As I have said before, I am not against baiting, or high fence, or for that matter hunting deer with dogs. If it is legal, and you are ethical about it, and it is how you want to hunt, have at er.
I grew up a farmer, shooting a fenced deer sounds about as much fun as cow hunting, but I have never done it, so I wouldn’t be a good person to judge. But it just isn’t something I ever wanted to do.
Bait hunting, I have done it, the county I am in, has been in and out of it being legal for several years. Right now it is illegal, but I am pretty sure most of my neighbors still do it. I personally learned that is I bait, I have more bear, and when I have more bear, they wreck more trees, so I have decided it isn’t worth it to me. But those that do it, are drawing the deer off of my property, which they are on most the rest of the year.
Food plots, I have 3, 3/4 acre plots, and an apple orchard. Deer use these year around, and they benefit the deer year around. My land is in the northern forest region, and there is very little crop land. So any winter food source, and early spring food sources help deer.
TSI, I also hinge cut about 50 trees a year to bring more cover, and a food source to ground level for late winter, early spring food.
So my comparison between a hunted over bait pile, and a year around food plot I think is night and day different. A bait pipe benefits the hunter, not the deer. The food plot benefits a deer herd year around. Sure I can have 10 deer in my food plots at any given time, I do know the food plot later draw deer, but they also feed them all year, not just draw them in, for a good shot.
I have 1 food plot that is never hunted over, and I have a camera over it. There is more deer in that plot then in the other 2 combined, but it draws the deer off of the neighbors land, so that is its purpose. I also plant clover throughout my entire 2 acre yard, and the deer are always wandering my yard, they aren’t hunted there either.
Again if it is legal, and you feel it is what you need to do to hunt, and you can sleep at night, enjoy! I have my idea of fair chase, or ethical, but that is mine, and my choices. Everyone else can chose theirs, as long as it is legal.
Unless of course President Harris decides no more hunting, or guns allowed.