1::2.6

[Bear55]

More deer, more habitat, more public land, more rural residents adds up to more hunters.

Does WI really have that much public land, or that much more to be considered a significant difference?

I don't think baiting has much to do with it, they are just more into hunting then us, we probably have more fishermen. They also have more deer, kind of a simple math deal.

[Bear55]

why don't I throw this in the middle of the ring.

Food Plots equal a type of baiting.

I'm going to pretend I didn't read this or we might have to stop all farming, logging, planting oak trees, and even mowing our lawns because that could be considered baiting.

[jnorm1984]

maybe more people like to hunt over there - just a thought

[nonteepical]

why don't I throw this in the middle of the ring.

Food Plots equal a type of baiting.

i agree, so is a grunt/bleat call, rattling, urine scents, decoys ect. all designed to bait in a deer.

baiting with corn ect. is outlawed in alot of states to avoid deer from eating out of the same "trough" to avoid the spread of disease. wisconsin has a limit to the amount of bait that can be put out in front of your stand, roughly a coffee can full, it's not enough to attract every deer in the woods to your stand and be a high risk of spreading disease if there is any. some places like texas, you wouldn't see a deer unless you baited them out of the cactus and thorny brush.

[whos_on_first]

I think it's the fact that there are many more people in WI that live in rural areas. The ratio of bars from MN to WI is about the same, maybe even a wider gap. Don't get me wrong, I do a lot of hunting in WI and have a lot of family there, but...(que the banjos)...baada ding ding ding ding ding...

[psepuncher]

so if they can use a coffee can size size amount per time of hunting.

Why not use a feeder with a timer?

It spreads [throws] the food source around and is limited to the amount applied.

no more deer slobbering on each others corn kernals or whatever pellets you can stuff into a feeder with a timer.

[mrklean]

This thread isnt about baiting the baiting talk has been beat to death about a million times its about the ration of MN hunters to WI hunters

[snoozebutton]

Another small contributing factor is that folks 55+ in WI can use a crossbow as archery equipment.

65, not 55.

[Wanderer]

This thread isnt about baiting the baiting talk has been beat to death about a million times its about the ration of MN hunters to WI hunters

I agree.

Do we have to trip over that horse again?

[psepuncher]

oh I dunno guys,

Does it make a difference or not to use baiting on an addendum to hunters rights and ethics on a free range whitetail hunter. Baiting attracts hunters weather the pony is alive or not.

Allbeit this note is dated, the reoccurance of the debait is far from dead.

The rules, which would go into effect Sept. 1, include reinstating the baiting and feeding ban through June 2004 and more than doubling the size of the 411-square-mile eradication zone.

The rules package needs approval by both the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources before it can take effect.

But opponents of the ban lined up Wednesday to accuse state agencies of overstating the risk posed by the disease. They also said no one knows for sure how it spreads and that the now-lapsed emergency rule that banned baiting and feeding crippled sales at hundreds of small businesses.

"If you like your jobs, think about it," hunter and business executive Louis A. Arbs of Eau Claire warned legislators. He said 20,000 opponents of the proposed ban on baiting and feeding have signed petitions against it so far, and "I can get 100,000 if we need them."

[DonBo]

Yes, I agree, baiting is very popular with some hunters in Wisconsin. But I still don't believe many hunt there strictly because they can use bait.

Still never heard anyone say "They let you bait in WS, let's go!"

There were far more hunters in Wisconsin LONG before anyone dreamed of or even heard of baiting.

[mrklean]

if you want to talk about baiting non stop start a thread about it, this thread isnt about baiting

[psepuncher]

I read an article this past Sunday (previewing the upcoming bow season) which stated that there are 100,000 bowhunters in MN and 260,000 in WI. Anybody have any ideas about this?

well I have a few ideas.....

[Hoyt4]

Baiting has nothing to do with the # of hunters.

The chance to harvest a buck both bow and gun is the push for most the hunters.And they just have better land for big bucks.That will draw hunters from all over.

[psepuncher]

There were far more hunters in Wisconsin LONG before anyone dreamed of or even heard of baiting.

Looking back on the history you may be right, deer were eradicated and claimed nuissance pests to crop farmers as early as 18??

Then wearing blaze wasn't enacted until 1980

mmmm, did they have a closed season from over hunting and then baiting become a successful tool in their diverse habitat?

I would venture to say yes.

[mrklean]

drop it really its just getting old now

[psepuncher]

wait a second...you want to hear my other ideas?

[DonBo]

Actually deer were virtually non-existant in this part of the world before the white man came and cut down the mature forests that covered most of this part of the world. It was the regeneration of these old growth forests after the clearing that gave the white tail deer the habitat it needed to populate the land. Wisconsin is covered with this type habitat today, that is why there are so many deer there.

Yes, there was a closed season for a long, long time, simply because there were so few deer anywhere. Market hunting (or hunting of any kind)had very little to do with that. It's ALL about the habitat.

Blaze didn't come into play until the 80's simply because it wasn't invented yet. Even the native americans could never figure out a way to get that color dye out of roots and berries.

[engfish]

Badabing, DonBo! I think this rainy weather is making some of you guys a little cranky. Get your butts out into the woods this weekend so we can start talking about bowhunting again. You're a lot more fun when you come in from a sunny day in the treestand and you've seen a few deer.

We don't have to compete with Wisconsin in everything, do we? Do you really want another 100,000 bowhunters in the woods with you?!?

One of the reasons I enjoy bowhunting is due to the fact that not very many people do it. No doubt in my mind that Wisconsin's agricultural settings provide far more habitat for both deer and turkeys. Good for them, but I'm not leaving Minnesota!

[goblueM]

I think it's the fact that there are many more people in WI that live in rural areas. The ratio of bars from MN to WI is about the same, maybe even a wider gap. Don't get me wrong, I do a lot of hunting in WI and have a lot of family there, but...(que the banjos)...baada ding ding ding ding ding...

man, i tell you what, if you think there's a lot of those folks in Wiscy you should check out the south... I thought some rural folks up there were approaching deliverance, but when i moved down to Virginia it took it to a whole new level!

[Wanderer]

wait a second...you want to hear my other ideas?

Sure. Whatchya got? Not to bait you or anything....

[psepuncher]

well I was gonna post a picture of the boonie crocket map.

Seems sconnie has alot of pretty red dots all over it.

[matchset]

wow. this topic has really taken a lot of twists and turns....

i've looked at the numbers a lot, and i believe it simply boils down to the fact that wisconsin is a two buck state.

[mknolls]

I would like to say I've been considering hunting WI just because you can bait. I have a friend that hunts there every year out of ten years he has taken ten deer and some years two. He has a window of time to hunt and the group of 5 or 6 guys that show up usually get there deer every year. My friend says the one's that don't are the one's that drink to much go out late and really don't care if they get one or not. I'm not saying that baiting is going to bring in every deer or even the big ones. Or dose it? My Friend has a nice 150 or 160 class deer on his wall, can't remember the exact size. Best deer he took personally. I how ever have never been that lucky in MN. Not that there aren't big deer here, just that the area I have permission to hunt only produce's one big deer a year and I'm just not that lucky. I think a big part is where you hunt the number of deer per area and the time you may have to hunt. I think it is a definite advantage to have that as an option. When it gets down to crunch time, and you haven't filled your tag is it not tempting to put out a pile of crushed apples or corn to up the chance of a meat in you fridge? If its legal where you live why not. I would like to see the statistics (not word of mouth) on how many people shot over bait with a bow and gun compared to not. I'm not saying this is a bad thing I think its great for those who have the ability to do so if they choose to. Another thing I would throw in there. Is when you take your child out for there first hunt do you not want to up the chance of them getting there first deer to get the thrill and to share the experience with there parents. Like B-man said he took his first deer over bait. It took me two years of hunting be for I shoot my first deer. I may have given up if I just didn't want to get a deer so bad. Good luck this season to all of the HSO Families in all your hunting.

[klecker]

We have a very strong tradition for hunting deer over here. Our gun hunting numbers probably parallel the bow figures in discussion.

You don’t have to bait over here to get a deer. Most people that bait don’t end up getting the big buck. Sure it happens, most times not. Like any other setting, they are usually the last to come in and feed. Nineteen out of twenty times it’s to dark.

It’s not like what you see with the Texas feeders, far from it. We have a deer population that can with stand allowing hunters to harvest two bucks a year, if they can. It also allows us to be at the top or near every year in B&C and P&Y entries. If we were only allowed to harvest one buck a year WI would blow all states out of the water. Wouldn’t even be close. Nor as fun, if we could only shoot one. Sure is great to be able to shoot what you want, and know you still can get another.

We also have a few non resident hunters as well, in that number. When’s the last time you watched a DVD, show, or read a mag about hunting deer in MN on a constant bases? Just say'n!

Plain and simple.... More deer habitat, more deer, stronger tradition.

I hunt over bait, more times I don’t (to much junk to carry). I stand hunt, and I participate in drives. I hunt bear over bait and sometimes pursue with dogs. Freedom is great.

Here’s a nice public land buck from WI. My nine year old wants to stick him with the .243 next year when he is ten.