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Baiting for deer


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how many guys don't hunt areas because their trail cameras don't show decent deer? I'm willing to bet that's why many put them out......just my opinion, no different then those who see food plots the same as baiting...if that thought makes me foolish then so be it.

 

I dont know anyone that does that (not that there arent people that do, but i'm sure its the minority)  Everyone I know that has a trailcam does it for the fun, see whats out there, test a new spot for activity, etc.  I run mine year round just to see whats going on. 

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Me personally, never.  Not even for bear.  One of the main reasons I hunt is for the challenge and that would take away a big part of my challenge.  I would not feel as if I earned the animal.  More like shopping at the bait pile. 

 

No I do not see food plots the same as baiting.  Not even close. 

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Baiting no Farming yes.I know for sure if I had the land to do so I would plant and raise all my food not only for myself and others but what we could not use I sure would give to the animals wildlife included.Farming is not baiting and if you think so stop breathing cause what we do not only does  feed wildlife it produces Oxegen.So many ways a tread like this could go even if legal I would not use bait to hunt

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if baiting were legal i would continue to food plot as i plant nutrition plots in much greater quantity than kill plots 1/2 acre or less. they are not like baiting unless you spread your bait over 3-5 acres with multiple access points..... to me bait costs money..my plots cost time and gas. i can get seed for free or at greatly reduced price. as for bear i have hunted over bait in canada and being as home ranges are 10 sq miles or more i see the benifit and would support a spring bear hunt with additional fees/permit to bait. they are really becoming a problem and the bump into one while deer hunting isnt going to keep the population from growing. they are becoming more of a problem here for sure.

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using 'bait' is a big part of my hunting strategy. Stands of nut and fruit trees, harvested grain fields, and doe bedding areas during the rut are where I put most of my stands. I'll let the farmers and Mother Nature do the work of setting out the bait.

I'm with ya.

Baiting is seen as a cheat or advantage, but in reality we all have the means to utilize what occurs naturally. It might not be in the very best spot to hang a stand, but if the deer are congregating there it is up to the hunter skillfully set up for the kill.

Here I will raise another question. If baiting were legal, how many guys wouldn't get outta their pajamas on opening morning because the bait pile is within range of the bedroom window? Lol

And who would feel bad for the pretty milf next door who likes to go all trad archery on opening morning of SZ gun?

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Is baiting effective? ..... No doubt at all in my mind. That is why some municipalities start right off with "bait and shoot" programs that are effective for as long as the program lasts. There is no patterning of the marksmen, and no more devious defense maneuvers by the deer than any other farm animal that becomes dependent on preferred foods sources. I also have read magazine articles that described how the deer not only came to timed mechanical feeders on a predictable basis, but also became trained to respond to the sound of the feeders going off. So not only was the hunter able to pin-point to the yard exactly where the deer would be, but he even knew when they would be there. I'm sure there is probably some level of skill in doing baiting successfully, but I have absolutely no doubt that it is very effectively when done by someone who knows what they're doing.

 

 

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Is baiting effective? ..... No doubt at all in my mind. That is why some municipalities start right off with "bait and shoot" programs that are effective for as long as the program lasts. There is no patterning of the marksmen, and no more devious defense maneuvers by the deer than any other farm animal that becomes dependent on preferred foods sources. I also have read magazine articles that described how the deer not only came to timed mechanical feeders on a predictable basis, but also became trained to respond to the sound of the feeders going off. So not only was the hunter able to pin-point to the yard exactly where the deer would be, but he even knew when they would be there. I'm sure there is probably some level of skill in doing baiting successfully, but I have absolutely no doubt that it is very effectively when done by someone who knows what they're doing.

They had sharp shooters come to the East end of Long Island to manage the deer. These sharp shooters had rifles, hunted at night, and used bait. They were extremely ineffective!!! I don't think using bait is a guarantee for anything. Especially a mature deer.

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I can say baiting is not a huge advantage here from what I have seen over the years. the real advantage is using it for trail cams to see what you have on your property

Like WNYBuckHunter stated

deer are very smart & they will pattern you. They seem to go Nocturnal pretty fast in an area with bait. It can get very expensive too (4-5 healthy deer can go through 100-150# of feed a week)  I have tested this over the years on my own property(feeding not hunting) With that said our deer population is very small compared to NY. we have an estimated 85,000 I think you may have a better advantage if you are hunting in an area that has a high population but then you already do

where we hunt in NY I would not see the point to waste the money.

I feel the same as Biz-R-OWorld If is legal I will use it.

To each is own everyone has an opinion on what is the right way & wrong way to hunt. My way is by reading the law books & doing what ever is legal in that state.

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Would I bait if it were legal? ..... No. Not because I don't like venison, but I have a personal philosophy of hunting that I hunt the animals as I find them and do not try to condition them to make my hunting easier. That is not some lofty ideal, it is just as I said .... a personal philosophy. For me, deer are not Ivan Pavlov's dogs and I have a certain level of respect for them that makes me want to hunt them like truly wild animals.

 

So that attitude allows for those that may have other personal notions on what hunting is for them and it needn't be the same as mine. So far, so good. But baiting is not something that is done in a vacuum. There are impacts to others. For example, I have heard of situations in other states where the practice is legal, where hunters feel forced to put out bait simply as a way of pulling deer back on their property that have been lured off by neighbors bait stations. It sounds like it can create "bait wars" where each neighbor is competing to buy the best bait available to draw deer off a neighbor's property. That's not so good. I don't like the idea of pitting one neighbor against the other, and I don't think those kinds of competitive situations really belong in the world of hunting.

 

And then there is the thought that hunters are beginning to get the notion that hunting is all about going to the nearest outdoor store and spending enough money to guarantee a harvest. It's kind of like consigning your hunting prowess to some chemist in some lab developing the best attractant for you. Again, it goes against my own personal concept of hunting. I'm not a big fan of "buying" success based on the abilities of some manufacturer. But I am realistic to know that I am probably a minority with that notion.

 

 

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I have seen baitpiles about a half dozen times in long island. As high as the deer density is here, some hunters can't resist the urge to bait. Its sad. These are probably the same guys who steal your treestands.

What burns me up about baiting is that guys know its illegal, and they know that honest hunters don't do it. But they do it anyway. And then if they shoot something, they have no problems looking in the mirror knowing they cheated the rules, cheated other hunters, and ultimately cheated themselves.

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On a side note I hunted black bear in Maine last year over bait and did not see a single bear all week. There were three bears taken that week out of 12 hunters. Our guides said that it's incredibly difficult to hunt bear over bait when there's a bumper crop of berries. Animals are going to seek out food of choice and that may not include the bait that some may use.

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They had sharp shooters come to the East end of Long Island to manage the deer. These sharp shooters had rifles, hunted at night, and used bait. They were extremely ineffective!!! I don't think using bait is a guarantee for anything. Especially a mature deer.

Perhaps they should have gotten better sharpshooters. Here in Irondequoit they had very good luck but found the process too expensive to maintain. Which had nothing really to do with the effectiveness of baiting.

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I have seen baitpiles about a half dozen times in long island. As high as the deer density is here, some hunters can't resist the urge to bait. Its sad. These are probably the same guys who steal your treestands.

What burns me up about baiting is that guys know its illegal, and they know that honest hunters don't do it. But they do it anyway. And then if they shoot something, they have no problems looking in the mirror knowing they cheated the rules, cheated other hunters, and ultimately cheated themselves.

ALso see a bunch of back yard feeders all the way along I-90 & they are not bashful about it. right in plain sight.

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deer are very smart & they will pattern you. They seem to go Nocturnal pretty fast in an area with bait.

Amazingly enough Texans have no particular problem with that. In fact many of them will tell you there is no real alternative to baiting. As far as the nocturnal switch, I have seen plenty of baited situations where huge mature deer are lured out to bait in full daylight with no problem at all. And a lot of these operations involve pretty exotic permanent box-blinds that obviously are used over and over. No patterning going on there.

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