Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Pros and Cons to "Baiting" of deer; those that live and hunt where bait is legal

I'm looking for both "PROS" and "CONS" of baiting deer from those people who live in states where it is already legal, practiced and have experience on the subject.

I have been baiting deer for years but I don't live in a State other than constant confusion...does that count?

Well, one "con" is the highest corn prices we have ever paid here in TX. And coon and feral hog numbers have never been higher that eat those precious kernals!

stumpy

I've always fed deer. It's how I grew up hunting. We have little food source in many areas, so we simply provide food sources. It's no different than hunting food sources in other states. I hunt in the midwest a bit and always see deer eating corn in the corn fields. No difference in my opinion.

We don't do it to shoot game over a bait pile like some think, we do it to hold game on our properties. We mostly have pine thickets here and there's not much food for the game animals. If you want to hold game, you have to feed or they will move to the neighboring properties where they feed.

If you hold does with food plots and feed, the bucks will be around.

We plant food plots and place feeders in the plots. I've also seen feed improve bucks antler growth. In one area we only fed corn for a couple of years and had mostly spikes and 4pts on the game cam. We then switched to Purina deer chow mixed with corn and in just two years the 1.5yo bucks are mostly 6pts and small 7 & 8s. The 2.5s are nice 8s and next year it will be interesting to see how they are at 3.5yrs.

loder

My problem with feeding deer is that occasionally a neighbors cow or horse will get out and find my feeder. I haven't found that it to helps with nocturnal deer.

+1

It's rare for me to shoot a buck eating corn, but they follow the does. Some of my permanent rifle stands have feeders, but now all have food plots. I'm at 40 consecutive hunts without being skunked. In years past, I had spells where I might be hunting bad conditions and go 3-4 hunts in a row without seeing anything. Also, the feeders on my rifle stands are positioned so that they can be hunted for archery via treestand. Two birds with one stone.

Some folks cry "foul" when the subject of baiting is brought up. Then I ask them why they use bait for fish.

+1 to both Reloader7RM and JPro ... I don't know anyone in Louisiana that works it any differently than what they said ... we have feeders full of a 50/50 mix of deer corn and roasted soy beans ... and we have a lot of food plots planted each season ...

it's something we have to do, when you have boundaries for your property, and 90% of the trees are pines. Deer might not be that smart, but they definitely know to go where the food is ... a habitat without food is NOT a suitable habitat ... that's pretty much the long and short of it.

as for the cons ... well, some people don't like to hunt the areas where the feeders are because they feel like it's cheating ... they do cost a bit to maintain, as the price of the corn and soy isn't cheap ... but if you're truly trying to manage a herd of deer, and make sure they stick around your place, you gotta do it ...

One key thing ... you really want/need to run the feeders year round ... the protein uptake during the off season is very key to good antler growth ... if you're only feeding during the legal hunting season, you're truly just trying to 'bait' them in ... but if you feed them year round, you're promoting good health/growth, as well as making sure they know that your property (their habitat) is the place to be ...

The single biggest con here in Michigan is that much of our hunting is on public or public access land. Once baiting starts some hunters start thinking of a particular patch of public land as "their" spot just because they have been putting bait there. Even before bait this could be a problem, but the bait multiplies it severalfold.

Another con is arms race of baiting that starts. Some bait piles are just obsene by nearly anyones standard. I talking about like a 40 yard box.

Another con is that the deer spend fewer daylight hours feeding and moving, just because they can.

Another con is that hunters, as a group, forget or never learn any other way of hunting.

The only pro I can think of is that it keeps most of the other hunters nailed down to their bait piles.

Arizona is now in the public comment period where the G&F is considering outlawing the use of bait and salt to attract big game for hunting. Baiting of bears is already outlawed.

I started hunting in S.Texas where corn flickers and oat patches are common. After a few years, I gave up the stands as waiting on a stand was boring and it did not seem like hunting to me.

Doug~RR

Ther is no food in the woods at all this year...absolutely no acorns. All the deer have to eat is winter wheat and my corn piles.

I am hunting suburban deer where baiting is a necessity to lure them from the neighbors yard.

Doc

The dumbest thing the DNR ever did was to allow baiting.

Grinning...

It sure gives the stillhunter more spots to circle.

Nice.

I have some pretty strong feelings about this. Alabama does not allow baiting. However, from September thru January, any country store you walk in has 50 pound sacks of corn stacked to the ceiling. The conservation officers only target certain people. What I mean by this is, if you're a big landowner, with a high fence, you can do whatever you want. It's all about money here. I personally know of a lease that 2 judges are a part of. Corn and corn feeders everywhere, nothing is ever said or done to them. Let some 18 year old that's trying to kill a deer on his grandma's 40 acres dump a sack of corn and hunt over it, they'll ticket him every time. I see nothing wrong with hunting over corn. I know people who sneek around and do it, and most of these guys might harvest one buck per year. They see plenty of deer, but are selective and responsible. In my opinion, nothing is wrong with this type of hunting. I do have a problem with somebody sitting on a corn pile and blasting everything that walks up. The long and short of it in Alabama, baiting is everywhere, but not legal. You almost have to do it to keep game on your lease. Not trying to start an argument here, but it is amazing that some of our Northern friends see nothing wrong with hunting over a 200 acre corn field, but scoff at our desires to use corn. Of course, all this is just one man's opinion

South Carolina is like the "Vegas" of deer hunting. Virtually anything goes! 4.5 month seasons, no limit on bucks, and of course, baiting is legal. Not only is it legal, it's practiced with a passion here.
I'm one of those "Rouges". I despise baiting!!!
Yes, corn piles WILL attract deer, but back when I was younger and did bait, I RARELY saw a big, mature, buck on the corn.

Typically, the deer we did see over bait were as nervous as a W#$%E in church. They also seem to move later in the day than those that are feeding in a food plot, or a planted field.

I put all my efforts into food plots. I plant as much area as possible, and I try to make sure there's year round food in the fields, and plots. I just spent all weekend from daylight to dark, planting oats. I do also add supplemental protien in the form of pellets and cotton seed as soon as the season is over, and will keep this up thru late spring.

If foodplots are not feasable on your area, and baiting is legal, then do it. Corn is KING when it comes to bait.
One tip if you are going to bait. Don't make a "pile". Deer seem to be more wary of a pile, vs broadcasting the bait over a larger area. No matter if you're using ear, or shell corn, scatter the heck out of it. Just like you were trying to over seed your lawn. Deer prefer to move and feed over standing in one spot to eat. Make'em work at it, just like they were feeding on acorns.

Iowa does not allow baiting, but since the whole state is covered in corn I guess its legal.

same as MN, no baiting and I can't stand the thought of it. Baiting isn't the same as a foodplot or a farmers field, not even close. I can see in some regions it might be useful but I'm glad to hunt in a state that doesn't allow it.

I'm not taking sides but I think the difference is that a 200 acre corn field has many more places for the deer to enter. You have to pick the right spot instead of 'making' the spot. In addition, most likely, you have no control over what gets planted in that field or when it's harvested. Once the deer have cleaned up what little corn is spilled, there's no more.

Dale

Pro's,

Feed'em during the winter and they'll congregate and hang around and you can hunt them. You get pictures of what's there in terms of racks. It's kind of fun too.


Con's they'll go nocturnal on ya and you won't see 'em.
Con Corn's expensive, and it's work, feeders aren't free.

In the end if you want to modify patterns a bit - it's good, especially if you need to in order to have a shot (pun intended) at getting a deer.

Only half, the other half is in soybeans. >grin<