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

sound like some of you are real masters at baiting...must be masterbaiters.

Baiting also gives guys with small parcels of marginal land a chance for a good hunt.

BTW all the guys who think hunting over bait is like shooting fish in a barrel should look at the results for the deer season of 08 in MI. The lower peninsula had a baiting ban and success rates where about the same.

not even close to shooting fish in a barrel. Yes, that means I have done it, that is how I know I don't like even a little bit.

I haven't done it since WI banned baiting about 5yrs ago, it started right up the next season though.

I NEVER saw a buck while I did it. Didn't see many deer in the am either. Saw quite a few does and fawns from about 4pm to the end of hunting hrs. It does affect deer movement, mostly in a negitive way, IMO

Thats because anybody who can sit still for 4 hours in southern Michigan can shoot a doe.No need to bait Find a few main runs that intersect put up a tree stand and watch all the does go by.Sooner a later a buck will stroll down the trail.

Try that in parts of the northern lower or the UP and you might sit for weeks and not see a thing.

Same in norther MN. It's just all part of the game. I've sat for whole season and not seen a deer in MN and WI. Boring as hell, but gives a guy a chance to scout, still hunt, take a nap...

I don't pretend to be any expert but, I have hunted in states that allow bait & those that don't. In Virginia we can't bait during deer season but, can use food plots. What is the real difference since both attract deer? I & others put up feeders in the off season to both hold deer in our areas & provide needed nutrition. Where I hunt(& many others) are tree farms without hardwoods to produce acorns & no crops. The biologist that consults on the property suggested off season feeding. In many states where I have hunted over bait, except during the rut, seldom is a trophy buck seen during shooting light. In Virginia again, where no baiting is allowed during the season, all sorts of minerals, ground acorns, etc. is sold at all hunting stores. It is of course illegal(unless natural) to use & the game wardens have told me its illegal. Many hunters pour this "bait" everywhere, dig holes for minerals, & put out mineral blocks. There appears to be a wink & a nod from game wardens on selling & using these products, so why not just allow feeders? I know hunters that get fighting mad when feeders are mentioned, but spent lots of money developing & hunting near & over food plots. They counter, its hunting "natural food sources". When did all the expensive seeds developed for food plots occur natural? I have a plow I use with my ATV, buy these fancy seeds, fertilize, & develop food plots that I have hunted days over without seeing a deer. The same with corn from a feeder. There are no guarantees in hunting.

pretty big difference between baiting and food plots. Bait piles are usually a pile of corn dumped in a spot where a guy can see.

A food plot is an acre or so most times, doen't usually alter deer movement because it has been there for several months, not two weeks before the season.

Sure both are for attracting deer, but quite different in the way they do it.

Moot point.Same end result.

not really. corn field gets the same result. brings deer in. their pattern is not altered because it wasn't there yesterday.

And if you dont think food plots alter the way deer move your nuts.
When MI bans baiting everyone will have food plots and the result will be the same.

If you plant winter wheat and rye, it really comes into its own right before season if there isn't too much snow....:)

They switch to carbs to bulk up and its a beautiful thing.

I don't plant to bait though, am in it strictly for the aesthetics...as they stay green under the snow...:)

Good luck with your food plots on public ground. Here anyway, I'm not sure the laws in MI.

You would not be able to do the necessary work involved with food plots legally here.

I agree with the first part. I started baiting last night. I've lured them to my small parcel of land, have found their trails and need to get a trailcam on them to find out when they are coming in.





They are coming through the un-picked cornfield across the road from a hickory and oak grove. I was amazed at how little feed it would require to get that much traffic.



I am a little uneasy about the last comment. I guess since it doesn't matter harvest wise, I am wondering why I should do it?

Yea, I feed the deer corn. Above the house here I have a feeder thats going year round, but I don't hunt around it. Its for the deer,turkeys, squirrels, doves and any other wildlife that comes around. In 2007 there was not an acorn crop and animals were in bad shape so I started feeding above my house and have not stopped. Where we lease our hunting land is about 235 miles form my house. We do put corn feeders up there near 3 stands. I have to say in 2007 due to the non existant crop of acorns, I felt like we practically fed the whole deer herd there. In 2007 I fed over 2500 pounds of corn. In 2008 there was a bumper crop of acorns and I think maybe I fed 800 pounds at the deer lease property. Man I was glad because that stuff is high. I have to tell you I don't shoot every deer that comes near the feeders. I have noticed in the past that the small deer will come in and eat and alot of times the older does will stay off at a distance. If I just happen to shoot one of those does then so be it. I know there is a discussion on whether feeding deer is right. One reason people feed deer and plant food plots is to attract deer and to keep them around on their property. Also this helps get them through a tough winter, avoiding a painful death of starvation. The discussion about feeding deer (baiting if thats what you call it) will rage on until the end of time.

I would totally disagree. Where I have used feeders & occasionally scattered corn it takes a lot more time than 2 weeks to attract numbers of deer & for then to become comfortable with the set up. I doubt that you have actually used feeders. I know a successful bow hunter that gathers several bushels of acorns & places them in shooting lanes. Natural baiting. Don't think for one minute that both feeders & food plots don't alter deer movements. Both are very effective in holding deer on a property. Its another situation where each of us can choose how we hunt based on specific game laws & desires.

I just filled my feeders with antler max and corn. Rifle season closed 2 weeks ago, Do ya'll still consider this baiting

loder

I put corn in the big old cabelas 440lb feeder and let it trickle for months - until things start turning green.

Frigg'n coons are getting huge, I had 520 pictures of deer in the last 2 weeks.

Spot

Is that for you, or the deer?

tbear,

This is no schit, but the wifey just filled up the feeder last night. We've had the snow for a while. That's just about 24 hrs..

I'll take another pick 2 morrow (it'll have more tracks), I gaurantee!

Did I mention the unpicked corn field?