Here is my 2 cents for what it is worth. Baiting, where it is legal, is an ethical choice like many other techniques. While it is not my cup of tea, I understand why some folks do it. While baiting is illegal (so is feeding deer now that CWD has arrived), many people do it. Those who do bait believe it gives them an advantage over not baiting in their situation. In the state where I grew up, we were told that if we see a dog chasing a deer, the ethical choice was to shoot the dog. In my current state, it is a common tradition to hunt deer with dogs. Again, not my coup of tea, but I don't have an issue with others doing it as long as they can control their dogs so they don't infringe on the property of others. I understand in some areas with pine thickets and swamps, chances of shooting a deer without dogs would be very low. In general, in our state, statics show that dog hunters have a slightly higher success rate than non-dog deer hunters.
To my way of thinking, the concept of fair chase is key. Different folks have different ideas of what fair chase is. One definition that I like is that the game has as much or more chance of escaping unharmed than the hunter has of harvesting it. For me, that is a minimum criteria. There are some techniques I don't employ because I think it gives me too much advantage. Other techniques I don't employ simply because I don't enjoy them.
As for the advantage baiting gives the hunter, I don't think it is much depending on how it is done. Here is a good example: A guy who dumps a bushel of apples on the ground in front of his treestand and hunts is clearly baiting in my state. I while ago, I read a story about a hunter in my state that climbed into his tree stand opening day only to find a pile of apples about 30 yards away. He immediately called the game warden and reported it so he did not get into trouble. The game warden investigated and found the apples were spoils dumped by the farmer who had made cider and mixed spoiled apples with the pressings and dumped them in his back 40. They just happened to be near that treestand. Because they were not deposited there fro the purpose of hunting, it would not have been considered baiting and the hunter could have legally hunted that stand. He did not. If one hunts an oak tree with the ground littered with acorns he is legal. If the hunter collects acorns from his back yard and scatters them under the oak tree he is baiting.
So, what is the difference between a food plot and baiting? The food plot has quality food widely distributed and it available 24/7. Once deer feel a little hunting pressure, they have full access to the food and will use it after dark. A bait pile is a concentrated food source that may or may not be available 24/7. There are disease spread issues with concentrated food sources. A feeder distributes the food slightly but it still pretty concentrated. The bait pile or feeder will be more attractive to deer if safety is not a concern. Deer want to consume and conserve energy and a bait pile is an easy consistent meal. They become conditioned to that food source being there. A hunter who dumps a pile of corn in front of his stand, hunts it, collects the corn, and goes home probably has not advantage. It is not the corn, it is the conditioning for a save consistent high quality meal.
However, once safety becomes a concern, things change. When good food is plentiful, deer will pick a safer target. You even see this with food plots. when acorns fall in my area, deer can virtually disappear from food plots. So, when your habitat is good and hunting pressure is applied, habitat wins! However, habits are hard to break. Deer that have been conditioned with a deer feeder on a timer may take more time to get deprogrammed from the conditioning.
Thanks,
Jack
