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

[ksJoe]

Thanks for the tip @Turkish I'll be sure to do that.

 

[SwampCat]

Another reason to hate on feeding. Squirrel chewed through my plastic feeder barrel and must have over indulged. They feed under my feeders by the dozen - never had one feed from inside my feeder

 

[ksJoe]

@SwampCat I've heard of this trend adding protein to everything, but I think you're taking it a little too far.

 

[gjs4]

Owning the rapidly crashing state of Ohio- people with corn piles in their residential yard call killing animals using them as "hunting" too.

Baiting and feeding arent the same but similar.

Everything state controlled is making killing critters easier- bait being a huge part of it.
Baiting rapidly increases access issues, costs and tensions.

Baiting has never made a state reach their goals.

Living in NY, and knowing lots people bait everywhere, it is savagely effective. Our law enforcement sucks here so it wont stop. feeders and corn is sold at many stores from TSC to Walmart, etc. In OH it is everywhere and as Ben mentioned earlier has to be used (yes- has), effective at killing young and/or desperate deer but will not likely be the shortcut to a mature buck.

Hunters do many dumb things- the two worst are compare themselves to each other and second is believe that a state/fed agency will improve things.

 

[SwampCat]

Baiting has never made a state reach their goals.

Do you have research data supporting that statement or is that your opinion?

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Living in NY, and knowing lots people bait everywhere, it is savagely effective. Our law enforcement sucks here so it wont stop. feeders and corn is sold at many stores from TSC to Walmart, etc. In OH it is everywhere and as Ben mentioned earlier has to be used (yes- has), effective at killing young and/or desperate deer but will not likely be the shortcut to a mature buck.

I live over in western, MA and in general have the same experience and share the same thoughts. Everybody baits. You see guys walking out of Tractor Supply with 50 lb. bags of corn every weekend heading to the woods. When I'm out tracking 5 or 6 out of 10 stands I come across will have corn, or apples, or a protein block of some kind.

I will say this though, I think baiting can indeed be very effective on mature bucks in the big woods with no pressure. I'm think of a Saskatchewan hunt for example where baiting is really the only way you're ever going to shoot a monster buck. I've never tried baiting...one, it's illegal in MA, and two, as easy as it would be for me to try it on my land illegally, that's just not how I want to kill a deer. But I do suspect on my very, very low pressured deer population in the big woods, that if I ever tried it that it wouldn't be that hard to pull in a mature buck. Maybe I'm wrong? Not sure.

I drop red maples every year quite near the end of muzzloader season and within a day or 2 of my work I typically have mature bucks showing up to feed. This year I had my biggest target buck showing up every night at 4 PM to feed on the maples. He would have been an easy kill. But I was tagged out. Even so, I'm not certain that's how I want to kill a deer. Over maples...or over corn, as easy as it would be.

 

[BenA]

Here's a scientific study that further solidifies the need to bait in areas where legal if you want to have the same chance as those that do. They found while home ranges weren't affected by short term baiting, core ranges were. Bucks shifted their core areas to baited sites. And, this study was done on properties that had actively managed the habitat. Even on those properties, core areas shifted to baited areas.

Effects of Bait on Male White-Tailed Deer Resource Selection - PMC

Bait is often used to attract wildlife to enhance viewing opportunities, increase harvest rates, or to improve population survey methods for research and management purposes. However, baiting wildlife can alter animal behavior, leading to negative ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[sandbur]

I didn’t read all of the comments, but will add my two cents.

IMO, baiting deer is not ethical but baiting bear is. This follows the laws in my state. Is it just a matter of tradition?

Last summer, my family fished with a guide from the UP on Lake Superior. His family has baited specific sites for years for deer. He says the deer learn these specific locations over the years, but so do the wolves. Wolves scent check the bait sites.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Owning the rapidly crashing state of Ohio- people with corn piles in their residential yard call killing animals using them as "hunting" too.

Baiting and feeding arent the same but similar.

Everything state controlled is making killing critters easier- bait being a huge part of it.
Baiting rapidly increases access issues, costs and tensions.

Baiting has never made a state reach their goals.

Living in NY, and knowing lots people bait everywhere, it is savagely effective. Our law enforcement sucks here so it wont stop. feeders and corn is sold at many stores from TSC to Walmart, etc. In OH it is everywhere and as Ben mentioned earlier has to be used (yes- has), effective at killing young and/or desperate deer but will not likely be the shortcut to a mature buck.

Hunters do many dumb things- the two worst are compare themselves to each other and second is believe that a state/fed agency will improve things.

I have to strongly disagree with your statement about being a shortcut to killing mature buck. Every single mature buck that I know of personally that has been killed in the last several years by my neighbors and or acquaintances has been over bait. Actually, I know of one five years ago that my friends uncle shot on his property where they don’t allow bait. And he he one i shot 2 years ago. But that is literally it. Now granted, I’m sure there have been others, but I’m talking ones where I have firsthand knowledge. So I will argue, it’s probably THE biggest shortcut of killing a mature buck.