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My observation of the new CWD findings over the last 10 yrs in SW MS and NE LA is that they are in large contiguous blocks of timber. These are places that had numbers of deer back when there weren’t many deer around. I generally think of these locations as having relatively high deer...

Lol. The perpetual predator machine.

From Dr Demarais at the Deer Lab (just a quick one I found): “The relative risk comparison showed that almost three times more deer visited sample areas around feeders than equivalent areas within food plots. The more deer that frequent a small area, the greater the risk for CWD to spread...

I’m sure you realize that everyone’s farm doesn’t look like yours. To be clear, you don’t think any research has documented higher disease prevalence at bait sites?

Of those examples, I have never seen shin deep mud, urine and feces, with the food/grain on top of and within it. i have seen that at a bait site. It disgusted me.

Jacobson also originated the mantra “once a spike, always a spike.” It’s the MSU Deer Lab leaders that have most shaped my understanding of the facts on this topic, so I’m glad you brought them up. You don’t think disease and bacteria is more prevalent at bait sites? Or are you just saying...

NB4 “I bait like there’s no tomorrow and I have plenty of birds… <hawk spit>”

I think a LOT of people whistle past the graveyard for the simple fact that they have no idea what they will spend or ARE spending.

Unnatural congregation of wildlife is generally harmful. Lots of general research shows that. Deer-specific research has quantified deer-deer interactions at bait sites compared to food plots and acorn feeding sites. Results didn’t strike me as something I want to promote. Corn in the Deep South...

In many, many parts of life and society there exist standards based on elevating level of effort above some arbitrary minimum threshold. “Effort” seems like a perfectly reasonable measure to me. Game laws have used “level of effort” as a foundation since their creation! Conservation and trophy...

But those inflated cash sales impact the valuations on subsequent appraisals.

Doesn’t sound like hunting land.

He took the words right out of your mouth, huh?

Thats an honorable point of view, assuming it has no impact on the health of the resource or on others’ enjoyment of the resource. Unfortunately the impact on both is significant and unfavorable in my region.

Sounds like you’ve … wait for it… mastered baiting. Does this forum allow us to assign nicknames?

The data is out there if you’re really interested. I cant read this and understand how you’d defend baiting on the habitat forum. If hot oaks were a disease concern this forum wouldn’t exist. @Bill, I’m doing my best to boost traffic. I expect a check in 30 days.

You think they’re equivalent in terms of disease transmission risk? ETA: I get the ethics debate… not interested in that.

Wade comfortably and confidently. There is sufficient research to support the difference between food plots and bait piles, as it pertains to unnatural deer-deer interaction. With that said… I’d gladly give up my sad food plots to rid this region of the scourge that is baiting.

I appreciate this post; this may the best representation of the real conundrum. But you aren’t exactly toeing the party line. 😉

Food plots can enter the baiting debate when people are commonly spreading triple cleaned corn or rice bran over acres at a time. Until that is a common practice, they shouldn’t be in the same discussion. It’s a shame this is even a topic of interest on the HABITAT forum.