Baiting deer for Bowhunting

[WB make the CUT]

Can someone enlighten me on, the thrill of arrowing a deer off a bait pile. For the life of me I just dont understand.

[Stratosman]

For some it's more about the kill than the hunt, I don't get that either.

[Flash]

Some states it is legal to hunt over bait. I heard that over the years, this actually backfires as the deer are suspicious to come to bait. I think the reason they let you use bait is they want you to shoot deer to thin the herd. It is good for the animals. Doesn't sound like the right thing to do to me either, but if it's legal, why not?

Flash

"Set the Hook"

[Jmnhunter]

its Not HUNTING its more like SHOOTING, for those who need meat on the table and very desperate for it, than maybe, but if you are out there to hunt, u are not over bait.

I dont get it really too.

jn

[SartellMN]

2 things (and please no one get upset about this but...)

1. WB, did you recently have a bad experience?

2. Is there really a difference between bait and a food plot? (again no one get upset about this, but logically I do not see much of a difference).

[30 inch eyes]

I agree with you on the food plot issue. Plant them fine, but don't hunt over them. Same as baiting to me.

[bigbucks]

I don't get it either. People have no problem going to a game farm & shooting a bunch of pheasants that were pen raised & planted there for them to blast. They also seem to be fine with going to some game farm pond & smacking walleyes, or shooting a semi-domestic bull elk that was raised around people in MN & then shipped out to a ranch in Montana or whatever. What is the difference if you shoot a deer eating corn out of a pile or off a corn stalk, or eating from a haybale vs. the stems of a field? To me it would simply position them a little better or more predictably, maybe, for a more effective shot like a salt lick does, which is legal, or a scent wick which is also perfectly legal & not considered "taboo", that's just "smart" hunting. None of those are guarantees, but a bait pile wouldn't be either.

I know of people that have used bait piles & they weren't that effective, at least where I hunt there's so much agriculture around that I don't think it would make that much difference other than possibly late season with deep snow. It's not like a deer sees a pile of corn in the woods & a switch flips somewhere in their head & they say: "Hey there's a corn pile, drop your guard & attack it blindly, there's no way any predators would look for us here!" They are still going to run off if they smell you nearby or catch your movement in a tree. I guess I can see where it might be more effective in the big woods up North or in WI where there's a lot less of that type of food available.

All I'm trying to say is, most of what people get bent out of shape about is just personal preference & what they're used to. Some things in hunting bring ethics into play, like taking a deer someone else shot that they want, threatening another hunter, etc., but something like this I don't see as one of those. I'm not pushing for baiting to be legal, but I don't really care one way or the other. I suppose if it were legal I might do it, where I thought it would help me, but in a lot of cases I think it would just create more work with probably about the same results.

Sorry I got so long winded.

[jlm]

Careful with this one guys, this can be a very heated topic so lets keep it in line!

I have no problem with baiting and if it was legal in MN I would bait without question. I personally do not see baiting as anything different than hunting over a food plot, a farmers field, with decoys, calls, scents, or anything else which technically is an artificial advantage to bagging a deer. Some might even consider using a rifle as an unfair advantage. We all have our beliefs and that is ok. One thing that baiting does do is provide a nice standing shot for a quick humane kill. That is important to me. Many states say its ok to bait. Many hunters do bait. Who is right and who is wrong? Its up to personal preference I guess! Good luck all.

[GottaGo]

If you ask me, their is a big difference between baiting and a food plot. Besides the countless hours that must be put in to have a successful food plot, it is going to be available for all the animals to use year round (including the entire winter when they need it the most). Most baiting takes place for a few weeks before the season opens and ceases as soon as a deer is shot. Also, in the time of CWD, a small bait pile will bring the deer in much closer proximity to each other than would a 500 square foot food plot.

[Cooter]

I will use a corn pile for late bow season, usually to put some more venison in the freezer and because of the lack of time with work and holidays. Thats my excuse. I would really like to see baiting banned statewide here in WI. I hear lots of reports from guys hunting up north that the biggest corn pile gets the deer - thats not hunting should be, especially on public land.

[jlm]

Cooter-

WI actually places a limit on the amount of bait put out to two 5 gallon pails (or something like that), is that correct? Just curious!

[otto_man]

if you think it's unethical to bait deer (to harvest one) then when you go fishing make sure you leave your fish finders in the garage and you better not use live bait!!

[Jmnhunter]

gottago hit it exactly. Hunting is different from fishing

[Eric_Sieve]

TWO THINGS ABOUT FOOD PLOTS.

1. It benifits deer (not to mention other animals) YEAR ROUND! Bait piles have NO BENIFIT!! Ignorant people piss me off! Deer can survive long winters, get bigger, and healthier because of these things you plant for them.

2. YOU have to put TIME and ENERGY into it. You don't just lazily dump a pile of corn out and crawl into your tree opening morning. You have to monitor soil PH, till it, plant it, fertilize it, and the rest of that stuff. I mean it takes time and skill, there is NO SKILL what-so-ever abotu dumping a corn pile out. Isn't it obivious when someone who does bait (legally) thinks it should be banned for obivious reasons!! I don't see how anyone can even compare a food plot and baiting, gotta be a little slow in the head to even suggest that,tools!!!

[bottomdweller]

jim,

here in wi u can use one gallon of bait per forty acres thats it. i dont bait but its everyones right to if they want. dont knock the people that do next thing someone will be trying to take away what you like to do. have fun and hunt.

[Eric_Sieve]

I would imagine it would be hard to "have fun" hunting when you don't see anything because all the deer are over at your neighbors big bait pile. If you dont' have one because you don't believe in them what would you do?? Compromise your beliefs or not see deer?? I really don't know. What do you think??

[WB make the CUT]

Ok, Food plots are legal

OK, Bait in WI it's legal

Bait in MN...Not legal

This is deer hunting, not fishin....

My thought, you bait in MN and I come across the pile.

1-800 tip

sorry

[Deitz Dittrich]

I have stayed out of this topic, it worries me a little expecially as moderator of this board to see topics that can chew at people and turn ugly.

My only point is, if its legal, and people want to do it, others should not look down upon others for doing it. I have a cabin in Wisconsin. And yes I have baited with corn over there, and I have hunted without bait. I also have hunted in Minnesota, but never with bait.

Will I ever bait in MN... NO, will I ever hunt over bait again in WI... probably. Do I feel its still hunting.. yes, you still have to worry about your movement, scent and making a quick and ethical shot!

[BLACKJACK]

I look at hunting by a food plot the same as hunting by a farmers corn field or alfalfa field, you still have to scout out the trail the deer are using to get there, especially for bowhunting, and its still hunting. Baiting would concentrate the deer into one spot, it would still be hunting, but it would be an easier hunt because it concentrates deer in one spot instead of spread over 1 to X acres. Personally, I hope baiting never comes to MN.

[jlm]

I agree with one of the above posters. It is illegal in MN so it should not be done. However, I personally believe it should be legalized and I have heard there is a movement out there which is attempting to get it done. How do you guys feel about a deer feeding programs? In other words, feeding the deer year round in areas that will not be hunted?

[Doop]

I have to add...

I live in Dallas,TX but grew up and lived most of my life in NE Iowa. I recently got into a heated debate about this very issue on a website for hunting in Texas. Someone said using food plots was the same as baiting. (shaking my head in disgust)

Let me explain something here....when you hunt in Texas...it is legal to put out a feeder and hunt deer inside of a high fence. Do I agree absolutely not.

A feeder kicks out corn at a predetermined time...when animals hear that feeder go off...they literally come running in! lol It's quite a sight. Just like the dinner bell. They are conditioned to a sound...when they hear that sound they know they are about to be fed. A food plot is available for wildlife to use 24 hours a day. They may show up at the food plot at any time and come from anywhere. Food plots are also used to improve the diet of the area deer.....not just used to attract deer to shoot.

[bigbucks]

I understand what you're saying Doop & can see where a timed feeder would certainly condition them. I'm envisioning most of the baiting being discussed here as people dumping piles of food in the woods, which would have the same anytime accessability as a food plot. Of course if baiting's legal then I supposed timed feeders become an option to. It's a good point to think about.

[Cooter]

Just curious if I'm the only one who thinks food plots are gonna have the same concerns in the future as bait piles now. I mean, if the biggest corn pile wins, won't the most or best food plots win also? Darn right they will. What about when farmer Bob where you hunt puts his old corn field into CRP and the neighbors got 80 acres of corn? Guess whos gonna have more deer in their area? Not Bob. Is too bad to see hunting get so competitive between property lines.

[Mark Christianson]

I guess I dont see it that way at all Cooter.

There are farm fields all over MN, and if one guy puts his into CRP, I think its a benefit.

In your example, you now have an area that is set aside for resting areas for wildlife all year, and they have food easily accessible right next door. To me its a win/win there.

Undisturbed areas for resting and food next door. PERFECT for everyone.

If you don't put the land in CRP, you have no holding area, just a barren dirt field next to another dirt field after the harvest.

Food plots have a future. Baiting does not.

Food plots provide potential nutrition all year long. Bait piles provide nutrition for deer as long as someone wants to invest the time in dumping a pile.

Believe me. Our neighboring properties are seeing the benefits of the food plots I am busting my butt to create and maintain. I just wish they would help with the costs and the time.

[lawdog]

Should stay illegal. I don't think its very sporting.

Feeding year around is a tough issue. I only think there should be feeding in emergency situations (like extreme weather). There is an increased disease issue with feeding and congregating the herd too much. I have pheasant feeders that we use in emergency situations but they are built to keep the deer from eating the feed because if I need to feed the deer I'll do it a different way and it will be much worse situation than when we start helping the much more vulnerable pheasants...

Food plots and good cover are a much better answer than supplemental feeding. More sustainable and more natural.

[scruffy]

hey. gottago makes a good point.

here's my 2 bits:

i look at bowhunting as more connected than rifle. we're out there meeting the deer "in it's element," up close and personal. hunting over a feeder or pile of corn is not "in the deer's element." it would seem artificial to me. it's adding to a deers element a temporary food source to benefit the hunter (or, shooter, really). baiting to me seems like a mouse trap situation. here's some cheeze, mouse. not very sportsmanlike, or bow-hunter like. why not just grab a 7mm mag?

food plots are much better, and are great on many levels. benefitting many species. can't really compare them to farm fields, as they are (for the most part) harvested each fall, with the food plot up thru the winter, when game may need it with harsh weather circumstances. i don't have any food plots, and i don't look at them as a "bait." i see them as helping to maintain healthy deer, and maybe keep some around your property. not to mention pheasant, grouse, and turkey!

so there's my opinion. and remember: opinions are like a$$ holes, everybody's got one!