foodplots vs fair chase

[allthingshunting]

adirondackhunter, i am jealous of your situation.  I can't tell you how much i wish i could hunt a deer by still-hunting / tracking it.  However, here in Southern PA, even though we own approx. 200 acres, i can't walk longer than about 10 minutes in any direction without stepping on someone elses property.
 
This makes stand hunting a necessity.  That means hunting bedding, travel or feeding areas.  Travel areas are pretty much limited to morning and evening (less than that once they go nocturnal).  That leaves bedding and feeding.  Around here, feeding areas are crop fields and we don't farm and own virtually no field areas.  That said, how is planting a food plot within our wood lot and hunting over that different that the guy next door who farms corn, alphalpha, etc. and hunts over those fields?

[jacannon63]

Scotman
I guess fairchase means different things to different people. Long bow hunters don't always approve of  compound bow hunters some of which don't approve of crossbow hunters and the list goes on and on. Everyone thinks their way is best. I am a food ploter and I will always be one because I enjoy feeding and watching wildlife. Our deer season last from Oct.15th till Jan.31st. and I can kill two does a day so I don't have plant plots to fill my freezer. I enjoy being a part time farmer and I get to see hundreds of deer interacting with each other every season plus all the other wildlife that come to plots. Hunt to Live ...Live to Hunt...

[Panman1949]

Many great posts from many great people on this site.  Thank you all.  I have learned alot.  Here is my two cents on this issue.  God gave all of his creatures some sort of advantage.  The deer has terrific hearing, smell and sight as well as adaptability.  We have the ability to reason.  Use this ability to your advantage, but do so in a reasonable way with respect to the animal, the herd, the environment, and to each other.  Hope this helps someone.  Panman
 

[dtrain56]

what is the difference between hunting over a wild apple tree in the middle of the woods, or a feeder, a food plot, or a bean field, or an acorn flat...nothing...what are we arquing about it is all about preference
 
what about hunting out of a tree stand or on the ground>>> it is about preference...,
 
yes it is harder to harvest a mature animal by spot and stalk... but it may not be my preference to do so ...it is still hunting and if you want to do it the hard way the "Barta way" then that is up to you but don't knock another hunter who decides to do it their way..
 
it is hard work putting in food plots any making sure that they "attract" deer..i choose to do it that way, i have also big woods hunted where there are no agricultural fields...just natural browse...
 
acorns...deer still show up to the food plot though it is a natural one.
 
it is hypocritical to say one hunting a food source is hunting while man made food sources are some how less than hunting..
 
if you are argueing hunting food sources vs spot and stalk then that is preference... and to that each his own...
 
hunters must stick together and unite not argue over which way we should hunt!!!

[EatDeer]

Deer are not sticking all of thier heads in the same 2x4 foot area all year every day. Once the food in a plot,ag crop, acorn flat,etc, is gone the deer move on. I think the baiting is kinda like your deer is tied to a certain tree, then shot the next morning.  All you had to do was dump a bucket of corn on the ground. I work hard on my plots, and do not consider living plants in 2 acres of soil a bait pile when thier is 500 acres of corn and beans around here. I have no problem with sticking togather with my hunting pals, but if its making hunting look bad I totally disagree. It's illegal to hunt over bait in IL, because bait piles,and salt blocks spread CWD,and thats a proven fact.   

[adirondackhunter]

I have hunted over legal bait piles and haven't seen many deer when natural food sources were plenty .If you hunt bait pile, food plots ,farmers fields or acorn ridges it's hypocritical to criticize any legal hunitng method. As someone said before ,it is a matter of preference .

[dtrain56]

What is the difference between a food plot that is designed to last all year long,  a food plot should have perennial in half the plot and a annual, like winter wheat, winter greens or other cold tollerent browse.
 
and baiting!!! or putting food down or minerials...beside your own personal ethics

[Highlander Archery]

If it is legal in your area, hunt every available method you can or choose the ones that appeal to you. Leave others to choose their legal method. Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young define fair chase simply as a criteria to get in the reord books of their organizations. The record book is not a determining factor for State management decisions nor should it be. If you intend to gain fame and fortune by getting a Buck in the books, you are in for a let down at least on the fame and fortune end of things. I have seen an extremely accomplished bowhunter with many record book animals talk with a disabled kid, who was not really interested in his latest record,  but wanted to here words of wisdom how he could partake  from one he considered a hero.  The conversation  instantly turned into a bragging session on the latest trophy and never addressed the kid's questions. THAT in my opinion is far more unethical than if he had taken a spike over bait.

[dtrain56]

The only thing i would consider not fair chase is hunting in a high fence area no matter how big because deer can not disperse, and the buck to doe ratio can be artifically maintained.. other than that I agree if it's legal use what ever method you see fit or enjoy.
 
I have baited in areas that were legal and never saw a mature buck come to the food or minerals, a lot of doe but not a mature buck, they are not domestic animals like a cat or dog,
 
however i did get a couple of great pics of the deer,  one nice twelve point a couple of nice eights and an eleven point around one in the mourning- it is still not like shooting fish in a barrel
 
good luck to all this hunting season

[ranwin33]

To me there is a BIG difference between hunting over bait/feeder and hunting over a food plot.  With a bait/feeder I can place these items so that deer will show up to a very specific spot in relationship to where I am hunting.  And by very specific spot I mean as small as a 3x3 foot area if not smaller.  And deer will come to that bait/feeder even with the availability of surrounding grain fields and food plots.
 
If I'm using a food plot, deer may or may not come to it (difference 1) given the grain fields surrounding our area.  Deer definately won't come to a very specific, pre-designated area within in the food plot (diffence 2) and if the plot is large enough they may well not come within range of my stand at all (difference 3). 
 
We use bait/feeders near our gamer cameras so that we get an idea of what we have on our property.  We would not be near so successful in our picture taking if we put those same cameras up over a food plot as the deer would not necessarily find their way in front of the cameras.
 
I'm not saying I have a problem with people hunting over bait if it is legal in their area.  At times when things are slow, I even envy them a bit.  But to me there is a difference between bait and food plots, simply because both are food sources doesn't make them the same in relationship to huntability.