Why deer feeders

[Ufatz]

I don't hunt anymore but did for a long time. I see some folks have put out deer feeders in a couple areas-tripod things with tank of feed on top. Can they then sit back and shoot deer that come to the feeder? Do they put them out just to draw deer to the area? I am new to this sort of thing and honestly don't understand what is going on.

Is it legal? Ethical? Everybody do it?

[hookset]

people do it to bring/keep deer in the area for viewing. some people break the law and hunt over or near the bait sight. you are suppose to remove all bait 14 day(i think 14) before you hunt a area.

some movements think deer feeding should be illegal for a few reasons; spread of disease and how it changes the deers natural instincts and movements.

joe

[BobT]

The question of ethical has and probably will be debated forever. There are both advantages and disadvantages of feeding. It is legal to provide feeding however as stated it is illegal to hunt a bait/feeding site during or within a certain number of days after removing the forage.

[Sabaskong]

It is currently ILLEGAL to do any feeding in a large part of northwest minnesota.

[Musky Buck]

I'm ok with it as long as it serves a purpose like safety in towns where deer are overpopulated and it may be the safest way to target them in populated areas thus drawing them in to where you want the shots to occur. I don't think we need baiting as a method or way of harvesting deer in MN. I think we've been doing fine and I doubt baiting will enhance your hunting experience.

[UdeLakeTom]

I really don't think it has to do with baiting in all instances. I ran across one a couple years ago tracking a deer. There wasn't anybody around that was hunting in the spot. Some people like to watch deer and will put out a feeder to attact them. The feeders also will attract other types of wild life.

The thing they don't realize is that these animals then tend to become dependent on the feeders.

[Ufatz]

Okay gang, I get the drift. The feeders I'm talking about are out in the woods in a sparsely populated area. I pretty much have to conclude they plan to get the deer accustomed to the feeder and then on opening weekend be waiting in the weeds, so to speak.

Sorry, not my cup of tea. Where I spent most of my life the philosophy was Fair Chase. And thats the way it USED to be in MN.Thanks for the info fellas.

[BobT]

If you suspect this to be the case, perhaps a little TIP might be in order.

[Musky Buck]

Right on Ufatz- The feeders you're talking about are for 1 purpose only. I know a CO near Brainerd where a guy admitted taking a trophy buck over bait, he also added in previous years he admitted to taking other nice bucks over bait. Even a doe in heat might be drawn to it and bring in that buck. I used to think baiting was mainly for deer in general, I didn't know that so many large bucks have been downed by bait piles. It saddens me to see and hear how many are willing to disregard the law because of is it selfishness ?

[jigginjim]

I don't care for the baiting idea, not fair chase. What would be the difference between tripod feeder and a 50 X 100 ft foot plot.

[Jameson]

...What would be the difference between tripod feeder and a 50 X 100 ft foot plot.

If the local deer herd eats the food plot to the ground over night if can't be reloaded like a feeder can. The deer would move on from the wiped out food plot potentially to the next property.

Further, if anyone is really interested in the differences between a feeder and a food plot, how about you set up a feeder a short distance from a food plot. Likely best to find a non-hunting property for this experiment. Set-up a trail camera or two over each to record deer activity. Keep a detailed account of money and time personally invested for the entire year. Try and estimate how many calories you burn refilling the feeder vs working the food plot. Really, really get into the details of each. Than post a report here telling all of us the difference between the two. I, for one would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

[harvey lee]

There are many states that do allow baiting. In North Dakota it is legal and I also believe Wisconson still allows it.

The deabte also continues on whether it helps spread cronic wasting disease. Too many deer eating at one pile of corn and the saliva spreads to other deer.

I guide for a handi-capped hunt each year in North Dakota. We do bait deer for this hunt as it helps the handi-capped hunter in a wheel chair.

We could go on and on about the ethics of baiting deer and if a food plot is the same as a bait pile. We could also include the deer bombs and deer scent to attract deer. Many ways to keep deer in ones hunting area. How about when one ties a top strand of barb wire down to control where a deer crosses a fence? Isn't that also herding deer so to speak?

This debate will go on until the end of time.

I would rather try to outfox a deer in its own envoirment but to each his own.

[BobT]

I think you raise a number of good questions, Harvey. It seems to boil down to where the line should be drawn.

[Code-Man]

I believe the rule states you can bait but the Bait has to be GONE 10 days prior to hunting.

[Musky Buck]

My best guess why people argue the food plot vs. bait is most don't want to invest the time and money to put a plot in vs. just dumping however many gallons of bait they think will do the job. We can't outlaw farm practices so of course plots are a way to compete with farming, heck a good alfalfa field is as good as a plot in my book especially a freshly seeded one.

[PEATMOSS]

The law against baiting is simply an arbitrary line with no real biological or ethical basis. I'm sure not everyone would agree, but the arguments against it just don't hold up when compared to other practices.

[Musky Buck]

Another plot vs. bait tidbit is a plot/field is open terrain unless it's standing corn where dumping shell corn in a thick woods or swamp is different. Try dumping a bait pile in the middle of a plowed field lets say and try one way off the road in a swamp close to dense cover, let rifle season begin and I'd hope as nocturnal as they get in my area they'd hit that swamp pile more likely during shooting light and they'd hit the pile in the field after shooting light. Neighbor has a food plot with roughly 40 deer in it every night, come hunting other than fawns nothing hits it during legal shooting light. Just a few differences. You know what, whatever is legal I'll do whatever isn't I won't.

[simpzenith]

There is no reason to bait whether it's legal or not. If you bait to attract game to your spot to hunt, your lazy. Get out and scout and hunt hard and you'll appreciate the harvest even more. If you bait to attract big bucks, your hunting for the wrong reason. A big buck should be a bonus and not the reason to hunt. There is too much emphasis on big bucks these days. Food plots are available to wildlife day and night, so they can eat at anytime. Most feeders have timers that are set for daylight times, forcing wildlife to arrive when you are there. Give me a reason to bait and I'll give you a better reason not to.

[Musky Buck]

I'm with you 100% simpzenith, I asked my hunting elders what they thought about baiting and they had some interesting takes on it, they all completely opposed it. Someone said well ND allows it etc. I doubt ND has 600,000 licensed deer hunters with land in such small parcels with stands on most corner posts etc. I know a land owner in ND that hasn't drawn a buck tag he claims in 4 years. Thing is how many areas now have lower doe permit #'s, yeah let's start baiting so we can hammer even more and with a bad winter we can have the no season like 1974 again then the bellyaching would really kick in. Got a ?. I know 1 clown who said he's already baiting for rifle season, however, it's not on his land, if DNR finds it who's in trouble ? This same individual has a ? pop on scope ? for his muzzleloader, pop off when done hunting. Makes me ill, the DNR will get an anonymous call very soon.

[InTheNorthwoods]

There is no reason to bait whether its legal or not...Give me a reason to bait and I'll give you a better reason not to.

[Musky Buck]

I'll ask him when I go goose hunt again but he said for whitetail, a 3 year drought, maybe he drinks a lot I don't know. I do know his woods was full of bucks, he said drive through it and report back how many bucks I saw, I reported 9 with 5 shootable. I agree with purposeful baiting, I won't agree today's youth need to hunt any differently then we did as a kid. From what I see in school systems kids need more than ever to have to work hard to achieve success in anything. Many of them expect a quick easy free and so on, our drop out rate is higher than ever crippling school funding even more. I think some figure baiting will be the answer but the have's will have and the have nots will be out competed by the haves. It's a big can of worms and keep it illegal so state land hunters don't have more to fight about, it's stands now then it will be that's "my" bait pile and so on and then some won't adhere to a 5 gallon minimum and so on etc. The rut is enough bait for most.

[CatchPhotoFilet]

To me the purpose is to shoot a big buck and put it on the wall. I dont sit outside in 20below weather cause i want to sight see or shoot a doe. If hunting was about just shooting a doe the season would only have to be a week old. Hunting shows would not show 98% bucks hunted vs does. Maybe those swamps you cant plant a food plot. What is wrong with creating your own source of attractant and serve the same purpose as a food plot does. Nobody plants a food plot in hopes to see a doe walk out and shoot it. The hope is a The BIG BUCK comes strolling out to eat and you can have a shot at him. As far as people calling in TIPS why doesnt everyone mind their own P&Q. Everyone is so concerned with everyone else. simpzenith I think your wrong. For every reason you say not to there is a reason to do it. Just cause a person might put out a pile of whatever doesnt mean hes going to shoot every deer that comes to it. What about selective harvest that baiting creates. Easily managing a heard size. Allow a kid a chance at shooting any kind of deer to spark that interest in the sport. Increasing your odds at shooting a big buck. You still have to be in a good area, shoot accurately and put in your time. nothing wrong with baiting and MN should allow some form of it!

[Musky Buck]

We are easily managing the herd size without bait, I could see in city limits baiting for safety and special needs people being allowed to. The kids we are losing because everyone knows someone who likes deer hunting tying up land and land prices are beyond what a kid coming out of college can and will be able to afford and hundreds of other reasons, I doubt the kids will say oh goodie I can bait deer so I'm going to be a hunter. We've never needed baiting and we never will. If fields/food plots were so automatic why have my dad and I only taken 3 mature bucks since 1983 hunting them and rarely seen more ? Answer because they go nocturnal but if I had a pile of shell corn deep in our tamarac swamp I bet that magnet would've resulted in many more. I know baiters who were 20 for 20 last year and brag about how good of hunters they are. If you can honestly watch a baited hunting show and tell me that's hunting then you are probably already baiting. Why can't we bait waterfowl, because it's too effective and people would abuse baiting to the fullest, not all but many. Vote no and leave a deer's stomach out of the equation. Food plot 500 yards long, can't shoot that far when they come out on the wrong end, set up there and they come out where I was the day before or not at all, alarmed, nocturnal deer don't just waltz out into an open field very often, after opening day we won't see a deer in our field until about Christmas before dark.

[jigginjim]

I know of a group that were tagged for hunting bait piles. Last year the guys wifes begins a Muzzleloader and scope the to local gunsmith. They wanted the 3x9 scope mounted before the season started. Knowing these people as the gunsmith does, he told the wife it was illegal to hunt the muzzleloader season with that type a scope. I'll bet pennies to bennies they got the scope mounted.

[jigginjim]

I know of a group that were tagged for hunting bait piles. Last year the guys wifes begins a Muzzleloader and scope the to local gunsmith. They wanted the 3x9 scope mounted before the season started. Knowing these people as the gunsmith does, he told the wife it was illegal to hunt the muzzleloader season with that type a scope. I'll bet pennies to bennies they got the scope mounted.