Looking into the legality of food plots.

[Fairgame]

It was great!

[Danny]

We took a fair share of corn off our field for us, family and friends. It was delicious too.

that's fantastic, and by no means am I stating that farming is for human consumption only, I really think baiting/food plots & farming are all based on intention if planting is being done for the intention of attracting deer to then harvest a deer with a weapon (it's baiting) if your farming for use and happen to have deer around thats a by-product of your efforts.

[Doc]

Generally speaking, I have a hunting philosophy that says that I hunt deer (and other critters) however I find them. That means that I do nothing that tries to condition the prey to be more available for killing. If I find deer using ag crops, fine. I'll take advantage of that. Apple trees .... no problem. But I don't pile or plant anything with the intention of luring them onto my property, or conditioning them to stay on my property. To me part of hunting is the discovery (scouting) of what the deer are feeding on, not creating it. That is just a personal little batch of rules that I have always applied to my hunting and is likely unique only to myself. I have never seen deer as a farming venture and don't use any kinds of agricultural activities in my hunting. Nothing grand or wonderful about that, it's just a personal slant that I have always applied to my hunting. I have no problems with other people doing what they think they must for the deer or to the deer in the name of hunting. In fact having been raised on a farm, I find threads about food plots to be kind of interesting. But it's just not something that I want to incorporate into my hunting. The only time I might say something negative about the practice of food plotting is when it is done specifically to lure deer from neighbors, or when the intent is to "hoard" the deer and draw them away from other hunters. That motive does kind of rub me the wrong way some and puts a bit of a negative slant on the activity. Somehow that doesn't seem quite right.

[burmjohn]

that's fantastic, and by no means am I stating that farming is for human consumption only, I really think baiting/food plots & farming are all based on intention if planting is being done for the intention of attracting deer to then harvest a deer with a weapon (it's baiting) if your farming for use and happen to have deer around thats a by-product of your efforts.

Ah so if your sitting on a corn field that's farmed for humans then its not considered baiting its just a by-product. Thanks for clearing that up, we should lock down the thread now.

What about the tree's I planted that will produce acorns, if I sit near those, is that baiting too?

[waterweasle]

Ah so if your sitting on a corn field that's farmed for humans then its not considered baiting its just a by-product. Thanks for clearing that up, we should lock down the thread now.

What about the tree's I planted that will produce acorns, if I sit near those, is that baiting too?

lol of course thats baiting, unless of course you plan on harvesting those oaks in the future for lumber, then the acorns are merely a biproduct

[WNYBuckHunter]

LMAO ZING!

[burmjohn]

Hah

[ants]

With the advent of food plots, rifles come in handy!!! LOL

[LIHUNT]

By WNYbuckhunter-I was speaking about deer, which is what this topic is about.

doest the topic read food plots????not "deer plots"

[WNYBuckHunter]

Heres the original post...

This should liven up this forum. Looking into the legality of food plots. To put this into simple terms...Why is it illegal to put a kernel of corn on the ground and hunt over it and it is legal if you put that kernel in the ground and it produces lots of kernels which are now above the ground and you hunt over it. Both kernels were put there for the sole purpose of attracting deer to harvest. No other reason. No corn was growing previously. It was not natural to the land it is on. And it is next to some perfect trees for stands. What is the difference???

...do you hunt waterfowl from tree stands?

[Danny]

yes if your planting oaks for the pure intention of attracting deer so you can hunt that tree it's a form of baiting, how is it not? I didn't say its illegal because it's not but I cannot pretend that when you plant an acre of clover and then set up a stand on it you are not baiting... if you don't think so your delusional, Farmers who plant crops do it to make $$, they hate deer eating there profit, they plant for the complete opposite reason you do.... so when i see you make yourself a nice big bowl of clover and chickory salad with some dressing i will say your not baiting. in short it's put there for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to take advantage of concentrated deer for the purpose of tagging them.

Edited October 2, 2012 by Danny

[WNYBuckHunter]

And its legal to do, so whats the problem?

[Danny]

let me add, this does not make you any less of a hunter neither, we utilize many techniques for the taking of deer.

[waterweasle]

yes if your planting oaks for the pure intention of attracting deer so you can hunt that tree it's a form of baiting, how is it not? I didn't say its illegal because it's not but I cannot pretend that when you plant an acre of clover and then set up a stand on it you are not baiting... if you don't think so your delusional, Farmers who plant crops do it to make $$, they hate deer eating there profit, they plant for the complete opposite reason you do.... so when i see you make yourself a nice big bowl of clover and chickory salad with some dressing i will say your not baiting. in short it's put there for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to take advantage of concentrated deer for the purpose of tagging them.

well since baiting is already illegal, and planting foodplots isnt, just dont worry about it, but if it concerns you so much, make the area you hunt as inhospitable to deer as possible, no food sources, no water sources, no bedding area, or cover of any kind...................dont worry we wont bother with the "legality" of how you are hunting,

[Danny]

i'm not questioning the legality of food plots it's legal we all know that, hell i'm sure the multi million dollar seed corporations have contributed to it being legal , just seems some people get all in a tizzy when you say it's a form of baiting, look.... if you put down a pile of corn and never hunt it, it's feeding the moment you hunt it it's baiting

[zeus1gdsm]

Just want to chime in here...

I plan on doing a food plot at some point... nothing large though just a small one near my property boundary. And only in an attempt to draw the dear away from my garden.

For ethical reasons I will not put my stand in direct line with the plot. As I dont plan on hunting from the stand.

I see no reason or problem with a food plot. especially as it serves for yet another reason to get out in the woods. and in reality a person only has so many tags. and if the primary goal is meat in the freezer and not points, isnt working a small plot for the purpose of harvesting a single animal similair to farming a garden for the pourpose of a harvest?

just my .02c

[Culvercreek hunt club]

i'm not questioning the legality of food plots it's legal we all know that, hell i'm sure the multi million dollar seed corporations have contributed to it being legal , just seems some people get all in a tizzy when you say it's a form of baiting, look.... if you put down a pile of corn and never hunt it, it's feeding the moment you hunt it it's baiting

Danny, We knw illegal in Ny but what are you thoughts on baiting? Actuallly baiting if it were legal?

[ants]

What does everyone think about shooting a buck that has come into a mock scrape??

[Danny]

that's a setup

[Culvercreek hunt club]

No. it was a real question. I don't have any motives beyond understanding the view of the people in the discussion. I have gone on bait hunts before. I tried it. I personally didn't like it.

[LIHUNT]

nope, but i certainly hunt deer and geese in the same field. oh and pheasants and rabbits

[LIHUNT]

so tell me O' great WNY which isleagal and which is not if you just hog the field

[bubba]

So why bother?

well I bother because it feeds the deer and other wildlife. I am getting healthier deer and less winter kill as they eat the sugar beets I plant all winter. It just helps the wildlife population overall.

[SplitG2]

So why bother?

If you need to ask this question you will never get why I do it. I take and give back to the land. I'm a steward of the land and want the next person who takes over my land to have prime habitat. It adds a new element to my off season low. I get my family involved in all my habitat work. All animals benefit from it. Do I need to go on?

[mxsmitz201]

Generally speaking, I have a hunting philosophy that says that I hunt deer (and other critters) however I find them. That means that I do nothing that tries to condition the prey to be more available for killing. If I find deer using ag crops, fine. I'll take advantage of that. Apple trees .... no problem. But I don't pile or plant anything with the intention of luring them onto my property, or conditioning them to stay on my property. To me part of hunting is the discovery (scouting) of what the deer are feeding on, not creating it. That is just a personal little batch of rules that I have always applied to my hunting and is likely unique only to myself. I have never seen deer as a farming venture and don't use any kinds of agricultural activities in my hunting. Nothing grand or wonderful about that, it's just a personal slant that I have always applied to my hunting. I have no problems with other people doing what they think they must for the deer or to the deer in the name of hunting. In fact having been raised on a farm, I find threads about food plots to be kind of interesting. But it's just not something that I want to incorporate into my hunting. The only time I might say something negative about the practice of food plotting is when it is done specifically to lure deer from neighbors, or when the intent is to "hoard" the deer and draw them away from other hunters. That motive does kind of rub me the wrong way some and puts a bit of a negative slant on the activity. Somehow that doesn't seem quite right.

how about in instances when your neighbors poach, trespass from time to time and leave nothing but a few young deer left to breed?

reason i ask.....my friend has 160 acres on a hill, has 2 acres of corn and 1 acre of clover planted at the top, has an electric fence around the corn takes it down middle of october, he has about 25 stands, i think there are 2 on the edge of the corn. long story short, since hes planted corn and has the only corn around for miles the deer annihilate the corn through hunting season and through winter. come back in march and your lucky if you find a cob with 1 kernel left on it.

hes made a huge impact on the quality of deer because they do stay on his property longer/more often than they used to and dont get blasted by the neighbors, however since he has 160 acres its still difficult for him to harvest his idea of a mature deer(my idea of a good buck and his are about as different as the Dems vs. Reps) because they do wander off from time to time, but atleast hes made a positive impact.