myself included) who are against those who do, have encountered problems with baiting in their state where it's illegal.

There's a whole bunch of the USA grossly absent of forest. So being amongst the trees is, well, impossible! South Texas, for example, is nothing but brush country characterized by mesquite, blackbrush, brasil, and other thorny plants-which love to swallow halfwits. Walking, manuevering, and effectively hunting through such vegetation is futile. If you have been there and have seen it, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. "Baiting" is the only effective means to control an exploding deer population!

It's easy to chastise the gladiators when your sitting in your comfy treestand half a country away....

Great point. I wouldn't know because I've never experienced something like that. Geographical locations and environmental conditions are definitely something to factor in, in this conversation.

Well this always ends the same way but lets hit it again.

Ethics is a funny thing. It depends where you were raised that determines your ethics. Some see hunting with dogs a wrong yet the guys that grew up doing it see no issue with it. The same with bait. Some guys have seen it done all their life and see no issue with it. If you think its cheating then don't do it.

I have used a little corn before and I never see monster bucks running to my stand at every set. As a matter of fact, none of my largest bucks came over bait. I hunt a small area and I can't put in any food plots so some corn may help them come my way when the neighbor has a large crop next door. I would much rather have a food plot because corn cost a lot now and it's hard work packing it in where I hunt. I can pack in a 100 pounds of corn and it would be gone in a few days. So most times I just use it when it's getting late and I want to put a doe in the freezer.

So as long as it's legal, do it if you want. It doesn't bother me.

I can say the same thing about trail cams. These things have become a must now to many hunters. I see them as the biggest advantage over deer in the history of hunting. I can see what deer are coming in and what time. I can hunt a stand when I know deer are using it know when to leave it alone. This is a huge advantage if Im hunting a big buck. So is it ethical to spy on a big buck all the time and pin down his patterns?? Like I said earlier...if it's legal do it if you like. If you don't want to take advantage of them don't.

Wizzing in the wind!
How many times is this thread going to come up!@#$#
If its legal where you hunt and you want to bait, do it!
If its legal where you hunt and you don't want to bait, don't do it!
If its illegal in your area, you are breaking the law!
How simple is that? Let this dead horse die, sheesh!

JagMag hits the nail on the head. Ethics has nothing to do with it, if it is legal and you want to do it then go ahead.

Unintended Results
 

I don't bait, but understand why in a place like West Texas. Let the state game agency decide. They are in charge of protecting the game throughout the state and not in just one square mile.

Baited areas can attract hunters over and over. And that can lead to deer scenting the area, leading to less deer visiting in daylight hours or at all.

I don't see it as a question of ethics. I just don't like the idea of hauling a forty pound bag of corn, a half a mile into the woods. That's the kind of hard work I know deer will surely scent.

Hunting over bait isn't "hunting" really. It's harvesting. That being said, it's legal here in KS, and I'm glad to harvest deer over bait to fill my freezer. I have 7 boys to feed, and my only land is public land that is grossly overhunted by nonresident hunters. A ton of the WIHA land is open farmland with rarely a tree in sight. In fact, I have yet to see a buck on public land -- only does. If using some bait will lead a deer my way instead of some out-of-stater's, then I'll do it as long as it's legal. Of course, I'm not out to get antlers, either.

The bucks are on public land, that is all I hunt. They are a lot smarter than private land bucks and you don't see them once they are scared out of their wits. Baiting? I have used deer urine now and then. Whats the difference between a pile of corn and and a corn field ? The difference is that the baiter has no confidence in his skill.

Hunting over a corn pile is illegal here in VA, but hunting over a corn field or soy bean field is not. I don't see a whole lot of difference between the two.

Also, in some southern parts of VA, you have people running deer with dogs, running all over other people's land, driving like a bat out of heck down roads with houses and kids around to get in front of the dogs, taking running shots with buck shot at questionable distances, etc. etc. Personally I'd rather see them hunt over a corn pile.

Just because it makes it easier doesn't make it unethical. Hunting over a corn field is often easier than hunting a densely wooded area, does that mean it is unethical? Hunting with a rifle is easier than hunting with a bow, and hunting with a compound bow is easier than hunting with a recurve. There are plenty of places where you can shoot a deer over a corn field any day of the week, and there are other places where you can lay a corn pile and only see one deer the entire season.

My buddy in SC baits where it is legal. After several years, I am still the only person to harvest a deer on that land. The deer there are nearly completely nocturnal.

It isn't a question of ethics. As long as you are safe and respectful and enjoy getting out in the woods, I have no problem with that.

Why the giant debate? If it's legal and you want to then do it. It's not lazy for people to do it and it doesn't make you a more superior hunter if you don't hunt over bait. It's one of the thousands of choices we are afforded in the sport of hunting. The choice to gun hunt over bow hunt. Realtree vs Mossy Oak. Bait vs no bait. All just choices.

?????:confused0024:?????

Define baiting!
 

Question - Do you consider planting a food plot baiting? What about hunting under a white oak that is dropping acorns in an area that has very few of these trees? If I plant some trees for my boys to hunt under years from now, is that long-term baiting? What about hunting around a nice plum thicket or a persimmon? There are places where I hunt in Texas where hunting over feeders and feeding protein year round is not only effective, but also good for the deer herd. I have also planted food plots, hunted under white oaks, etc. I'm not going to avoid a fresh scrape or a nice rub line to give a nice buck a fighting chance. Hard to draw a line on this baiting question. If I'm hunting deer moving through my property to get to my neighbors wheat field - am I cheating or being a smart hunter?

Used to bait during the hunting seasons and all the deer came in at night, never during the day. Now I don't bait and I see more deer when I hunt.

Gunplummer to bait is to lure or entice. What is the difference in putting corn out or putting deer sex lure? Both are not natural.

Keep in mind, I do not bait...and never will, but I am very opened minded to others' opinions.

However, I do hate this argument "What's the difference between a pile of corn and hunting a corn field?"

Doesn't seem like that is a legit argument...a pile of corn brings a deer to a specific location. Whether the pile of corn is located in the woods or on the edge of the field, you are increasing your probability of bringing a whitetail within range, to a specific spot that you chose. When hunting a corn field, especially bowhunting, you have to put yourself in the best position, that gives you the best opportunity to intercept travel path.

I can see the sex lure argument as a legit argument.
This isn't the last "bait" or "ethics" post we'll see...but good luck and good hunting! Anyone else getting geared up for the 2011 Season!?!? Just over two months away here!

Pros: Better shot placement and humane kill in archery, better ability to manage herd where conditions make it difficult otherwise

Cons: Messes up hunt for others (my pet peeve), is unneeded for gun hunting in most (but not all) situations, messes up hunting the rut

It is legal where I am but I wish it was only allowed during the pre-rut.

I could list the pros and cons of baiting until my finger bleed from typing. The bottom line, baiting is a tool that can be either effective or ineffective. It is a tactic that is certainly situational-a person must weigh the benefits and detriments. It is nothing more than a “choice of method” to be drawn from a hunter’s “bag of tricks” when required (not unlike motorized duck decoys, electronic game calls, and artificial sex lures, hunting over a food plot, et al). Its employment is either “illegal” or “optional” across the United States-the reasons for such, either way, is anyone’s guess. In perspective, baiting in no way ever guarantees success. On the other hand, "time"does! Could you imagine the things you could kill if you had “all the time in the World”? As individuals, shouldn’t we dwell on acquiring more time for ourselves and spend less energy worrying about the way others hunt?

In experiments as in life, the holier-than-thou effect diminishes quickly when people have actually had the experience they are judging. I encourage people to get out more! I say, see the world…try something new! Do not be afraid to take YOUR game into another arena. If you are going to rank yourself and compete, as so many of you seem to do, then where’s the comparison when you’ve never played outside your home court/in every court? It’s a lame comparison at best!

Walk a few miles in another hunter’s shoes (or at least alongside him). Open your eyes and your mind. Until you are in the exact same situation you cannot possibly assess whether the other hunter made a good or bad judgment. In truth (if you accept the truth), you will never stand in his place. You will never know what his state of mind or affairs are. Nor do any two people have the same challenges. Accept this and you won’t be fretted by ethical questions relating to anyone but yourself.

In my worldly experiences, I have found those people who walk around in a pair of moral platform shoes have a tougher time standing when they fall…and they do fall.

I don't worry myself with how others hunt, I just worry about myself...

I'm of the opinion that you should not be able to use a release for bow hunting, it
gives the hunter an advantage...Bowhunters should use their fingers...

Now, how many toes have I stepped on because I have my own opinions??? :)


Also...I'd love to know how many of the guys with all the ethics farm and have
had to take 40-50 deer a year each year to help protect their crops...Do that for
a few decades and you realize a dead deer is a dead deer, no matter what killed it...

Trophy hunters who only only take xxx sized bucks and leave the does to keep increasing the herd are what are really hurting deer hunting...Not the guy that wants to kill a few deer each year for him and his family to eat and these guys could care less what others think of his tactics...