baiting deer ?

[jabug]

i read the laws and it reads like if you are on private land and are the owner you can bait am i reading this wrong

[kgpcr4]

you cannot bait deer anywere for the purpose of hunting. that also means a trail leading up to a feeder 1/4 mile away is off limits as well. Personaly i hope the fine for baiting goes up to 2,000.00 and loose your gun. there is nothing more dispicable than baiting deer!

[lcornice]

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i read the laws and it reads like if you are on private land and are the owner you can bait am i reading this wrong

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I'd suggest you read the whole sentence again. It doesn't say anything close to that.

[Nate McVey]

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there is nothing more dispicable than baiting deer!

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There is a thread already started on this topic so I wont go into it again, but baiting deer has a LOT of benefits. I respect your opinion on the matter, but please keep those types of comments off these pages.

[Ufatz]

Mr.Shiner, would you point out some of the benefits of baiting deer please? I also feel it is just one more of the onerous methods that have come about in the last couple decades. I don't want to debate it with you because you clearly have your standards and I have mine, but I WOULD like to hear what you feel are the benefits. It might enlighten all of us. I have a couple I can imagine, but fill us in please.

[Surface Tension]

In some states baiting deer is legal and has been for a long time. As far as baiting deer in MN, its illegal. However its not one of those "onerous methods that have come about in the last couple decades". In fact baiting deer in MN was legal not so long ago. That was a time when the deer herd was low. Now, with the deer herd at an all time high we've gone to Intensive Management in areas that allow 5 deer to be harvested. Would baiting deer help the DNR reach those harvest levels? Mind you the ban on baiting deer in MN came before any threat of CWD. One would have to assume that that ban on baiting didn't come about as a management tool, but rather based on an ethics or fair chase.

At any rate baiting is legal in other states and once was in MN. Opinions on baiting will be for and against. Lets not beat up each other over the issue.

[perchking]

UFATZ,

I live in Michigan and Baiting is legal so I do it. I really find it funny that a lot of people that are DEAD against baiting which is fine, but try to tell them selves that in there trail camera pics there are only putting out an attractant to stop an animal for a picture. I think in MN you need to stop BAITING 10 days prior to the season am I correct? Do you think these deer just stop coming to the BAIT pile because it hasn’t been there for 10 days? Come on… In my eyes putting an attractant to get game within range for harvest is all considered baiting. Boy I am opening up a can of worms here but here are a few examples : Corn, apples, salt, mineral block, homemade minerals, decoys, grunt calls, bleats, rattling, duck/turkey/deer decoys, man made food plots, man made watering sources, grains, scents…

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[jabug]

wheres the difference in putting out a pile of corn or planting a patch of biologic in the middle of the woods. is not the sole purpose of the food plot to attract deer. how many against baiting plant food plots?

[chucker34]

It's placing the food source 15-20 yards in front of your stand so that's exactly where the deer will sit for you while you shoot it. Food plots are more nutritional and balanced and give the deer the option of working many different areas of the field. You sucess with a tiny food plot in the woods is going to be extremely limited so it doesn't really even matter. Also, corn is to deer what ice cream and candy is to a little kid. It's not the same as minerals, water or alfalfa, etc.

The baiting debate can go back and forth all day. Bottom line is its illegal here for good reasons determined by hunters and the DNR. If hunters truly wanted it allowed, it would be more productive to organize yourselves, go to the state capitol and lobby for it. However, think twice before you do that about the public reaction toward hunters in general and how non-hunters who currently aren't antis may view the abscence of fair chase. Think about what that may do to society's perception of hunters as a whole in a state this liberal and what it might mean for the future and regulation of deer hunting.

[perchking]

Chucker,

Under the archery section you set up a post called TRAIL CAM PICS… What is on the ground or is the deer just sitting there posing in front of some snow during summer? Oh yeah t is MINERAL/SALT block isn’t it… Now you are going to say you don’t hunt near that area correct? YOU ARE BAITING CHUCKER, if you like to hear it or not. Now if you actually believe when you remove that mineral block, do you think the deer in 10 short days are just going to forget about it? Come on…

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[Nate McVey]

OK, here we go. Baiting is legal in MI, it has been for as long as I can remember. We don't have "intensive management" sections and we can not kill 5 deer. Baiting gives us the oppourtunity to bring deer in not only for selective harvest, but to give us the oppourtunity for a good clean kill. Some zones don't even offer doe tags, let alone the ability to shoot 4 of them. I'm with Perchking when he asks what you are using in front of your trail cam. Is that a natural food source, can you please tell me the benefit of a salt lick? I wonder if any of you "non-baiters" hunt the game trails leading up to your "I'm not hunting it, only photographing it" bait piles. Guess what, that is illegal too, but I'm sure no one does that .

MN lowered it's minimum draw weight to 30 lbs. this year correct? I am under the impression that is because we want more kids to get involved. MI uses baiting for that exact reason as well. Those of us without private land need to bait to be competitive with with those that do. I hunt National Forest land that is between two 40's of private. Do you think I would have stood a chance when I was 14 years old of seeing a deer let alone shooting one without bait? Probably, but having does and spikes come in all day sure makes you forget how cold and tired you are. Now for bowhunting, take a kid out and put him in a tree and make him/her sit there all day without seeing anything, do you think that is going to help them appreciate the sport? Maybe, but put a kid in a tree over a LEGAL pile of corn and help him/her get a good clean shot on their first animal is what we all hope for.

Baiting up until 10 days before the season has the same effect on animals. Do you think they forget where this yummy salt block was, or where that pile of apples is? I doubt it. Keep telling yourselves that you're practicing fair chase sitting over the kiddie pool filled with water that I saw in some of your pictures. Or while you sit 100 yards down the trail that leads to your camera and natural salt block. You keep doing what you like and I will continue to bait as long as it is legal in MI.

Just my $.02, take it, leave it or bash it.....your choice.

[BKB]

I have stayed away from this discussion but I just have one question, what happened to simply HUNTING an animal? I have hunted for 30 years and never used a trail camera, bait(grew up in Wi.) or anything other than putting in the time to scout the area I want to hunt be it either private or public land. I learned the art of hunting from my dad and his dad, learning alot of patience along the way and that harvesting an animal was the icing on the cake. By no means is this meant to bash anyone for their choice of hunting method, I just choose to do it the old fahioned way and hunt the animal one on one. Most times I lose but when I do win it sure is a great feeling. Just my opinion.

[chucker34]

First of all, I'm not looking to get into a debate, hence the smiley face in my post.

Second of all, I will take some time to defend the personal attacks but not debate baiting. Why? I'm not sure. Yes, I did put out a mineral lick several months ago for purposes of getting more photographs, and yes, the deer visit it for a few minutes every other day or so as it is placed aside from one of their regular travel routes. BTW, I put out minerals, not salt, minerals, which do provide nutritional value to bucks growing antlers and does nursing fawns. And I did recently put out a “kiddie pool” water source to your disdain. But I have news for you, they are not illegal bait piles as you claim. Read the Minnesota DNR regulations. Minerals and water are not illegal in Minnesota. And hence hunting over a trail leading up to them are not illegal.

Third, I have never nor will I ever hunt in the close vicinity of a mineral lick. It's not smart hunting. As with bait, if you like to draw the comparison, the deer know something's up and the big boys won't come into it regularly. Plus, it’s just not my cup of tea.

Fourth, I leave my trail cam up all year and around late August/early September and the number of pics near the lick dwindles substantially to a couple of times a week at that point. Not exactly the drawing power of some sweet corn.

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[harvey lee]

I think we all need to step back a minute and remember that these forums are for all to enjoy and the calling of names or arguing isnt needed. As long as one follows the laws in their state then everything should be fine. Lets try to remember that we can discuss this thread in a friendly manner and lets try to keep it informative for all.

[Nate McVey]

That was the purpose of my first reply. I have "argued" this point more than once in these pages. Maybe I should just put a link to those next time instead of taking the "bait" to get into it again.

[BobT]

The "kiddie pool" you refer to. Is that a plastic tub that you placed in the field? Be careful about doing that. I would imagine it would be littering, wouldn't it?

Just a thought.

Bob

[harvey lee]

I would think that as long as there is water in it that could see it was getting used and was not just thrown there. If it is dug into the ground and filled I would assume that that also could be determined that it is being used a a waterer.

[chucker34]

The kiddie pool that is referred to is a 20 gallon rubber livestock dish dug completely into the ground on private property and filled with water. It was an experiment based on several articles I have read in several popular hunting magazines and on the QDMA web site.

[harvey lee]

Thanks Chucker34 for the information.

[Nate McVey]

How did it work chucker? Did a lot of different animals use it, or just the larger ones?