Deer Baiting Issue's.

[certified jumbo]

Just wondering what everybody's thoughts are on this issue which seems to be one of the biggest issue's in MN deer hunting right know.

I bow and gun hunt in area 183. The last 5 years we have battled the neighbors and many others in our area feeding deer. Some illegally where they hunt and others for recreational purposes who don't hunt. Even though we had a decent year, it has become very upseting as we have not seen the numbers of deer we usually do. Our neighbor to the east has 80 acres and doesn't hunt, we leave our stands at 5 pm drive past this persons house and count 55 deer in their yard eating corn out of the feeder. We asked him to not feed them until after season is over and he told us he's trying to save the deer. We drive to the next neighbors house to find 15 deer in their yard eating out of the feeder, and its very evident why we aren't seeing the deer, its hard to compete with corn. We also believe the hunters to the south are hunting over bait and we are working on that situation.

Its seems to me more people are feeding deer than those who don't, the unfortunate thing is those of us who are hunting legally and ethically are getting hosed.

The only way I can see a even playing field is, 1. completely legalize baiting 2. completly ban all baiting, even recreational baiting until after Jan. 1st when hunting season ends. And those who get caught, ban there hunting rights for 5 years.

I would prefer #2. What are your thoughts??

[Double D]

When you've got a nonhunter trying to save deer, it's unfortunate for you but nothing illegal about it. Is he anti-hunting or just likes to see deer?

Hunting over bait is a whole different story. I heard (on this forum)the DNR was putting special emphasis on checking this. We had a plane fly very low over us while deer hunting (SW of Pine River). Circled over 3 or 4 times, and I bet that is what they were looking for. Fine by me, I guess. Seems like a fast way to look for a lot of violations.

DD

[LoonASea]

Seems to Me You are still seeing good numbers of deer ,,,unfortunatly they are not on Your property ,,You could till up Your land and plant corn or better yet start Your own food plot,,,some times it takes a little more work then building a stand to take deer management to the next level

[SJU70]

Where I hunt in Wisconsin, it is legal to bait the deer...although truth be told, I usually don't bait, i just sit up over an area that looks two converging deer interstates and wait for them to go to their foodsources. However, Baiting is only good when you just want freezer meat. The truth of the matter is that you wont bring in the huge bucks with bait-you end up with does and some small bucks. I don't see how baiting them is any different than setting up on a path that leads to a food source, which most of us do anyway, but i suppose that the laws are there for a reason, and that no bait means more tags to go around.

[GatorBait]

I agree, it makes me sick to my stomach to read your examples that you witnessed. It's a no win situation. It affects me just as bad when I'm trying to turkey hunt. Everyone loves to see turkeys, so they through 50lb bags of sunflower seeds out for them. They ain't listening to no lone hen calling, there going to eat. If it's illegal to bait in an area, such as parts of WI, it's so hard to control. I've called on several locations, but nothing ever happens. But if I am hunting over bait, bye bye to hunting for a few years. I used to bait back in the day to keep deer in a central location, but as I've grown older and wiser, I don't see the need for it. It's one of those things that is so debateable and beat to pulp and no one can't ever agree about.

[Powerstroke]

Frankly the neighbors feeding the deer isn't baiting. Its just feeding. Now if someone could come up with a good reason why feeding deer should be illegal (like in WI) then you would have some ground. Until then its just an inconvenience for you during hunting season.

Where I go in Aitkin county we have an old farmer who has huge fields of clover an alfalfa. Every year we ask to hunt and every year he politely says no. He wants to be a local game preserve. I think its fine. We see dozens of deer in there during the nighttime, but they aren't out in the fields during the middle of the day so they have to be somewhere. He has several hundred acres and its all fields. You need to find where and how the deer enter the neighbors property and where they bedding. You get more deer that way.

[harvey lee]

Powerstroke has it right.Find there trails to the food and use it to your advantage.

[Mark Christianson]

I'd be a little more cautious about hunting trails leading to a neighbors "feeding station".

Per the rules:

"Hunters are not allowed to use bait or hunt in the vicinity of bait that the hunter knows about or has reason to know about or hunt in the vicinity where bait has been placed within the previous ten days."

My interpretation of this law that was revised just last year, is that if you KNOW about bait thats nearby, you can't legally use that bait(feed station) to your advantage to take a deer.

Its a tough call. Especially for anyone hunting any suburban areas. In a court of law, I dont think you would get let off, if you are tagged for hunting a highway leading to your neighbors wildlife treats.

I am no lawyer, but I would be pretty careful to check with the DNR before assuming you can just set up on a trail that you know goes to a treat pile.

[GatorBait]

There are about 1/2 of the counties in mid to southern wisconsin that you "Cannot" Bait or Feed Deer. This is from our DNR website. Hope yall in Minn don't have to go through this. Just something else for them to regulate.

Feeding - For Non-Hunting Purposes is prohibited. No person may place, deposit or allow the placement of any material to feed or attract wild

animals for non-hunting purposes including recreational and supplemental feeding, except as allowed below for feeding birds and small mammals.

Baiting - For the purposes of hunting is prohibited. No person may place, use or hunt over bait or feed material for the purpose of hunting wild

animals (except bear, see Wisconsin Bear Hunting Regulations) unless authorized by a special permit or license issued by the department.

Oh the joys of Wisconsin and CWD.

[Hines R]

I copied this from page 30 in the book. I think the last portion of the law might apply to your problem. I would give your local DNR guy a call and see if you can work on this problem for next year.

Ryan

HUNTER HARASSMENT PROHIBITED

A person may not prevent or disrupt another person from taking or preparing to take a wild animal. A person may not disturb or interfere with the person who is taking or preparing to take wild animals, and may not disturb wild animals with the intent to prevent or disrupt another person from hunting. Placing bait for the purpose of preventing or disrupting another person from lawfully hunting deer would be considered unlawful under the hunter harassment laws.

[chucker34]

I'd be careful on that one, though. I know it's not right to harass hunters but this is a real fine line. He'd doing this feeding on his own private property and it's basically his preferences to legally feed against your legal right to hunt. I'd bet the DNR officer would say you could do both on your own property. I doubt he'd think the neighbor was being malicious enough to be harassing you. But then again if you're too close to his feeding stations for the DNR's likings, they may tell you you can't even hunt on your own property anymore. I might just leave this one alone and try to catch the deer when they're on your property.

[dillon]

Certified Jumbo, hopefully they don't "level the playing field" by completely legalizing baiting. It takes absolutely no skill or knowledge to get a deer by baiting. Last year we put deer feed in the yard after season was over. We hadn't seen a deer in the yard all fall. Within two days there were over a dozen deer in the yard every evening. It wouldn't have taken a lot a skill to shoot one of these animals.

I now think all deer feeding should be banned. It has been shown that CWD is spread by saliva. Obviously, deer feeding at the same trough will make it much easier for them to come in close contact and to spread the disease.

[harvey lee]

You are correct about the transfer of CWD from saliva.I cannot believe that the DNR would take a huge chance with our herd to allow baiting.Too many deer eating off the same bait pile is bad if one is infected with CWD.

[certified jumbo]

Thanks for the posts. I couldn't agree with most of you, all baiting should be banned, but lets not forget it already is banned and it happens all the time. The new laws for baiting were just changed this year to make it harder to have corn or bait anywhere near you, but according to outdoor news baiting seemed to increase from a year ago. The problem has worsened even though the laws are stricter. Chance for CWD go up with baiting, but when its illegal and many people do it recreationally legally, what good is it for CWD.

The bottom line is what can we do to solve this problem and who's going to solve and enforce it?? Any idea's??

My idea is ban all baiting, even recreational till after Jan 1st. If caught, it has to be a stiffer penalty because clearly people don't seem to care about a slap on the wrist.

cj

[chucker34]

Certified Jimbo, I like thatn Jan. 1 idea. If people are feeding deer, it should be to help them through the toughest period in my opinion, which is typically January-February/March. Even then, its go to be done properly, both in terms of what you're giving them and how you're giving it to them (i.e., not in a huge pile where it can rot and also allow for the spread of disease). But I like the idea of the not until after Jan. 1.

And I agree. Baiting should be punished more harshly.

[Cooter]

I posted earlier in the WI forum, 'When is this state gonna ban baiting/feeding' Especially here with CWD and now the saliva evidence its absolutely ridiculous. I hate the 'most corn wins' battles between hunters and also think baiting is no good for the image. I plan on addressing this in spring at the next WI hearings.

Jumbo, I know exactly what you're going through. I have a special permit for a city hunt but am limited on where I can hunt and so many houses have corn piles just outside the area I can hunt its very, very tough hunting. Literally, I can sit on my buds deck(apartments) and watch 10-15 deer each night hit the numerous corn piles - and look across the river a quarter mile away where I can hunt - doesn't take a genious to figure out why the hunting there is tough. And the option Harvey mentioned of hunting them on the way to those corn piles doesn't work there - they have to cross a river and there is plenty of bedding cover near the apartments.

I don't know exactly how to describe it, but I feel the baiting/feeding issue is a real bad apple.

[dillon]

I can't even support feeding after Jan.1. We had bad winters in the mid to late 90's in N. MN. A lot of people, with the DNRs support, started hauling feed to the local woods roads to help the deer survive. At first it seemed like a good idea. On a road near my house, a lot of people were feeding and there were deer everywhere. Shortly after there were wolves and deer carcasses everywhere. All we ended up doing was feed the wolves.

Also, there is still the problem with saliva transfer and CWD at this time of year.

[Swill]

I think baiting should be legal.

How is planting 2-5 acres of food plot and hanging digital cameras that record moon phase, time, date, air temp, wind direction, etc any more legal?

Truth be told I have 1 acre of food plot and a camera, but I get a kick of of hunting shows like Wildlife obession talking about the ethical harvest of mature bucks on their private food plot farms with biologic and video cameras all over the place.

The fact is they know how many deer are on their property, when they travel, where they bed, and they have year round food plots. Plus 10-20 different stand locations for every type of wind direction. Legal compared to a pile of corn? I guess, but it seems like they are raising their deer no different than cows...

[CC Hurl]

(I think baiting should be legal.) Give me a break !!!

That would be harvesting deer not hunting them.

To each there own, but I would rather be considered a hunter instead of a harvester.

Baiting sucks and I hope they really crack down on this in future years. Hard to hunt land when you know the neighbor has 200 lbs of bait on the ground.

Just my opinion, and yes you are intitled to it. I get miffed just thinking about people taking the lazy way out when it comes to nature.

HURL

[chucker34]

I enjoy the arguement that baiting deer doesn't always give you such a great advantage. Then why do it?! Why even worry if it should be allowed or not?

If it's just to establish travel patterns, you'd be amazed at what some minerals, a water source, and a very small food plot can do for you. Not much effort to those either when you compare it to rebaiting or filling a feeder every week.

[harvey lee]

I simply just hunt areas that already have a food source,water and close to a bedding area.This has always worked great for me over the years.

[brassman]

Quote:

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I now think all deer feeding should be banned. It has been shown that CWD is spread by saliva. Obviously, deer feeding at the same trough will make it much easier for them to come in close contact and to spread the disease.

---

I hate to rain on your parade but it has been well documented that deer groom each other and they don't use brushes, what I am saying is that one way or another they are going to spread whatever disease through saliva. Baiting is just one way that it can happen. I also believe there is some transfer during the cuddling stage.