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

[BenA]

The data is out there if you’re really interested. I cant read this and understand how you’d defend baiting on the habitat forum. If hot oaks were a disease concern this forum wouldn’t exist.

@Bill, I’m doing my best to boost traffic. I expect a check in 30 days.

I have read the data, and agree with it as I've already said now a few times.

 

[Turkish]

My “baiting” program is fairly intensive also. While I have three spin feeders, I also have six more locations where I protein feed - pouring the feed on the ground every few days. My program is much more effective than any of my neighbors - who only provide bait/feed during deer season. I believe my feeding starting four months before season is the main reason I have been successful holding deer on my property for more time. My deer weights have also increased greatly. I know folks who put a few feeders out, fill them with feed a couple times a month, and call it good. That is barely a start for me. While there is a differentiation between supplemental feeding and baiting, I believe supplemental feeding greatly improves the effectiveness of baiting. If hunting was illegal within 200 yards of a location providing bagged food - I would still do it for the purpose of trying to keep deer off my neighbor’s property more hours of the day - and the benefits to wildlife the feeding provides.

Sounds like you’ve … wait for it… mastered baiting.

Does this forum allow us to assign nicknames?

 

[SwampCat]

Sounds like you’ve … wait for it… mastered baiting.

Does this forum allow us to assign nicknames?

Haha - dont bother me a bit. Would Be the first thing I was a master at. Unfortunately, most of it goes away starting July 1 when supplemental feeding - outside hunting season - becomes illegal due to a cwd positive within the county. Still wish they would ban baiting completely - like most states do in cwd zones.

 

[SwampCat]

I’m in your same category..couple years ago on the first day of archery here in PA I sat over our biggest plot just to see what would come out…and boy did they come out..had almost 30 deer in the plot at one time and I never even touched my bow..took some great video and watched what part of the plot they went to the most..I know my Dad and my brother and his kids will put some on the ground so I know I have no fear of going hungry…

My grand daughters keep my freezer full

Way more exciting to me for one of them to kill a deer in a food plot I made.

 

[Telemark]

I see baiting as an individual and personal choice where it's legal. I would feel more of a sense of accomplishment shooting a big buck alone in the forest after stalking his trail, but I'll still be happy shooting a big buck using whatever help I can get.

My favorite hunting memory is a red stag I had to belly crawl to in the Norwegian wilderness after hearing him roar. I still enjoy the memories I have of bucks, stags, and bulls I shot with "help". I even enjoy the memories of last deer I shot, at a corn feeder with my cousin and her son, because I helped them get some meat in the freezer and had a good time with my relatives.

Do your own thing, and let other people do their own thing.

 

[Turkish]

Do your own thing, and let other people do their own thing.

Thats an honorable point of view, assuming it has no impact on the health of the resource or on others’ enjoyment of the resource. Unfortunately the impact on both is significant and unfavorable in my region.

 

[gjs4]

The deeper think thought I had in my sleep last night- How many people quit hunting due to regs, versus change in their experience?
I'd suspect very very few have over regs, but will over having to do more for what theyve just expected (access, scouting, etc).

We have many hunters in our ranks that want an outcome with little to no effort needed, we have some (?most) that like the effort as much of the outcome, and others that desire the outcome so much that the biggest effort/toll they can afford without concern. We are fractioned beyond solidarity, and attempts to unite not only fail but result in exponential losses. While we can argue-discuss-whatever on baiting ask yourself this; If the fed decided to put a bill up for a final vote to ban all/any hunting.....how many hunters, and from what buckets, would do something to try an stop it?

Saw Skip on the Legacy Acres Land Podcast and he brought up OH and said something to the effect of "OH states they need baiting to stop from losing hunters (and their votes), because theyre losing so many hunters and votes (with baiting)". Regardless of where one has their preference, what are you hunting for, where is your effort and how has baiting improved that for you, and how has it (Baiting) improved it for hunting itself

 

[Tangler]

Politics, Religion & Baiting.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I live in northern Wisconsin, hard winters. My county has bounced back and forth with baiting being legal over the past decade. We had a pretty rough couple winters a few years back and I did what I could to help the deer out. I dropped trees, so they could eat the tree tops, snow blowed paths for them, the snow was over 4 foot deep for over a couple months, and I would spread out a wildlife mixture of food for them. It drew in many deer into my area, and what I noticed after the next few summers, the deer ate every tree bud on my land they could reach, it really set my land back. What use to be a thick 25 acres of thick understory, turned into no branches under 5 feet.

 

[SwampCat]

The deeper think thought I had in my sleep last night- How many people quit hunting due to regs, versus change in their experience?
I'd suspect very very few have over regs, but will over having to do more for what theyve just expected (access, scouting, etc).

We have many hunters in our ranks that want an outcome with little to no effort needed, we have some (?most) that like the effort as much of the outcome, and others that desire the outcome so much that the biggest effort/toll they can afford without concern. We are fractioned beyond solidarity, and attempts to unite not only fail but result in exponential losses. While we can argue-discuss-whatever on baiting ask yourself this; If the fed decided to put a bill up for a final vote to ban all/any hunting.....how many hunters, and from what buckets, would do something to try an stop it?

Saw Skip on the Legacy Acres Land Podcast and he brought up OH and said something to the effect of "OH states they need baiting to stop from losing hunters (and their votes), because theyre losing so many hunters and votes (with baiting)". Regardless of where one has their preference, what are you hunting for, where is your effort and how has baiting improved that for you, and how has it (Baiting) improved it for hunting itself

Around my property, the first to start baiting were the smaller land owners. Most had been in a lease or hunted public land - but as lease prices escalated, two things happened - public land became excessively crowded and it was tough to see a deer - or those who couldnt afford a lease just started hunting their ten acres. Baiting deer made their otherwise unattractive ten acres more attractive to deer.

Most of the guys who had a hundred acres or more came into the baiting game later. With 100 acres or more, it was likely you had some attractive features to hunt, compared to a guy who lived and hunted on ten acres. It took awhile before the larger landowners saw how much success the smaller landowners were having and joined in.

I have tried to find out when baiting first became legal in AR - best I can tell, it was never illegal - G&F did not regulate it until cwd came along.

 

[Telemark]

Thats an honorable point of view, assuming it has no impact on the health of the resource or on others’ enjoyment of the resource. Unfortunately the impact on both is significant and unfavorable in my region.

That's life. It's not fair. I just find my life is a lot happier since I quit worrying about what my bonehead neighbors get up to. It's not about being honorable; it's about my own peace of mind.

 

[SwampCat]

There's a guy on social media I've seen killing bucks with a bow. Food plot at the base of his tree. Multiple kills every fall. It freaking WORKS! Just joking with you, but they do work. I've seen more bucks killed over food plots than bait sites.

100% for us. Of the eleven bucks on my wall - one came off a bait. That does not mean we cant kill does and younger bucks successfully off bait - but we can do that in a food plot also - and have a much better view. We killed four mature deer this year - all in a food plot.

This year and last year, we had healthy acorn crops. I had a number of bait sites where the deer quit bait altogether - I had to turn down the spin feeders to keep the corn from piling up under the feeders. We also had reduced deer use in our food plots - but all the deer didnt just quit them like they did the bait sites. At my place - bait sites Sept and first couple weeks of Oct - food plots and acorns rest of season. Generally speaking - the best time to hunt bait here is the absolutely worse time to be in the woods - 98 degree temps and a swarm of skeeters and ticks.

 

[PatinPA]

I bet back in the 90’s they had very few bears or coyotes. Deer populations in N GA are down significantly, largely due to bear and coyote numbers - that werent there 30 years ago.

Yes that is part of the problem. The bear and coyote population has exploded in the last 20 years. They run bears with dogs there but a lot of times just let them go.

 

[Baker]

Just checking back in on this thread and glad to see everyone has convinced everyone else of their opposing point of view. Baiting? Are the glory days over? All points of view in perfect alignment . Remarkable. Got me to thinking. recognizing so many like to slice and dice what is appropriate, what is fair chase, you should do it like I do it, I'm right your wrong, I hunt the way one should, I miss the glory days when hunting was really hunting, etc etc what developments have had the biggest impact on hunting and profoundly changed the game?

My list in order:
1) Trucks or sxs Anyone here walking to their hunting territory? I can cause I live on my farm. Indians did back in the glory days of hunting . Major advantage to modern hunters that helps kill more deer than anything. Anyone willing to give that up?
2) High powered rifle with scope. Bet that kills more deer than any other development in any other circumstance. Kuddos to you archery only hunters especially the ones that eschew compounds, crossbows and other developments that profoundly change archery. Long ways from recurve bows I grew up with shooting cedar arrows about 1/4" thick.
3) Modern box blinds. Heck you can have sex with your girlfriend while drinking champagne on ice. and a deer 50 yards away would have no idea you are there. Suspect the vast majority of deer killed every year are from a modern box blind { with a high powered rifle}
4) Any elevated blind---ladder stands, climbers etc. I've whacked countless deer from climbers with my bow. On the ground one on one...not so many. Anyone climbing trees to sit in a fork anymore?
5) Food plots Most people plant food to attract a deer to shoot { from a box blind with scoped high powered rifle } My experience is ...excepting Mexico s. Tx where it doesn't rain...this is the technique many [ most? ] use to kill a deer. Wasn't that way 50 years ago { in the glory days ] but everywhere today. Game changer!
6) Baiting. Lord knows that has been debated enough here but I think it has led far less to the demise of deer than all the above.
7) trail cameras . They let you know where a deer is and possibly what time he is moving but most likely you will use some or all of the above techniques to whack one along with skill and luck
8) Game fencing Oh boy. No argument here right. My experience is where scale is right and deer have normal escape cover, appropriate habitat to lead a normal life hunting a specific deer is no different game fenced property vs low fence. I'm not interested in arguing this but have abundant decades of experience simultaneously managing both to prove my point of view. Let the arrows fly.
9) Drones. I only bring drones up because some have an issue with them. Good luck using a drone anywhere I've ever hunted to increase your ability to kill a deer. No value for that. Terrific for all kinds of research, censusing and mgt benefits but for hunting not so relevant. Regarding the research and educational values I suppose we could outlaw drones and leave the research to the " experts " to tell us what we are supposed to know . Thats worked so well lately.

I've only had 2 cups coffee and cant think of anything else that has made hunting easier or given more advantage to the hunter over the deer. Now back to the incredibly creative ways to debate baiting and if one can make it to heaven as a master baiter.

 

[farmlegend]

Lots of people use food plots as bait. I'd say a majority of people using them, use them as bait.

I've seen this opinion expressed, a lot. Never seen a poll on the subject, but of the serious foodplotters I know (and I've been at it actively for a quarter century), this is generally not the case. At my place, we virtually never set up directly on our plots, except for longer-range rifle sniping for does only during our late antlerless season.