Baiting dilemma

[4wanderingeyes]

I am personally not a fan of baiting, but from my experience, if others around you are doing it, they win, because an easy pile of corn on the ground will win out most of the time, especially if it is a smart hunter doing it.

 

[SD51555]

The moment we start tinkering, we begin the slow drift from wild hunting. Truly wild would be no scents, no calls, no habitat work of any kind. Jump outta the truck and head into untouched wilderness.

But that doesn’t produce anymore. Herds are under pressure, you may have cheating neighbors, or deer just plain don’t come to u. So we tinker. We tinker with planted trees, sawed trees, plots, minerals, feeders, covers, scents, calls, fence, water, cameras, etc.


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[144]

The moment we start tinkering, we begin the slow drift from wild hunting. Truly wild would be no scents, no calls, no habitat work of any kind. Jump outta the truck and head into untouched wilderness.

But that doesn’t produce anymore. Herds are under pressure, you may have cheating neighbors, or deer just plain don’t come to u. So we tinker. We tinker with planted trees, sawed trees, plots, minerals, feeders, covers, scents, calls, fence, water, cameras, etc.


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Exactly... I totally agree.

And then somehow, we can start believing that the amount of effort we exert and the amount of time we spend on doing our own improvements proves that we are better hunters than those who use bait/spend minimal time and somehow we are more entitled than those guys to the deer in our areas. It always baffles me as to why people look down on those who bait, as though they are just barely skating by being legal. It’s a hunting strategy, whether you like it or not, and it’s fully legal in the states that allow it, and there is no shame in doing it anymore that the guy that is planting a food plot or fruit trees or standing corn. It’s all personal preference.

Some people don’t have the means to do habitat improvements or don’t have the permission to do so on the land they hunt on. Or maybe they have other interests that they are more invested in. Why would they be any less entitled to hunting and harvesting those deer than the rest of us? I speak from experience, you may only have access to small parcels of land where the deer don’t normally frequent and you don’t own. Sometimes, your only option is to bait, if you want to see any deer. But just because you bait, it doesn’t mean that every deer in the area immediately is drawn to that area and doesn’t leave. They are natural browsers and they will eat some and move to the guy on the next parcel and browse theirs. And when you are in an area where there’s a long history of it, those deer are very wary and easily turn nocturnal.

Just do what makes you happy and what you are comfortable with and forget about what the other guys are doing.


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[Mortenson]

Don't know. I'd imagine it would come down to a CO's interpretation of the law

Here's how it reads in IL's Hunting Digest. I agree with you about it coming down to the CO's ruling. I won't take any chances.

"For the purposes of taking white-tailed deer, nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the manipulation, including mowing or cutting, of standing crops as a normal agricultural or soil stabilization practice, food plots or normal agricultural practices, including planting, harvesting and maintenance, such as cultivating, or the use of products designed for scent only and not capable of ingestion, solid or liquid, placed or scattered, in such a manner as to attract or lure deer."

 

[homerj]

If you ever have watched a hunting show on tv where they are hunting over a freshly harvested corn field that is exactly what they are doing. They run the combine through the field and blow the kernels right on the ground along with the cobs and stalks. I was told this by a guy who formerly managed property for a big name tv hunting host.

They planted a "cover crop" of corn to increase biomass and organic matter for soil building.

I don't watch hunting shows. I don't doubt what you say about those shows. However, just because hunting shows do it doesn't make it legal.

 

[yoderjac]

The OP asked how much baiting by his neighbors could overcome his habitat work. Food, whether bait or plots, is only one factor that may or may not make a difference. Most neighbors who folks sees as problematic, are generally not sophisticated when it comes to understanding deer. Those who are, generally are seen as like minded, not problematic.

For folks like the OP, a great place to start, is to listen to this podcast: https://wiredtohunt.com/2018/06/20/...ve-bartyllas-habitat-management-philosophies/. Steve is probably less commercially focused than most folks in the industry. This podcast provides a pretty well grounded perspective on how to approach improving hunting on a small parcel. His perspective is very similar to mine. Neighbors that we have a knee jerk reaction to can, in many cases, be our best unintentional benefactors, if we are smart about analyzing the big picture and sculpt a small parcel accordingly.

Steve articulates some of the points I was trying to make in earlier posts very well in this podcast.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[SD51555]

It's an interesting subject. I grew up hunting an area with tons of food and no cover. Whomever had cover had deer. Where I'm at today is the exact opposite. Everyone has cover, and food is scant on unmanaged gov lands. It's amazing how quickly deer respond to chainsaw work and sulfur where I'm at. I've been up here for a week, and i haven't seen a deer in the field (no sulfur) next to me or the fields near me. Meanwhile, my clover (adequate S applied) 50 yards away is getting hit harder and earlier than I've ever seen. I've got a bunch, and i don't expect it to make it to frost. Gonna have to do some more terraforming next year.

 

[buckdeer1]

Buck i hunted all season last year got shot going to a corn pile but corn didn't kill that deer it was a crossgun with a scope during archery season,is it right?Depends on your beliefs,my daughter practices hard with her bow to become proficient to bow hunt when she could have a scope sighted in to 60 yards in 1/2 hour.It's all in what you want to accomplish and how you want to do it,if it's legal I guess it's up to the individual

 

[TreeDaddy]

It's an interesting subject. I grew up hunting an area with tons of food and no cover. Whomever had cover had deer. Where I'm at today is the exact opposite. Everyone has cover, and food is scant on unmanaged gov lands. It's amazing how quickly deer respond to chainsaw work and sulfur where I'm at. I've been up here for a week, and i haven't seen a deer in the field (no sulfur) next to me or the fields near me. Meanwhile, my clover (adequate S applied) 50 yards away is getting hit harder and earlier than I've ever seen. I've got a bunch, and i don't expect it to make it to frost. Gonna have to do some more terraforming next year.

Im sure you've covered this elsewhere ,but.....

In the absence of a soil test, how much gypsum are you applying in those chainsaw work areas?

thanks,

bill

 

[SD51555]

Im sure you've covered this elsewhere ,but.....

In the absence of a soil test, how much gypsum are you applying in those chainsaw work areas?

thanks,

bill

Not much. I put 300 lbs/ac on my plots each year. In a cut like that, probably half that rate. It usually ends up just being a bag for whatever sized area I cut, unless it's huge, then I'll do 2.

 

[weekender21]

Corn wins out over habitat

I have to agree with this. I don't live on or near my property yet but when I do, I will definitely use "defensive baiting". No plans to hunt over a corn pile but offering it in sanctuary areas to give the deer a daylight option definitely makes sense to me. I archery hunted on our place in western NC 7 days last November. I dumped 300 pounds of corn in front of a camera the day I left to observe how the deer would react. Opening day of rifle season, the biggest deer on our place last year was eating corn in daylight during the rut. A doe and fawn were in the corn a few hours after I put it out. The draw of corn is significant, especially in big woods settings.

The biggest bucks on our place in 2017 and 2018 were killed over neighbors corn piles during the rut. They may have been "chasing does" but corn was definitely in the equation.

 

[weekender21]

You say that your feeders are in sanctuaries and therefore aren't hunted over. That makes a difference. Certain areas of the country are probably different but I will say where there is plenty of natural food around and a fair amount of hunting pressure that mature deer will seldom visit a feeder in daylight. Just from my experience. If you remove one or both of the conditions above then it changes.

I guess this may be different in different states but big mature deer die over corn piles in NC every year.

 

[H20fwler]

Shooting a nice buck is great but I'm fine if I don't. I plant plots/trees/shrubs and use feeders for ALL wildlife not just deer. The more I've gotten into the habitat thing the less I've cared about killing things on my property, we do like to eat wild game but I enjoy seeing them just as much. I do like seeing one of my boys shoot a nice buck or gobbler or bunny hunting with family but I also enjoy seeing everything year round with the wife, planting stuff that benefits wildlife and just sitting in a stand or blind in fall enjoying the outdoors under the pretense of hunting.
On the baiting issue if putting a pile of corn on my property save some does&fawns from getting pounded by the road hunters I'm all for it.

 

[chucker66]

Looks like no baiting in Burnett, Washburn, and Polk counties this year. https://www.jsonline.com/story/spor...eeding-ban-northwestern-wisconsin/2135203001/ . That will solve the problem for some that have issues with baiting.

Chuck

 

[Mortenson]

If you get caught spilling bird seed on the ground in this state you can earn a $1,000 fine.

 

[Baker]

If you get caught spilling bird seed on the ground in this state you can earn a $1,000 fine.

I just bought 2 tons of milo to spice up a dove field at the ranch.Heavy dose of baiting! Gotta love Mexico!!!

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Looks like no baiting in Burnett, Washburn, and Polk counties this year. https://www.jsonline.com/story/spor...eeding-ban-northwestern-wisconsin/2135203001/ . That will solve the problem for some that have issues with baiting.

Chuck

I saw this about a month ago when the high rancher detected it, they said it would shut baiting down, I am all for it, I hope it stays down.