Deer baiting gone wild?

[EatDeer]

I saw this guy in a Iowa farm store the other day, he had about 10 fancy bags of deer bait/food, ear corn, salt blocks, etc.

I think he had atleast a couple hundred dollars worth of these fancy deer attractors.   

Anyone else get that wrapped up in buying deer bait? Does the stuff work for you?

I know baiting is illegal in my state, but not in other states, even so the stores still sell it here.   

[Gulfcapt]

I just start buying the trophyrock this year, someone on this forum got me to try it and it works good for me.. I also use a apple scent corn in my feeders!

[Dan Salmon]

I don't bait, even though it is legal in Wisconsin.  I figure if I'm not smart enough to out smart a deer, then they deserve to live.  Baiting isn't hunting to me.

[bowman12]

It's funny, I noticed it the other day when I was out of town at a walmart, totally illegal in MN but in the outdoor section they have a huge pallet full of "deer corn". You can feed in MN but they don't seem to put it out until right before deer seasons start. Had to chuckle.

[blueeyeddragon76]

I have not baited personally, but it is legal here if you get a permit, but it is illegal to use any bait made with salt, sodium chloride, or any derivitive of salt... that being said you go to walmart, and they have batloads of this stuff, and people buy it up like crazy!!! i looked at the labels on all of the "Attractants" the other day and virtually every single one sold at the store was made primarly from salt!!! Now, deer corn, apples, acorns... stuff like that if you want to get a legal bait pile and use that... i see no problem at all... they are natural , and deer love em... but spending all sorts of money on some of these products that are "scientifically developed"... kind of takes a good chunk of the challenge away from hunting IMO... but that might just be me

[Tony Scavo]

Baiting is legal here in Ontario............... Helps the deer get ready for winter and makes for a clean kill....

T>Scavo

[shaman]

Well, the salt is going to be useless this time of year.  He should have put out the salt in the Spring.  As to the rest of it?  I'm going to say it's money down a rathole.

Look, I've got no big ethical concerns about baiting.  However, considering what is available as far as natural forage in a place like Illinois, I don't see how even $200 worth of stuff is going to get deer flocking to his bait stations, especially so close to season.

Guys are going to disagree with me.  I've got a neighbor that baits heavily year round, and he hunts over the bait and he's happy with the results.  However, I don't bait, and I am happy with my results. My neighbor would be the first to tell you he's mostly just feeding my deer.

The big reason why I say its money down a rathole is this:  it is an extremely expensive way to modify habitat. There are cheaper ways to do it.

Other places?  Look, if you're in Texas and there's nothing but scrub for miles and you put out corn and a water trough, you're going to get deer, no doubt about it.  However, Illinois and Kentucky have such a wonderful array of natural and agricultural forage available in Fall that a cornpile dumped on the ground a week before season may not cut it.

[dmcianfa]

I only hunt over bait during muzzleloading (December).  I just havn't had much success bringing mature bucks in with it in the past during daylight hours.  After the rut, though, they seem to let their guard down more as they bulk up for the onset of winter.   I can say I've harvested more mature bucks targeting travel patterns more than over a bait pile.  It's legal, and some swear to it, but I rarely see them hit bait during the daylight before or during the rut.  The occasional kill over bait in my area I chalk up to dumb luck most of the time.  Most guys, even after telling thier story about it, say they hunt their baited stands hard and didn't even expect to see that deer and it only came in once the entire season.  However, I guess it only takes once right.

[Gulfcapt]

got to remember one thing tho Dan!!! Some of us don't have 1/2 mile scoping distances where we hunt! our area so thick that a 30to 50 yard shot is long even during gun season, and our deer don't run in the millions.. So the baiting helps bring them close ,and at times that don't even help..

ORIGINAL: Dan Salmon

I don't bait, even though it is legal in Wisconsin.  I figure if I'm not smart enough to out smart a deer, then they deserve to live.  Baiting isn't hunting to me.

[blueeyeddragon76]

I have been thinking about this subject alot over the past few days, I have been reading the posts and looking at this from all sides. I have come to the conclusion that there are too many factors involved for me to put a blanket judgement on baiting one way or the other... where i will say baiting has gone too far is when someone is setup in a treestand on a food plot that already has a good amount of deer on it already, because they don't really need to bait.. they are just trying to remove the challenge of hunting at all. now don't get me wrong i am not saying anyone here is doing that, because how would I know right? but where i have noticed it is on the hunting shows on tv... as well as talking to a few people around here... 1 guy (who shall remain unnamed) he has corn fields, and acorns everywhere on the property, he sees good deer on a regular basis and in good numbers.. lots of does too... i asked him why he baits if he has such good numbers of deer.... he turns around and says to me.. "I don't have all day to sit around waiting for a deer to get close enough to me on its own... if i throw down this stuff ( commercial product i am not going to name) and they come running and i have my choice of shots and am done by 8 am" now if he was just in it for the meat... no big deal I guess, but he really doesn't eat much of it... gives some away, but it just confuses me why he would want to go through the expense of hunting, and paying extra for these products... just to try and rush the whole experience??? I don't know. i wouldn't... would i like to get a good buck on openng day of course.. we all would... but if i don't am i gonna be so upset that i won't be out the next chance i get? absolutely not.. i will still be out and just as happy with the experience.... bait .. don't bait... that is your decision and i will not judge you for it, as long as it is legal and ethical.. go for it if you want... I know i am still waiting on my first buck( coulda shot a small 4 pointer last year, but he was small and very young....so i passed, but that is ok.. because i will know when the right one comes along...