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Baiting, I know this has been discussed and discussed this is just my rant....LOL
- Thread starter Turkey Creek
- Start date
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.
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.
Do you have research data supporting that statement or is that your opinion?
Natty Bumppo
5 year old 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
5 year old buck +
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.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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
5 year old buck +
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.
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
5 year old buck +
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.
Hey brother. In Ohio its deadly week one and when its nasty on mature bucks....but not otherwise in my region and experience due to it being synonymous with human danger since everyone does it. Here in NY where it is illegal.....it leads to mature deer dying with the greatest of ease.
You're the best, sharp as a tack and i am sure we would agree that "user results may vary" (based on region). Zero disagreement that it is an easy way in your region.
Yessir- name a state that went from adding baiting to increase harvest that is now content? My tangible data for this is "0 states" haha. Not trying to be a smart azz..... but the sword is two sided. Baiting is food and more food means more deer unless they're dying faster than birthing.
what the heck is the bow in the center pic (let alone the scope on his head)? Why do NY hunters have to make their way in to every thread? This meme will then bring up the next HabitatTalk feisty discourse inspired by Billy Elish' "Is your lease stolen land?"
Its an AI hallucination, like when it puts an extra arm in a group of people.
I told gemini I wanted to make a meme poking fun at people against baiting deer with corn, and asked it for suggestions. It gave me a short list of ideas. I picked one and went back & forth with it sorting out details. Then I said "ok, make that" and it generated the image.
There are less deer in AR now than there was five years ago
This is a question I have always been curious about the answer - not just AR - but as a whole. AR allows baiting through every season of deer hunting - 8 weeks gun, five months bow - and us hunters harvest our kill the 20 to 25% of the total state deer population each year. How many fewer deer do you think would be killed if no baiting were allowed?
Your position basically says baiting doesnt matter - baiting is food, pure and simple, and more food equals more deer. There are a lot of responses on this thread from folks who seem to think baiting makes it too easy to take too many deer. My state’s g&f agency allowed baiting in cwd zones on the premise that they wanted to reduce deer density and didnt think hunters could do it without bait.
My personal opinion - there is no question in my mind that baiting does not make it easier to kill deer. I know a lot of hunters in their 30’s who have not killed a deer that wasnt standing within 50 ft of a bait pile.
But that aside, maybe I am the only one who thinks there would be more deer if baiting were stopped
Telemark
5 year old buck +
I hunt in Ohio, and I quit using any kind of bait years ago. I think it has a negative effect on hunting mature bucks. Bait certainly draws in does and fawns, but I find it an unnecessary expense, so I don't do it.
This is the first year I fed deer in a suburban setting near ag fields, and it would be very easy to shoot a doe over the food or on their way to it. The bucks that visited showed up after dark, and it was mostly the same buck with a wonky antler.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
I got a kick out of it. The scope taped to his head made me chuckle.
Regarding mature bucks coming to corn in daylight, I posted a video...La. Whitetails 2025/2026..recently on my farm thread here. Shows two buck on different days coming to a corn feeder broad daylight Both are either 8 or 9 one mid 180's and 0ne 170 ish. Mature bucks over bait in daylight is mostly a function of pressure and how many mature bucks are around.
The AI pic is super cool. Well done!
The AI pic is super cool. Well done!
BenA
5 year old buck +
@Baker makes a great point. Baiting effectiveness on mature bucks or even deer in general is directly influenced by pressure. Generally, in areas with long hunting seasons, and where baiting has been the norm for decades, I know mature bucks tend to avoid baited areas during the day. They'll also avoid food plots during the day in the same circumstances. Science has documented these daytime avoidance behaviors. This explains why people's experiences with baiting differ.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Man I wish I had yalls deer or maybe the deer in my county are morons! This is just a random clip from a guy I know on the other end of my county. Deer wasn’t big but he was old, likely over 5. Broad daylight, last weekend of rifle just munching down on a mound of corn cobs. Killed him 30 seconds later. Small property, if it’s like everywhere else in my area it’s all hunted. I completely disagree about the corn and mature buck thing.
This deer, opening weekend of rifle on a food plot with 3 feeders, how do I know, cause it’s on my property line. 100 acre property where I know they bowhunted
This deer, last weekend of the rifle season in the middle of a field with a feeder next to a giant box blind…also a neighbor
I could literally keep going on but these are just a couple from this year. My real world experience over several properties says a mature buck has zero problem going to bait in daylight in the middle of the season. I also think it’s a bit of self defeating prophecy, if you have an area with a ton of pressure you probably don’t have a lot of mature bucks to even come to bait so therefore it’s a confirmation bias that they don’t.
This deer, opening weekend of rifle on a food plot with 3 feeders, how do I know, cause it’s on my property line. 100 acre property where I know they bowhunted
This deer, last weekend of the rifle season in the middle of a field with a feeder next to a giant box blind…also a neighbor
I could literally keep going on but these are just a couple from this year. My real world experience over several properties says a mature buck has zero problem going to bait in daylight in the middle of the season. I also think it’s a bit of self defeating prophecy, if you have an area with a ton of pressure you probably don’t have a lot of mature bucks to even come to bait so therefore it’s a confirmation bias that they don’t.
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BenA
5 year old buck +
That’s not really a pressured area though. Throw Louisiana seasons in there, and you wouldn't see that. I've hunted several Louisiana places with mature bucks that rarely come to bait in daylight.
