Why is baiting illegal here?

[Musky Buck]

It's simply too effective, it's why we can't bait waterfowl, I'd still like to hear more from Wisc. hunters on the pro's and con's and if they hunted before baiting to how things are today. Picture that bait pile this morning for a muzzy hunter being about 10 degrees, I'm picturing a guy in a big heated box stand with windows watching 100 pounds of shell corn deep off any road.

[Flatlander]

It's simply too effective, it's why we can't bait waterfowl, I'd still like to hear more from Wisc. hunters on the pro's and con's and if they hunted before baiting to how things are today. Picture that bait pile this morning for a muzzy hunter being about 10 degrees, I'm picturing a guy in a big heated box stand with windows watching 100 pounds of shell corn deep off any road.

You're making some pretty big assumptions there. I rifle hunt back home, about 35 miles south of Hurley. I won't bait, but I have buddies that do. My parents neighbor had a trail cam over his bait pile for almost 2 months before rifle season. He had 8 different bucks on it, including a nice 10 at 1:52 PM on Nov. 8th. He stretches the 2 gallon limit, as I suspect a lot of other guys do.

Well, my baiting buddy figured on a real nice season. Get his climber up in his tree overlooking his bait pile, kick back and try to decide which of these bucks to shoot.

He sat all day Sat. and most of Sun. He had 2 buddies up from down south, hunting within a 1/4 mile of his stand and there were the 2 neighbor brothers hunting about a half mile away.

He saw 1 fawn the entire opening weekend. His buddies saw nothing and one of the neighbor brothers passed on a basket 8. This shows just how effective baiting is.

I hunt my godmother's land. No bait, no big permanent stands, just my climber and my book. I had over a dozen deer, including one possible buck(never did see his head), walk within 60 yards of me.

So, to make my short post long and monotonous, once the shooting starts, I don't think baitng makes any difference. I could see it affecting the archery season deer a bit, but I just don't think it does anything once the lead starts flying.

[Bear55]

Its probably not fair to compare the states, I think after so many years the Wisconsin deer are use to baiting and only visit a bait pile after dark. The older smarter deer are can pattern a hunter, especially if they are not careful about scent and the wind.

In Minnesota the deer are not use to bait piles everywhere and its first come first serve. Now you could say some day MN could be like WI so what is the big deal but I would have to have to go down that road. If you can't get a deer without bait you probably shouldn't be in the woods any way.

[Musky Buck]

No wonder flatlander, you guys jumped these deer out of the area trying to get set up on your stands, older bucks are wiser and gave you guys the slip, big time, and if you have that many guys sitting 300 yards apart with any kind of a wind your whole area is all scented up, you have too much scent in your area, this buddy and that buddy and how do you get to your stand on a calm morning when the pile is ? far from your perch, those deer heard the herd of hunters and busted into nocturnal nighttimers.

[Musky Buck]

Yes, hunt grandma's alone and of course you saw deer, same for me I hunt alone see way more deer, hunt with a group and we see squat unless we organize a push.

[Musky Buck]

Hey Flatlander, I apologize, could you post how baiting works in Wisc. meaning can you bait from beginning of bow season to the end, how about rifle/musket and how much bait and is the whole state able to be baited or are some areas off limits. Are any bait(s) illegal to use or is there any other stipulations. What percent of guys roughly do bait ? I hear ya that nothing is a 100% guarantee and I have posted on here that baiting might really make them more nocturnal, less travel time to the pile, guaranteed food source, etc. Deer know that night time is there safest time. Human scent is the biggest factor in MN where I hunt, whether it's boot tracks they come across or the wind carrying it, they know for the most part after opening day, that we are present unless you have large acreage. The rut is our bait! Just a quick odd ? Can people bait caribou, elk, moose, pronghorn,mule deer ? If not what's the deal with Whitetailed deer ? I could see like Wisc. overpopulation but in MN with 1 hunters for every 2 deer in the state i think we have good balance, yes some pockets are out of whack but overall aren't we doing alright, in a poor weather year like this year they are predicting a top ten all time kill, where or how much higher do we go in deer taken ?

[Flatlander]

No wonder flatlander, you guys jumped these deer out of the area trying to get set up on your stands, older bucks are wiser and gave you guys the slip, big time, and if you have that many guys sitting 300 yards apart with any kind of a wind your whole area is all scented up, you have too much scent in your area, this buddy and that buddy and how do you get to your stand on a calm morning when the pile is ? far from your perch, those deer heard the herd of hunters and busted into nocturnal nighttimers.

[Musky Buck]

Interesting, not sure why or what is up then flatlander, 1 quick one about scent is I have to wear hip boots for a 1/4 mile, water up to my knees and beyond in spots, I go through mud,water etc. I walked over to check a ground scrape, 1/2 hour before legal shooting light, with my flashlight, walked back to my stand and put on my sorels, about 15 minutes into legal shooting a doe came by and just freaked when she cut my trail by the scrape, now wearing hip boots through swamp,mud,water,etc. How could I leave any scent on the walk to and from the scrape, spent about 10 seconds by it and yet each deer that cut my trail froze and winded it and looked straight at me, how could they smell my boot tracks ? Take care and shoot it straight guys, MB

[Tipup101]

Deer have that sixth sense. I've had that same problem but once I started changing my boots at the bank I had no problems. I think the river mud spooks them. Like its in the wrong place. That or a coyote checked that scrape and the deer caught his trail. Cause i've read that coyotes will check scrapes to help pick up the scent of a deer.

[Musky Buck]

Few if any coyotes in my area, they are slaughtered by coon hounds and hunters since the 50's so it's that water/mud being on the highground area, I watched my best friend trap fox for years and he wore chest waders at his sets to eliminate scent and here I figured doing the same would help against a deer's nose but it hasn't. They cut my boot tracks and they are on high alert, especially mature does. I've tried scents and etc. Walking through that mud for a 1/2 hour and water over the knees just doesn't seem to help, they still for the most part peg the smell and peg where I'm at.

[goblueM]

meh, deer are gonna smell you no matter what. My uncle's buddy had all his scent lok stuff on and had been paranoid with everything. Rubber boots and all - walked down a while and my uncle pulled out his year old pup and he tracked him down in no time. Animals will smell you, you can just hope to reduce your scent and play the wind right.

I think its a waste of money to spend lots of $$ on scent-elminating products. Just put a little longer into scouting and spend your money elsewhere

[Bear55]

I also bought into the whole scentlock thing a while back, still got busted by mature deer. I still shower and practice strict scent elemination just so I am not leaving a ton of scent everywhere and if I can manage not to spook as many deer as possible it just might give me that little edge to get a buck in close for a shot. I firmy believe no matter what you do there is no fooling a mature buck or doe.

[Musky Buck]

Right on guys, is that why you see the 99% effective commercials. That 1 % is much more than that, leaves the window open a crack. Doe and fawn came out of standing corn Saturday night, cut my tracks in the snow and the momma really got jumpy, pegged me immediately, I wish I could just hover above ground to get to where i go.