Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Alabama Senate bill would allow hunters to set bait for deer

Nope, I had it correct the first time.

They're all forms of baiting. Rationalizing it to make one feel better doesn't change it.

Exactly!!!

I don't know 'everyone' in Al. but I KNOW baiting (feeding), food plots << called "Green Patches">> was well practiced in Al in the 80s when I hunted there a few yrs.

Also, there "WAS" a time when the AGFC said, " deer can not BE baited" in the sense that deer would NOT respond to it.
However their attitude has changed since then, ATST it IS legal to "FEED" /bait deer on private property.

I know w/o a DOUBT the deer have NOT become nocturnal. They will avoid feeders in some areas during daylight but they are NOT nocturnal.

I'm NOT arguing, just posting what I know for a fact in Al. & Ark.

*** I don't use feeders/bait or 'green patches' at all ***


Jerry

Thats my experience too Jerry.

FWIW, An alfalfa field in South Dakota is wayyyyyyyy more effective bait than a corn pile in Alabama, not even in the same ballpark. Deer will filter in from miles away. In Bama deer have so many options.

Yep, deer don't 'Yard up' in the south, nor are they fighting one another for the last spruce needle. Might be the reason one can kill 300 a year and have a 3 month rifle season as opposed to a 9 day season and 1 deer.

No wuffs either.

So true about deer moving at night. To make matters worse, the heavy baiting in northern WIs has gotten worse. The reason is , there are a lot less deer there now days. Now, deer have bait there 24 /7. Ask a buck why he should come in to a bait pile at 4PM when he can wait till 10 PM . With so few deer the bait does not even get eaten sometimes and the 2 gal. limit is a joke. A hunter just moves 100 yds and baits thee too. There was a time , Granted , there were more deer , but there was a time I saw deer at 9AM and 3PM and even mid day . Deer moved in the daytime. Not so much anymore. . ... And dont think those wolves dont know the deer concentrate at bait piles. A pack can circle down wind and know very easily if a deer has been there. If so , the chase is on and that dumb deer is toast. They all complain about wolf kills close to their homes and take pictures of the wolf kills in discust. They are the ones concentrating the deer for the wolves. Oh well.

You do know that Alabama ain't Wisconsin, right?

You know very well I know Alabama ain't Wisconsin. A deer is a deer though and sure a deer will start coming in at night more and more when it figures out there is food there 24/7 but smelly hunters there in the daytime.

But is opener on a saturday? if it is, ya'll don't know what you're missing by a monday opener, just saying..........

You are right about deer WHERE they're few in no.

I promise you that you are WRONG about deer in the South.

Have you EVER watch Realtree Outdoors. They often hunt in Texas -- BIG feeders -- lots of DEERS --- & kill some monsters.!!


I haven't watched ANY tv hunting shows in some years but certainly have.


Jerry

WHat part of not baiting on these properties do you not understand? There are no cornpiles or supplemental feeding. They have 75 food plots to pick from and well taken care of hardwoods.

Even with our new Saturday opener, enlightening to some and a pox to others, baiting with corn is illegal in Pa. unless you plant it first.

I place corn on the edge of the yard for Deer in the winter. They come to it most often at night, because Deer for centuries most often feed at night. Full moon nights are often not the best for daylight hunting, right? Wonder why. Deer are for the most part nocturnal feeders. Always have been, but some act like that is something new. Why do we spotlight at night? Answer: Deer are up and moving.

Bad part of baiting is it often keeps the hunters from being up and moving. However, the tree stand phenomenon has pretty much killed that anyway.


Yet there are times the yard Deer come to the corn during the day also. Especially when it is really cold.

Other thing I’ve noticed is Deer don’t like to eat the same thing all the time. Sometimes they prefer corn, others apples, others just plain grass, others tree buds or nuts. Just because one has a pile of corn out doesn’t mean they are going to rush to it.

If I was into baiting, I would prefer salt over apples or corn everyday of the season.

I've said it before here. "Food plots are the modern day equivalent of the ring of fire."

Don't care what side of the baiting issue you are on, but food plots exclusively planted for Deer is baiting.

I often hunt next to commercial corn fields, there is a reason for it and the reason is bait....

Nope not in this situation , most of the time good bucks don't even come out into the plots in the evening, its usually a doe show with a few smaller bucks(not allowed to shoot) thrown in. We hunt the timber in the AM, thats when the majority of more mature bucks are taken. If acorns are dropping it will be tough to see a deer of any sort in a food plot . I used to hunt SC and if corn was dropped, deer showed up every single time.

I suppose it depends on what you are hunting for. 34 posts and bucks have scarcely been mentioned, only deer. Does are eating the acorns in my yard in broad daylight, yet in three years I've yet to see a buck out there with them, but they are rubbing the trees a hundred yards back in the woods. Does are always going to go for the best food sources. Bucks, at least where I hunt, are so security conscious that outside of the rut, they are real content to stay bedded down chewing their cud until they feel safe to get on their feet. A friend of mine had a deer farm with several large bucks and he told me that outside of the rut, once those bucks got over about three and a half, he never saw them in the daylight and those were penned deer.

Lots of guys are looking for a shortcut and unfortunately an entire generation has forgotten how to hunt without a 4 wheeler and a 50# sack of corn. I took my kid to hunter safety class and the instructor asked the class of 12 year olds what you should do before the season? He was looking for clean or sight in your rifle. What he got was some kid telling him that you should check your bait pile to make sure that you had enough bait. Sad, but true.

Steelhead does make a valid argument that an Alabama woods is green year around and if it is anything like what I see here in central Florida, I wouldn't have a clue about about hunting here. Hitting the road back up north tomorrow, can't wait.

Makes sense to be back in the woods come morning as they are retuning to bed. Although sometimes you can catch them feeding late. I'm not against food plots, but at minimum their purpose is too keep Deer around by supplying bait or to fatten them up. Thus food plots are a form of baiting. You can play it out however suits you, but they are bait, or chumming if that sounds better. If they didn't support what I mentioned, there would be no reason to go to the effort.



If food plots are something other than supplemental feeding, what would it be?


If the Does are around then the big boys will not be far away either.

And as mentioned previous, they tire of eating the same same. They may hit the acorns hard, but eventually they may decide some alfalfa would be a nice change.

How do you boys hunt? Stands? Move around? All day, or morning and evening?

if food plots are something other than supplemental feeding, what would it be?

In all the properties I have hunted in Alabama thats all they are there for. Does have a strong attraction to food plots and you can sit there for hours watching family groups of Does, small bucks, very enjoyable. During the rut some bucks might make the mistake of pursuing does and get shot but that is far and infrequent in my experience.



If the Does are around then the big boys will not be far away either.

Yes but they usually don't make an appearance until very last light and they are fidgety if anything. We see them more in the AM then at any other time .

And as mentioned previous, they tire of eating the same same. They may hit the acorns hard, but eventually they may decide some alfalfa would be a nice change.

I have been there years where a single doe is all we saw on a foodplot at night. They are only hunted evenings. If anything Does are bait. There is so much for them to eat there it is not even funny.



How do you boys hunt? Stands? Move around? All day, or

Get up 1 1/2 hours before daylight , walk 1/2 to a mile to a stand and stay there until you are tired of sitting there. Bucks usually cruise late morning until midday .
Get into the evening stand usually no later then 2-2:30 , sit half hour past sunset.

We are picked up in electrical UTVS(most of the time) . We hunt on roughly 5000 acres surrounded by thousands of acres of privately held land . They have roughly 300 head of cattle and for safety reasons no still hunting allowed. Deer have a lot of options on where to be and what to eat . No Archery, Muzzleloader and Turkey hunting is allowed period. They even have a few days break between hunting . Tracking dog is used if needed , they do not want anyone traipsing on adjoining properties or possibly bitten by a snake of which there are many

Thanks,
However, it sounds like a foreign country. 5,000 acres and you can’t still hunt because of the neighbors cows and other safety reasons. I’ll take Pa no matter what day they decide to open the season.

Pay and you can’t hunt Turkey. God bless Pa’s millions of acres of SGL and State Forests for those who want to hunt as much as shoot.