Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Baiting Bucks

Does anybody thats baits ever have any luck shooting bucks over bait?

never have seen a big buck come to a feeder during legal shooting hrs. seen lots of spikes and 1 1/2- 2 1/2 yr old 6-8 points

I tried it in North Carolina. I never saw a deer, let alone a buck.

If you have a stand of woods you can feed corn most of the year, and after a few years you'll start getting does holding up in that neck of the woods.

Once you get the big does showing up the bucks will start coming through to check them. In the end it may take 4-6 years before you get a crack at one.

Spot

Baiting works only if your in an area where deer are used to coming there to eat. I just got back from a friend's ranch that's under management where the deer are used to coming to the feeders. I saw some absolute monster bucks all weekend. (of course the top tier bucks are off limits)

On the other hand, I've been on some TPW hunts where we were allowed to bait. But since they weren't used to coming to corn, the hunt was a total bust. Wouldn't see squat.

All that baiting does in N.C. is cause them to move in there at night. The key is to sit between their bedding areas and the bait pile. No, I have never seen a big buck come into a bait pile. NEVER!!!!

One note, I've never shot a buck anywhere near a feeder, that might not be the case in Texas but I put the feeders in bedding areas and leave them alone so those areas can hold deer.

I'd agree that you don't see bucks aroudn the feeder spot itself, the trail camera easily confirms that the bucks only come to feed late at night vs. during the day so if you wanting to feed only to shoot a buck vs. pull in does your probably not going to be happy.

Spot

Agree with you probably won't see and thing really good at a feeder. Will pickup the younger bucks.

That's why I like, if possible, to set my feeders out some distance away from cover in the open. Does and yearlings and small bucks will come. Watch the edges and lots of times you can pick up a pretty good buck that just sticks his head out watching.

Timers on feeders will help but not totlly solve the nocternal deal. Just put out enough corn so the deer will clean it up before dark.

BCR

Nope.

Baiting in Northern Wisconsin has changed the deers feeding pattern so they feed in the night time hours. Unfortunately it also brings in the predators. I have seen a few pictures of bears coming in to eat the corn. I have not seen a big buck come into a bait pile during shooting hours

Yes.
And you will also see large bucks at feeders if the hunting pressure is not great.
Witnessed it countless times.

While I"ve never seen a monster at a feeder, I've seen more than a few 5.5 and 6.5 year old bucks at them. During daylight. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. While I"d prefer not to hunt feeders, we don't really have a choice where I do hunt, so you do what you do....

I know that while a game cam has shown older bucks at feeders at night mostly, we've seen every night time buck at a feeder sooner or later during the daylight hours, some at mid day only... save for one really sly critter and I hunted him all over the place away from feeders on trails that cameras showed he used consistenly etc... and only saw him 2 times while driving to camp at night and 3 times on a game cam... that deer was smart. I suspect he'd have been at a feeder during the day at some point also, but we never saw him. I suspect had we been able to drive in during the week(IE take the time off) and do a cold camp so to speak and just sit it out long enough it would have paid off...

There's a really nice buck that will come in to eat at the bird feeder....its been empty all year because I don't want them crossing the road. If I put feed out right now I would have 30 deer eating away at all hours within the day. They're pretty tame.

Yep, hunting pressure.

I should just get a bow tag and get him.

I've never seen a big buck at a feeder, but I know it happens, mostly at night. I prefer to hunt away from a feeder between the feeder and bedding area. Hunting a green patch is different, I'll hunt it in the afternoon only. We dont shoot does out of the green patches or near feeders (youngsters excluded). The 3 bucks I killed this year were no where near a feeder or green patch. I prefer to hunt bottlenecks or where several trails cross.

The green patches and feeders are to keep the does around. If you got does, you will have bucks!

I use feeders to see what is in the area via cameras. I dont hunt aroun them just so the does will stay in the area. I think those big bucks use them at night and wind them in the day, checking for does. I've killed more than one good one hunting 100yds or more down wind of feeders. I think the big ones avoid the feeders in daylight like the monkey pox.

Joseph

I've only seen a couple of descent bucks come to feed or food plots in daylight hours. The trail cams prove they use them, but mostly at night. We plant plots and run feeders to keep does in an area, but have more luck for bucks hunting between the food sources and bedding areas. We have seen good bucks follow does to food and I know several guys that have killed good bucks doing so.

I have some cams on feeders nearly year round, but like I mentioned, I rarely ever get a pic of a good buck in daylight hours. Most of the time when I do, there's a doe on the scene as well.

My best luck getting bucks has been from scouting good sign and hunting from climbers or simply sitting on the ground.

Around here everyone runs feeders and plants plots, so if you want deer on your property, you have to do the same.

I find the baiting debate quite funny as I hunt other states and deer come to ag fields just the same if not better. It's the exact same IMO.

The best bait is a hot doe

Have a Good One,

loder

In my experience, unless you are hunting on a very well managed ranch where bucks of less than 5.5 years old are safe......feeders are a poor way to harvest a trophy.

They are a VERY good way to obtain a "meat" doe or young buck, but bucks over the age of about 3.5 will avoid them like the plague.....except during the rut!! When blood rushes to a buck's groin, it tends to cut off circulation to the brain and they do really stupid stuff....like approach a feeder where does are.

Under "normal" conditions, you are much better off to use the feeders to get your does and hunt 200-300 yards away from feeder sights for bucks. Yes, they Will hang around to check for hot does, but will seldom appear at the actual feeder sight until after dark......but you CAN catch them "circling" the feeder.

This might not be true of ranches where bucks are not bothered when younger (2.5-4.5 years) as they are conditioned to feel safe, but under most conditions a feeder is the best way I know to insure that the bucks you kill are small and young.....and the "big boys" live a year longer.

During the rut all bets are off......but for a true trophy (5.5 years and above) even the rut may not make a feeder a good choice.

Depends on what you are after. If you want to see lots of der movement and occationally take a decent buck.....hunt the feedere, but if you want a true trophy.......use the feeder to "channel" bucks to you at a distance from the actual feeder sight.

I always hang a feeder, but I have never seen deer there, only near by. This year my farmer buddy talked me into just dumping a 50# sack of corn in a pile. I dumped several sacks but never saw any deer early, but the corn would be gone. The second evening of season, we watched an 8 point cross almost a 1/2mi of open field straight to the corn. I dropped him within 3' of the corn pile. I shot another 8 point last year from the same spot without a corn pile, but a feeder nearby. Life is good.

I really don't have much of an opinion on baiting. This is just what I do. Two 8 points, a 9 point, and a 12 point were taken this year within a 1/2mi of that corn pile.

http://forums.oodmag.com/picture.php?albumid=436&pictureid=1892

That one big enough?

http://forums.oodmag.com/picture.php?albumid=436&pictureid=1744

This one wouldn't hit the bait pile, even during the night.

We never just pile corn up in one spot here. We usually use a spreader on back of the truck and run down each sendero. That way in addition to the feeders, deer are likely to move in somewhere for a nibble as they happen to cross.

And I agree that the really big mature bucks are very cautious. Most times you'll spot them at the edge of the brush checking things out for a while, and they won't spend much time in the open. But they certainly do come in. Matter of fact, I harvested a 5 1/2yr old brute this last weekend with broken mainbeams. He kept dissapearing from one spot only to emerge somehere else 1/2hr later. We bait here because the brush is way too thick to hunt trails.