Thoughts on baiting

[jgierisch]

I grew up in Texas where it is legal to bait. This is all I know when hunting whitetail in Tx. I know a lot of states don’t allow baiting. I know a lot of people in Tx don’t agree with it either. But as a young kid I feel it gave me the best chance and ultimately get hooked on hunting. What are your thoughts on baiting?

Here are 2 deer that I took at a corn feeder in my lifetime.

 

[rwc101]

Not my cup of tea.

 

[Dl1969]

Kinda takes away from the challenge to me right along with food plots but that’s my opinion,worth 1/2 cent

 

[Hunting Wife]

If I die having never sat over bait, I will be happy. That method just has zero appeal to me. Partly because I get bored out of my mind just sitting, partly because I love the challenge spotting and stalking provides.

 

[BrettWindy42]

I am all for baiting in the sense that it can be beneficial for the deer and their health/growth. I know there is down sides to baiting and health issues that come along with it as well. I’m from Michigan where baiting has been banned for the past few years due to CWD in our deer. We can’t use anything that entices the deer to gather to one specific spot to provide basically “social distancing”. But I have been thinking this year that I have seen the healthiest deer when I used to bait. When I would put corn out I would always spread it around a large area around me (because I was aware of disease) and the fact that it kept the deer busy around me rather than in one pile. I’m all for it! And like any hunter will know, hunting over bait is never a guarantee.

 

[TheJason]

I've done it a few times bowhunting late season. I didn't care for it. If it is legal and sets your hair on fire, go for it.

 

[SFC B]

The most legitimate argument to me for feeding/baiting is in situations where supplemental feeding is needed to keep the herd healthy. I hunted in TX once as a guest of some gracious folks and took this nice whitetail. I loved being down there with them but I have to say that sitting inside a fairly large "shooting house" looking down 2 senderos with feeders, hearing the motor start and then having the deer come in within a minute or two did not give me ANY sense of accomplishment or having "earned" my deer. I won't do it again.

 

[CouesKelly]

I think there are pros and cons. I feel if it is legal, you should be able to hunt that way and should not be shamed for hunting within the law. Baiting is not legal where I live so I have no experience hunting over bait. I would consider it for the right type of hunt.

One thing to consider is that hunting over bait allows you to be more selective and hopefully have better management of a population. Say your goal is to mostly take mature boar black bears from a population. If you are hunting an area with thick cover where limited glassing can be done, a hunter will likely harvest the first bear they spot since it would be a task to find any bear. If baiting is allowed, hunters can pass up sows, immature boars, less chance of harvesting a sow with cubs etc. Baiting can be an effective management tool where appropriate, but it gets a bad rap due to it getting abused where it is not appropriate and sometimes by hunters who do not prefer to hunt that way.

I also agree that some youth hunts could benefit from allowing hunting over bait. In your case it helped you get into the sport. I think in Arizona where deer densities are not as high as some other states, it would help kids have more success and help with getting them into the sport. That being said, I know of plenty of parents who get it done with their kids spot and stalk.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

One thing to consider is that hunting over bait allows you to be more selective and hopefully have better management of a population. Say your goal is to mostly take mature boar black bears from a population. If you are hunting an area with thick cover where limited glassing can be done, a hunter will likely harvest the first bear they spot since it would be a task to find any bear. If baiting is allowed, hunters can pass up sows, immature boars, less chance of harvesting a sow with cubs etc. Baiting can be an effective management tool where appropriate, but it gets a bad rap due to it getting abused where it is not appropriate and sometimes by hunters who do not prefer to hunt that way.

I'm not sure high fence hunting over bait, is comparable to bear hunting in Maine.

 

[CouesKelly]

I'm not sure high fence hunting over bait, is comparable to bear hunting in Maine.

Not the comparison I was hoping to convey. Sorry if it came across that way.

 

[bobbydean]

Entrapment. I would not, but if it is legal have at it if you desire.

 

[AggieHunter]

I’ve shot a few deer in Texas under feeders but all does. Having been doing spot and stock for a few years now feeders are not my top choice for hunting. However, I would like to to try growing food plots in Kansas as the work involved with planting and maintains them makes the deer more earned in my opinion than a feeder.

 

[Sask hunter]

Baiting is far from a slam dunk. I have ran deer baits the last few years and haven’t shot a deer off it yet

 

[Pucky Freak]

No interest in hunting over a deer feeder. I grew up hunting in MN, so it’s kind of a foreign concept. I don’t like how it can promote disease. That being said, Iowa is essentially a giant bait pile of spilled corn and beans, and you learn to use both to your advantage to pattern animals.

Dove hunting where I live is functionally a bait game - there are a bunch of loopholes to make it legal so it’s not technically baiting, but everyone knows it is.

I’d consider baiting for black bears or hogs, as I’d much prefer that to hounds, and some areas of North America are not at all conducive to spot and stalk bear hunting.

There are plenty of ways to introduce kids to hunting without needing to concentrate deer with placed bait.

 

[Gellar]

We don’t bait deer in Iowa, we do deer drives. Lol!

 

[Hunt West]

Not my cup of tea but I’d do it before I’d participate in a chit show elk shoot out....

 

[RobertD]

I don't shoot deer over corn piles or anything like that - I think it's a bit cheap. But I have no qualms with the food plot crowd, a good food plot can benefit wildlife across the board so to me that's not the end of the world. And I will shoot feral hogs over bait any time without a second thought. Deer I just prefer to hunt their travel corridors or agricultural fields

 

[8andcounting]

In ND , I’d say 80% or more of white tails shot with bows are shot over corn piles. The best bucks shot each year bow or gun are mostly shot over corn piles

 

[Deleted member 40728]

I’m not a fan of baiting and hunting over corn piles for deer. Then again, I guess climbing up an acorn loaded white oak tree in the fall is similar in the fact that it’s pulling all the deer to that specific tree and it’s a lot of fun to see.

I will never purposely place bait to hunt over but I search like crazy each year for the “natural baits” that are falling for a short window. Acorns, apples, pears, persimmons, and so on are pretty tough to beat.

 

[DirtyDan]

Recently had a conversation with a good friends son (16 year old) about baiting and food plots for deer. He asked how I find deer since I don't bait? I turned to his dad and asked him why he was teaching his kid to be a farmer instead of a hunter.