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

The problems seem to be on Public Land.I think the DNR has no buisness telling Private Landowners ,what they can do on their property.The Wi. DNR cant find their Azz with two hands and a flashlight and are not much better with game management.Many of their laws have nothing to do with Game management or Biological needs.They are now a Political organization and make their decisions based on who screams the loudist.I am not for or against baiting.I am against Goverment Intrusion.They over react to everything.CWD for instance.Yes I live in NE Wi. and for years the DNR has got their estimates of Bear Population from a Computer program.They do very little field work any more and have no idea how many Bears are around.Screw them .Here is the Crux of the matter.If you dont like baiting,dont bait.Dont force your will on people who think other wise.

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.

Is that for you, or the deer?

+1

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

A retired net maker can cough up $900.00 a month to feed deer?

Craig

4-skin,

Yes, we were paid well. Please don't screw up this thread with your trolling.

This is not directed at anyone in particular, just a couple of thoughts...

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. Every hunter is hunting bait of some kind - food, water, cover, breeding activity, etc. I've hunted in Texas all my life, and it is super rare for a mature buck to come to a feeder, IME.

It is just as rare for a truly hot doe to be there, and that is the only "bait" that attracts mature bucks. If you want a mature buck, you have to figure out where they take the hot does. These bucks take control of them, and cut them off and take them where they want them, and camp on them and won't leave them...to the point of absolute idiocy.

If we want to talk about bait that is just flat unfair, we'll have to outlaw hunting the rut.

Food plots are far more effective than any form of baiting/feeders, IMO. No contest.

I don't mind feeders. I don't hunt them, but we've got a couple behind the house and it's fun to watch deer (mostly young deer) come to them. I also don't worry about them - the guys hunting them are not killing the deer I'm after, and I hunt a lot on a small ranch surrounded by properties with feeders.

I'd a lot rather have bedding cover and a food plot and the ability to see what I can do with it, than feeders. The last few years we haven't planted any oats at all, so we've just hunted what we had in natural forage - some Oaks dropping acorns and clover and winter grass.

I think we get too worked up about it sometimes, and it seems there's sometimes a little hypocrisy in feeder/baiting criticism from those hunting other kinds of bait just as faithfully.

DJ

This is a touchy subject but I must chime in. Here in deep S.Texas I use feeders because of one main reason. Not bashing anyone, but try to comprehend. We can't go 'pussyfooting' from one tree (or woodlot) to the next looking for game. Just try stalking thru thousands of acres of dense, thorn and cactus infested brush and you'll understand. Set up on a 'trail' and wait for Mr.Horns? Forget it. Why? Well, there are thousands of trails-is it a wild hog trail,a javelina trail or simply a cow trail. Sure, you can look for tracks but one deer print doesn't make it a deer highway;in fact, hogs seem to cover every square inch of land so they obliterate everything. Sure, I would like a food plot but a John Deere tractor is just not in my budget. Kix