BAITING DEER

[vivlamored]

Also heard uncle Ted say, If you don't believe in baiting for deer, try fishing with a bare hook, see how many fish you catch.
I may not agree in some places but can't say it is good or bad in others. (Texas seems to be doing well).
Scott

you are right about texas i have seen hunting shows there the wheeler goes through with a feed spreader and the deer come running i have even seen in bass pro a deer call that mimic the sound of a feeder slinging corn

[avhnt9365]

I believe that if you plant a plot you are just trying to grow bigger, healthier herds which isn't a problem. You have the right to hunt over them if you want but the way I see it is if your going to do that, why not just go out with a spotlight and get em at night? If the food plot or bait is the only food source in the area it wont take much skill to get a deer.

[halfrack33]

people have allready given great reasons why food plots are ok so i won't touch on that but i will tell you why i despise baiting. ive been scouting the last few months in one area i hunt and i hunted there last year. i walk trails, look for rubs, and spend a lot of time researching where their food sources are, where cover is for them to bed, put out cameras, etc. first couple weeks of the season i was seeing about a dozen deer a day including a few bucks. starting a few weeks ago, i hardly see them in their normal areas. come to find out, someone as been baiting them about 1/4 mile away right by a road and houses (i watched him one day and he didnt know it. he has them trained to the point that he hits the side of a 5 gallon bucket with the handle and 15 minutes later they start coming. i moved my camera there for less than 2 days and got 36 pictures of all te deer i was seeing before). so, now the deer are pulled there, away from their natural food source, they're too close to neigborhoods to even legally shoot, the food won't be there to eat once the snow comes and he stops feeding them, the food he's giving them is more like deer candy than food ad has almost no protein or nutritioal value, and im really p*ssed off that all my hard work scouting has gone to s**t. it pulls them away from their natural habitat and in most cases people feed to attract deer rather than to give them the nutrition they need that they can get from their natural sources. its just retarded, be a real hunter and do some work to find them instead of being lazy and trying to make them come to you. and for texas ranches... pleeeaaase. that's not hunting.

[AD]

Halfrack, that is a situation wher I would have contacted the game wardens.     I'm not a tattle tail by any means but after putting in all that hard work I wouldnt be able to stand there and let that happen.         
      What bothers me is exactly what halfrack was saying you put in a lot of effort into scouting, for months before the season then some scum bag can come into a nearby section of woods a week or two before the season and start dropnning corn daily and then all that hard work of yours is gone.       Feeding happens a lot here in VA, and the Conservation Officers greatly frown on it.     
     Personally if baiting was even legal here in VA I wouldnt do it.     To me the hunt is not just about the kill but about hiking back in a mile or two and using my knowledge and skill to possibly take a deer.     Even if I dont get a shot at a deer Id still feel a lot better about myself then I would if I shot a deer that was munching on a pile of corn/apples/whatever.     

[jigger]

Well talking about putting your time in and seeing where all the deer are in the woods and what the food source is is what I do.But my biggest pet peeve is the idiots road hunt in around where I hunt they do not care where they shoot and here I am with my wife and or son in the woods.As far as baiting I don't believe in it,but on the other hand feeding the deer during the winter is okay as long as you continue and keep it up till spring.The DEC does not want this as it groups the deer together and they can spread diseases but during the winter they yard up anyway so what is the deal?

[upstatehunter]

Ok if baiting would make shooting a deer so easy, spend a few days watching the feeder on the web cam. I have seen one large buck this fall so far watching it every day.(and that was at 7:30pm, after dark.) Deer don't use feeders as primary food sources. They need browse and mast and grasses to complete their digestive process. My father in law took me to Saskatchewan for my wedding present, Spent two days watching bait and saw three deer. Even on an evening when temps went to 15 below zero.
We had to cut the hunt short as the camper froze up and we had no place to stay. Along with temps staying at 15 to 25 below.
Outfitter said we wouldn't have enjoyed the rest of the week anyways as the deer herd shut down, moving only short distances for food and conserving as much energy as they could. So baiting doesn't always assure 100% guaranteed success.

[halfrack33]

i think we should be able to put out mineral supplements though. not like in pelletized food form but maybe a high mineral lick that will give them the minerals they can't always find. the fact that this would help in growing bigger racks is a huge plus too for me. but then again, i guess this isn't that far off from baiting... who knows. the way things are going this year, i could sit over the only food source in the state and see nothing worthwhile

[WhiteTail Madness]

In general, food plots do not "lure" deer into shooting range...they provide an additional feed resource replet with necessary minerals/supplaments to maximize deer growth, both antler and health.  It requires considerable amounts of time and effort to till, plant, and maintain a food plot.   It's no different then hunting over acorns or on the edges of apple orchards/field crops because you cannot guarantee that deer will actively seek out a traditional food source.

FINALLY!! Someone with some sence.... with the recent ban of baiting in michigan everybody is complaining about it...  O but baiting is the same as planting food plots... No its not, not even close to the same thing.... Baiting puts the deer at YOUR fingertips, 15, 20, 30, 40 yrds, whatever they're forced into on area to feed.  Buncha crap.  Food plots are big, i dont have any real big food plots but even a 1 acre foodplot dont guarantee ur killin a deer.  If you want to bait and its legal, go ahead it dont bother me, but do not compare a bait pile to a food plot.....  I've got countless hours of hard work in 90+ degree heat and lots dollars into my foodplots, not 5 dollars and 5 minutes for a bait pile.  THe biggest reason i decided to plant food plots is for cover, proper nutrition for the bucks, does and young fawns, and for a late season food source to help the deer through the winter, the corn and beans stay up all year, plus the green plots that are available to them yearly......

[triggerhap3]

As far as putting deer at your fingertips with bait, I gotta tell you, I can cover a 2 acre food plot just as easy as a pile of corn with a 30-06. Archery maybe a different story. But if you position your stand along a heavy travel route, you can cover that base too.
I guess it's OK to hang a stand next to an apple tree though.
In the same breathe, somehow it's legal to shoot coyotes off of an old cow carcass......
There appears to be somewhat of a double standard to the law of "no baiting"
I believe the deciding factor in determining bait laws atleast here in NY, is that the whittail is DEC's cashcow. plain and simple.
Personally, I think Antlers are overrated.
triggerhap3

[WhiteTail Madness]

I can cover a 2 acre food plot just as easy as a pile of corn with a 30-06.

Maybe you can but....  No way are you gonna kill a deer that is INSIDE a 2 acre corn field.  Some spots maybe, but shooting into corn is a tough deal, sometimes at the right angle and right stand placement you can shoot down the rows with a gun, but in most cases, once they get in the corn they're safe.  I have different properties that i use for bowhunting and gun hunting...  Very seldom do i bowhunt and gun hunt the same prop.  Smaller plots for the bow spots.  Bigger plots for the gun spots.  I also try to not hunt over my food plots. they're their to help the deer, not to help me harvest one.  I hang sets along travel ways inbtwn feeding areas, bedding areas, and staging areas.... Along creeks, draws, and natural pinch points.  Like I said, i have no problem with the guy that wants to go out and make a bait pile if its legal in his/hers state.  But a bait pile is not comparible to a food plot.

[halfrack33]

Maybe you can but....  No way are you gonna kill a deer that is INSIDE a 2 acre corn field.  Some spots maybe, but shooting into corn is a tough deal, sometimes at the right angle and right stand placement you can shoot down the rows with a gun, but in most cases, once they get in the corn they're safe.  I have different properties that i use for bowhunting and gun hunting...  Very seldom do i bowhunt and gun hunt the same prop.  Smaller plots for the bow spots.  Bigger plots for the gun spots.  I also try to not hunt over my food plots. they're their to help the deer, not to help me harvest one.  I hang sets along travel ways inbtwn feeding areas, bedding areas, and staging areas.... Along creeks, draws, and natural pinch points.  Like I said, i have no problem with the guy that wants to go out and make a bait pile if its legal in his/hers state.  But a bait pile is not comparible to a food plot.

what kind of plots do you plant? im thinking of attempting one next year and know the basics. i was looking at some of the mossy oaks products and have heard of a few guys that have had good success with planting that.

[WhiteTail Madness]

Half Rack.... I planted corn and Antler King Honey hole last spring.  COrn as usual, the deer LOVE it and have it run down pretty much!  THe Antler King blew me away, the deer absolutly HAMMERED it, its demolished.  I took my sister out on the youth hunt and she killed this buck
  at 10 yards with her bow fedding on the antler king.   THis spring i will be planting beens, corn, and the antler king of course.  COrn field is getting moved 200 yards to the south, and beans put in place of the con to create a good night, and morning stand location for this property.  I've been passin a decent 13 inch 9 and 12 inch 6 in this property all year.... Hope i dont end up regretting it, hoping they'll both make it to next year and we'll have 2 more big guys in there next yr.  Hunting pressure is not a problem, just worried about em gettin whacked on the road.  As of yesterday they were both there yet. THey've been runnin together all year... Never seen 2 diff bucks sitck together all year long.

[WhiteTail Madness]

I do have progress pics of week 1, 2, and 3 of the Antler Kings progress... If you wanna see em let me know and i'll start a different thread somewhere else for you to see.

[halfrack33]

yeah that'd be cool. im only going to be doing a small one maybe 1000 sq ft just enough to give them a little supplemental food. i honestly have never planted too much but ive been reading a bunch about what to do. obviously soil test then lyme etc but ya post those pics that'd be great. you live in michigan right? i think we have a pretty similar climate. and when did you plant each of those. im assuming the corn was planted early...

[walleyeguy]

got talking to a local up here that got a 12 pointer on sunday heard he always gets a buck 8 or bigger asked him what his secret was he said i bait em all year bring em to where i want em and wait for em and pick which one i want i was so disquested at him i didnt know what to say i just laughed