Baiting, I know this has been discussed and discussed this is just my rant....LOL

[Brian662]

Did you just intend to infer that guys plant food plots because they're too lazy to bait???

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

A food plot is just a way to have food out there for an extended period of time to where they don't have to keep going back out to place food or the expense. Then, many provide feed in feeders for an extended amount of time to supplement when the food plots may not be as attractive or as nutritious.

Yeah, I actually don’t have a problem with supplemental feeding. It’s the act of hunting over it that is cheesy to me. But whatever, at the end of the day, I’m not gonna convince you and you’re not gonna convince me so we can just debate for the fun of it I suppose.

 

[BenA]

Did you just intend to infer that guys plant food plots because they're too lazy to bait???

That's an over generalization. But, in some cases, it is true. I used to plant over 20 acres a year, twice a year. I wouldn't call that lazy. But, I also wouldn't call carrying sacks of feed to a remote spot hundreds of yards through hills and hollows by hand lazy either. I know there are plenty of guys in Texas that wish they could plant feed instead of buying and driving it around all day.

 

[Mortenson]

If I'm to believe a bunch of the soil health gurus here my plots are turning junk light soil into black gold. So I got that on the baiters. My deer aren't coming for the food. They're coming for the biology and soil health.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Ben, not trying to play some gotcha or whatnot, and what you believe now you may not believe 5 years from now and that’s totally understandable, but what is your argument here? Bait is less effective than not baiting? Bait is less effective than a food plot? Bait is harder to establish than a food plot? Bait is beneficial to more wildlife than a food plot? Bait is fair chase?

I think we’ve gone down some wormholes here, which can be thought provoking, but I’m curious at the heart of this debate where you actually stand?

Here’s another angle and it’s personal, but next year say a 140” 5 year comes by and you whack him over a 400 lb, 6’ round corn pile. Are you going to hold your head high and say I bested that dude on his terms and proudly boast that the corn pile was the factor?

 

[BenA]

Ben, not trying to play some gotcha or whatnot, and what you believe now you may not believe 5 years from now and that’s totally understandable, but what is your argument here? Bait is less effective than not baiting? Bait is less effective than a food plot? Bait is harder to establish than a food plot? Bait is beneficial to more wildlife than a food plot? Bait is fair chase?

I think we’ve gone down some wormholes here, which can be thought provoking, but I’m curious at the heart of this debate where you actually stand?

Here’s another angle and it’s personal, but next year say a 140” 5 year comes by and you whack him over a 400 lb, 6’ round corn pile. Are you going to hold your head high and say I bested that dude on his terms and proudly boast that the corn pile was the factor?

My argument is people have blinders on when it comes to feeding deer. They are ok with planting corn and mowing it, but not picking that same corn and moving over 100 yards or even less. They are ok with putting seeds in the ground, but not on top. They are fine with planting a garden or pasture for deer to come to and shoot them in it, but not if they put what grows in the garden in something that dispenses it.

And, yes, I would be proud of that buck and give credit to whatever feed/plot aided in killing him along with all the other work that went into my property to put it over neighboring parcels.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

My argument is people have blinders on when it comes to feeding deer. They are ok with planting corn and mowing it, but not picking that same corn and moving over 100 yards or even less. They are ok with putting seeds in the ground, but not on top. They are fine with planting a garden or pasture for deer to come to and shoot them in it, but not if they put what grows in the garden in something that dispenses it.

And, yes, I would be proud of that buck and give credit to whatever feed/plot aided in killing him along with all the other work that went into my property to put it over neighboring parcels.

Thank you. Some stuff we agree on and some we don’t and that’s totally cool.

 

[Mortenson]

Hearing DNR agencies having total opposite stances is odd to me. Some are saying bait piles are critical to not only hunter recruitment but also keeping cwd in check. My state has a no bait policy and has taken it even further by enacting a zero feeding policy year round. I hope they keep it that way. I could see them latching onto the bait theory of getting more deer killed. DNR doesn't care about big bucks. That ship sailed.