Deer bait for a broke guy?
 

I know that it's not legal in some states but it is here in N.C. Before I was put out of work I used corn. Just wondering if there is anything free or very cheap that I could use that works as good as corn? I can't really scout alot because of my celebral pausey ans severe spinal stenosis. Really wish that I could but that's the way it goes. Thanks

there isn't really to many things out there that are cheap or free when it comes to having to get it in bulk. You cant just put 2 apples out or something so in general you have to have bulk of something. I think a good idea for you would be to make some kind of homemade liquid. Something you can dump or spray. They have that cmere deer stuff in liquid form, you can prob make something like that. Apple juice and crushed apples or corn something like that into a liquid and spray it all over your area. give it a shot. im sure if you look online somewhere someone has a recipe for something like that.

You can pick corn most farmers will not care if you are picking in moderation collect acorns. If there are any old apple orchards many times they will give you or allow you to take the apples unfit for sale or cider.

Find a persimmon tree, and pick up some persimmon.
Deer love that.

Apples work well. And if you look around and ask around, you can find people with volunteer apple trees that have half-wild apples falling by the bushels that do not get used for anything. Feed stores will also sell "deer apples" fairly cheap. Mix in some corn with the apples and it will work as well as the corn itself, if not better, since the birds will not cart off half of it before the deer get to it.

And if you go for the persimmon, get permission 1st :)

Agree with everyone else on picking up apples that are already on the ground and no good for human consumption. I know alot of farmers will allow me to go into a field that has been freshly cut for corn. There are thousands of ears on the ground that the picker misses and will only goto the deer if not picked up and used elsewhere. Never have I had a farmer tell me no to just walk around the field and pick up leftovers. Also if the field has been cut only a day or 2 prior to you getting there you can get quite a bit of shelled corn as well where it has either missed or fallen out of the dump trucks on the ground. I usually get 100 to 150lbs just by shoveling the pile thats left over. Good luck.

Definitely apples. We can't hunt over bait in PA, but I like to run a trail cam near my home in the suburbs where I don't hunt. I go around the neighborhood and pick up apples on the ground near peoples apple trees. I also asked the neighbor if I can have the ones that fall in his yard. He says yeah because he doesn't have to pick them up - I do it. I usually slice the apples in half or quarters. It releases scent and they spend longer eating them.

Salt blocks work, last a long time and are inexpensive.:s2:

yes, there is you can go to your local feed mill and buy a 50 pound bag of molasses and a 50 pound bag of mineral salt for cheep but honestly a 8 dollar bag of deer cane or deer cocaine that you can buy at Cabelas or Gander MT will work wonders we have 8 deer cane spots and the deer camera pics are crazy full! they will eat a ginormous hole in the ground about 6 feet wide every one in our hunting neighbourhood uses it and that consists of 1700 acres.
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drive around you will see apple trees that no one seems to look at...and all the apples fall and rot..find one of these and use them to your advantage and if on someones property ask before you trespass. There are lots of apple trees around here like that.