feeeding deer

[PEATMOSS]

So your neighbor put in a couple foodplots and the wildlife went from nonexistant to "unreal".

Hmmm, wonder where that wildlife came from?

[certified jumbo]

In my opinion there is a huge difference between food plots vs. putting out bags of corn. I'm not even going to go into a big rage about it.

As a landowner we have certian rights.......we can decide who hunts on our land and how often they hunt, we can make shooting lanes, we can build permanent stands, we can make trails, we can put out salt licks, we can make food plots, we can plant apple tree's, we can log (for the benefit of wildlife and cash) as we choose, and the list goes on. I'm sorry, does this give one an advantage. Probably, but thats a perk of being a tax paying land owner. Thats just how it works, get over it!!!

I wish everyone had private land, but they don't. I have excellent private land to hunt, but I also have tremendous state land to hunt as well. I have actually shot more deer of public land.

[Musky Buck]

Problem is Peatmoss the wildlife is going crazy in there from Dec. 25thish to Spring, he plants it in August every year and there isn't much there until the snow is deep. He owns 30 acres so crazy would be 15 deer, 15 turkeys, 15 pheasants compared to little to nothing being there before he bought the place. Sure he is likely taking away from me, but he's also helping a lot of what I want to hunt survive the worst part of the year and on 30 acres with little cover it isn't holding much when the hunt is on. You could watch his foodplot every morning and evening during rifle and likely not tag a deer, these 2 guys that can hunt it were shut out the last 2 seasons that I'm aware of.

[Musky Buck]

One last thing I'm thankful about is this guy putting in 15 acres of food plots took out 15 acres of the nastiest thistle patch I've ever seen and my good friend neighbor to his is very thankful, they wiped out that thistle that was getting zero treatment from the previous owner. Another is the farmers in my area generally are very efficient leaving behind little to no waste grain,plowing everything under as most are crop farmers, at least they can winter up and run 1 long trail to his place.

[Musky Buck]

Lastly, we all go from our own personal experiences. The guys I know that hunt field and food plots have had very limited luck or success. The guys I know that baited during bow season 2 years ago were 20 for 20. Actually 16-20 before rifle as they each saved a rifle tag, got 2 rifle hunting someplace else, came back and bow shot the final 2 over bait so that scared me on the bait issue.

[Bear55]

A food plot is nothing more than food source for deer, no more or less than agriculture or 100's of other natural food sources in the prairies or forests. A deers preferred food source is changing all the time, if you know what and when the deer the eating a certain food source you are a step again of the deer and other hunters. If people put as much effort patterning deer as they do complaining about food plots and baiting they would shoot a lot more deer. Trying to level the field with baiting is trying to fix one so called problem with another. If you want to level the playing field just hunt harder, its really that simple.

How come 10 or 20 years ago no one complained about farming or logging operations as being unfair places to hunt?

[Musky Buck]

Right on Bear, no doubt. This is a twist on feeding deer. Cousin's husband has 2 pet deer or he did, went to feed them one morning and there was a timber wolf in the pen, both deer were deceased and 4 other wolves running around the fence, Ottertail county. Wolf jumped out, federal trapper came in and he caught 1 of the 5.

[lungdeflator]

What is the call or reason to feed during those months any ways? there is enough natural forage around for deer that they dont need a pile of corn during those months. Feed deer during the late winter months when snow buries natural forage and the WSI is high.

[pulleye16]

I'm very bias cause I hunt public land and the 180 acre private land next to us baits deer and has always got to pick and choose their bucks, so yes-I completely agree with this new law proposal. I know technology always changes, makes us more successful (maybe not better hunters) but I'm totally guilty of buying high end scopes, GPS, scents, calls ect.... but there has to be a point when a hunt is just that...a hunt! Would I like to own 180 acres with food plots and minerals that grow huge antlers and bring in the bucks, yes-but would I do it-NO. I enjoy scotting, looking for sign, scrapes, rubs...and trying to find the deer, not have them come to me cause of the food "I PLANTED" to bring them in and shoot.

p.s. I agree with the above...using feed when they need it is completly different like harsh winter months!

I'll right now you can tear me a new one!

[BLACKJACK]

I don't know who you think you're fooling when you say that folks would establish and maintain their foodplots without a hunting benefit. I'm not buying that for a second.

Peatmoss, you really have a case of the arse against people who plant food plots don't you? You're continually [PoorWordUsage] in this thread about food plots. Is that because you don't have the land or gumption to plant any?

I plant food plots because I like watching the deer and pheasants, last night I counted 32+ deer coming into my 2 acre corn food plot. I had the spotting scope out, saw one buck with one horn, saw another one with blood on around the antler bases where he had just dropped them. Neat.

[BLACKJACK]

Back to the original point of this thread, I'm against any ban on deer feeding because it will penalize people that are just trying to feed birds and other animals and won't stop baiters. I can't imagine my 80 year old mother having to go out and fill up a bird feeded thats 6 foot off the ground!!

Enforce the laws we already have. If a someone is sitting with a weapon over feed, its baiting, throw the book at them. Plain and simple. Don't penalize or make it more difficult for recreational feeders.

[Bear55]

I'm very bias cause I hunt public land and the 180 acre private land next to us baits deer and has always got to pick and choose their bucks, so yes-I completely agree with this new law proposal. I know technology always changes, makes us more successful (maybe not better hunters) but I'm totally guilty of buying high end scopes, GPS, scents, calls ect.... but there has to be a point when a hunt is just that...a hunt! Would I like to own 180 acres with food plots and minerals that grow huge antlers and bring in the bucks, yes-but would I do it-NO. I enjoy scotting, looking for sign, scrapes, rubs...and trying to find the deer, not have them come to me cause of the food "I PLANTED" to bring them in and shoot.

p.s. I agree with the above...using feed when they need it is completly different like harsh winter months!

I'll right now you can tear me a new one!

If your neighbors are baiting why not turn them in? Really a 180 acres is not nearly enough to have their pick of the bucks in the area, even if they have a deer paradise those deer will be moving in and out of the 180 acres all the time.

For all the food plot haters I will ask again should we outlaw hunting near farming or logging areas because those are man made food sources?

[B. Amish]

Enforce the laws we already have. If a someone is sitting with a weapon over feed, its baiting, throw the book at them. Plain and simple. Don't penalize or make it more difficult for recreational feeders.

do you remember that case from last year or the year before where these guys got out of a baiting charge, because they claimed they took the battery out of their feeder 15 days earlier or some stupid reason like that.

[LightningBG]

We lived fine without it for this long and now with lower deer numbers I think the bait idea is a bad one, many states allowing it are starting to restrict or reevaluate it's purpose.

Since when were there lower deer numbers in Minnesota?

[LightningBG]

Peatmoss, you really have a case of the arse against people who plant food plots don't you? You're continually [PoorWordUsage] in this thread about food plots. Is that because you don't have the land or gumption to plant any?

I plant food plots because I like watching the deer and pheasants, last night I counted 32+ deer coming into my 2 acre corn food plot. I had the spotting scope out, saw one buck with one horn, saw another one with blood on around the antler bases where he had just dropped them. Neat.

I feel everyone is missing what Peat is saying. He's not against food plots. He's against the double standard. A pile of corn and a food plot are both an unnatural attractant. The only difference is one has roots attached to it. Sure, lots of animals benefit from a food plot. I'm sure a bunch of animals benefit from a corn pile too. They are BOTH bait, placed for the sole purpose of attracting animals. Period.

[walleyefisher0990]

Last week i hit two deer, well rather hit one and one ran into the side of my car. I wasnt going to fast or not paying attention. I also narrowly missed a few more, all of these deer were in the exact same spot, coming to and from my neighbors where they are feeding them. I dont think anybody needs to be feeding them, they are wild animals they will be fine on there own, by giving them food, you are asking for confrontations. Dont get me wrong i enjoy seeing deer, but a couple of hundred dollars of damage to my car, so somebody can enjoy seeing them, kind of makes me angry.

[Musky Buck]

Sorry Lightning, just comparing my area today to 2004-05 when deer were numbers were nearly out of control. The numbers are half or less compared to then, had for 30 years 40-50 even 80 deer winter in one of my swamps, last winter and this one, zero deer in the same swamp. Other 2 swamps the wintering herd is half what it used to be. LOL to the the ones who can't figure out the differences in bait/vs field. cmon really now. Before it became an issue no one squabbled much about farmers leaving deer corn or pheasants forever planting food plots.

[Bear55]

I feel everyone is missing what Peat is saying. He's not against food plots. He's against the double standard. A pile of corn and a food plot are both an unnatural attractant. The only difference is one has roots attached to it. Sure, lots of animals benefit from a food plot. I'm sure a bunch of animals benefit from a corn pile too. They are BOTH bait, placed for the sole purpose of attracting animals. Period.

We understand his point but many don't agree with it. How is a food plot any different than an alfalfa or bean field? Deer will take an easy meal when they can get it, placing a bucket of corn or apples in thick cover where they feel safe is hardly the same thing. You can also place your bait 75 upwind of your deer stand. That is hardly a double standard when you compare it to 2-200 acres of food plot.

[pulleye16]

Originally Posted By: pulleye16

I'm very bias cause I hunt public land and the 180 acre private land next to us baits deer and has always got to pick and choose their bucks, so yes-I completely agree with this new law proposal. I know technology always changes, makes us more successful (maybe not better hunters) but I'm totally guilty of buying high end scopes, GPS, scents, calls ect.... but there has to be a point when a hunt is just that...a hunt! Would I like to own 180 acres with food plots and minerals that grow huge antlers and bring in the bucks, yes-but would I do it-NO. I enjoy scotting, looking for sign, scrapes, rubs...and trying to find the deer, not have them come to me cause of the food "I PLANTED" to bring them in and shoot.

p.s. I agree with the above...using feed when they need it is completly different like harsh winter months!

I'll right now you can tear me a new one!

If your neighbors are baiting why not turn them in? Really a 180 acres is not nearly enough to have their pick of the bucks in the area, even if they have a deer paradise those deer will be moving in and out of the 180 acres all the time.

For all the food plot haters I will ask again should we outlaw hunting near farming or logging areas because those are man made food sources?

They are LEGALLY BAITING and yes, they do pick and choose their bucks on the 180...we talk with them all the time-and thats no [PoorWordUsage] as we see their deer every year.

Are you really saying Farmers and loggers are the same as people making food plots for deer? Yeah cause farmers grow corn and alfalfa just for the wildlife and loggers take out trees to bring in the bucks. Logging and farmers have NOTHING to do with planting a food plot FOR DEER!!!!!!!!!!The repercussions of both those either natural or man made are not intended to bring in or help survive wildlife.... a food plot does! If you think a food plot has no more advatage as logging then if they do propose this law change and it goes into affect, I'd love to see everyone with a food plot log out thier land. Or maybe they can all start farming. Clear cut your land, buy tractors, spreaders, combines, tilers and etc.. and go to town! Thats whats wrong with people today, one person can do something so we all can, right?

[JayinMN]

Quote:

As a landowner we have certian rights.......we can decide who hunts on our land and how often they hunt, we can make shooting lanes, we can build permanent stands, we can make trails, we can put out salt licks, we can make food plots, we can plant apple tree's, we can log (for the benefit of wildlife and cash) as we choose, and the list goes on. I'm sorry, does this give one an advantage. Probably, but thats a perk of being a tax paying land owner. Thats just how it works, get over it!!!

Best post given so far.

[PEATMOSS]

Originally Posted By: PEATMOSS

I don't know who you think you're fooling when you say that folks would establish and maintain their foodplots without a hunting benefit. I'm not buying that for a second.

Peatmoss, you really have a case of the arse against people who plant food plots don't you? You're continually [PoorWordUsage] in this thread about food plots. Is that because you don't have the land or gumption to plant any?

I plant food plots because I like watching the deer and pheasants, last night I counted 32+ deer coming into my 2 acre corn food plot. I had the spotting scope out, saw one buck with one horn, saw another one with blood on around the antler bases where he had just dropped them. Neat.

Really, I don't have a huge beef with the foodplot planters. It's your land and your hunt and I've always believed that a person should be free to conduct themselves as they see fit provided that the resource is not harmed and public safety is observed. I've got a few concerns about foodplots, especially in my area of the state, but you've never, ever seen me call for a ban on foodplots. Let's be clear though, foodplots are very similar to baiting in that their PRIMARY purpose is to draw in game. Forest clearcuts, hay fields, standing crops etc will certainly draw deer in, but it was never their primary purposes.

What makes a generally nice fella like me get all argumentive is this holier than though attitude and blatantly inconsistant set of ethics so many have come to accept. In this state, one can legally fence off an acre out in the middle of the forest, plant anything you want, then pull the fence a week before deer season and legally shoot deer over this spot. Fence or not, certain crops in certain parts of the state are a deer magnet and the same folks that sit over these goodies are calling for folks that dump out a pail of corn to be fined, jailed, have their property confiscated, lose their hunting privelages and be castrated to prevent breeding.(ok, I made up the last one)

All too often, these same folks that create these foodplots all over their property and draw deer in from the adjacent lands(both public and private) are also the very same group of people that want to crimanalize shooting bucks that don't meet THEIR standards and we've beat that horse a thousand times.

Bottom line is this. We all have values and ethics, but shouldn't we concern ourselves with protecting the resource and assuring public safety instead of forcing our beliefs on everyone else?

[Musky Buck]

I knew the real PEATMOSS would give us a good angle. It is a sticky deal. I go by experience and you do to I'm sure. My case study involves the neighbors food plot, very limited success and it's a lush beauty, but the deer aren't hitting it much until Xmas. We hunt the rut and trying to hoard rutting deer isn't an easy feat, he does say quite a few fawns are there during season. Out of a couple dozen tags they have taken roughly 10 deer so about every 3rd year they connect on a doe or buck, they just after opening day avoid being in the open until it's completely dark, now after dark who knows what may be feeding there. Neighbors to the south little did I know but they average about 2 deer per season bowhunting, 2 years ago they were 20-20, 4 guys with 5 tags each, they baited and had 16 of the 20 by rifle opener as they each saved 1 tag for that. Less than 50 yards from their stand sites was 120 acres of standing corn, didn't matter. They filled 2 of those with rifle and returned to the bait to cap off their final 2. Last year from reading me on here, they didn't bait and harvested 1 deer by bow for the 4 guys, that's what scares me about allowing bait vs. food plots but the debate will go on and on.

[Musky Buck]

And of course right guys, jk, I have to realize the almighty dollar is behind so many things. I sometimes think the food plot gang talking sellers of product, because of our farming practices found a way into lots of our wallets when we know like premium cenex blazer alfalfa used to grow em in my mind as good as any food plot and the sellers know there's no real good way of doing an experiment with a free ranging herd and they know with age a bucks rack is likely to grow. Lots of advertising and you won't see many spike bucks on the ad, just dream bucks that they attribute their product to. Good luck to all in health and happiness and in net pay on your direct deposit.

[Bear55]

Are you really saying Farmers and loggers are the same as people making food plots for deer? Yeah cause farmers grow corn and alfalfa just for the wildlife and loggers take out trees to bring in the bucks. Logging and farmers have NOTHING to do with planting a food plot FOR DEER!!!!!!!!!!The repercussions of both those either natural or man made are not intended to bring in or help survive wildlife.... a food plot does! If you think a food plot has no more advatage as logging then if they do propose this law change and it goes into affect, I'd love to see everyone with a food plot log out thier land. Or maybe they can all start farming. Clear cut your land, buy tractors, spreaders, combines, tilers and etc.. and go to town! Thats whats wrong with people today, one person can do something so we all can, right?

Farmers, Loggers, and Foodplots are all man made food sources for deer. They are all large in size and have natural vegetation that deer like to eat. What does intent have anything to do with it? Just because a farmers intent is to harvest his crop its ok for him to hunt over a bean field but guys hunting over floodplots can't? What makes one field ok in your eyes and another illegal? If I plant a bunch of oak trees in a pine forest with the intent to hunt them some day is that wrong because I have intent or is it smart hunting? Lets try and use some common sense here. If you owned a bunch of land should it really be illegal to make changes to your own land or whatever purpose you see fit?

Farming, Logging, Food Plots <<<< Large Gap >>>> Baiting.

To everyone who is against food plots what would you prefer? Do you want to outlaw food plots and have the legislature write up a bunch of ridiculous laws about what constitutes planting for deer and planting or other uses, I can't imagine there would be any double standards or loop holes in those laws. Or should we just make baiting legal and "level the playing field" and see who can afford to dump the most attractive bait in a certain location?

[LightningBG]

make baiting legal.