What is Baiting to you?

[jonsimoneau]

I don't have very much experience with it, but I have noticed that most people against it have never tried it.  I will say this...whether you are against it or not, it sure seems to be something the non-hunting public does not view with much favor.  You'll hear the old "sounds like shooting fish in a barrel" thing.  
   The first time I had experience with it was in Africa.  While there, you are primarily hunting over waterholes, but often the guides will put alfalfa or something next to the water hole.  Being nieve, I told my PH I really preferred to not use the bait.  He was quite offended by this and said "What the hell do you think that waterhole is?"  Point taken, and I learned two lessons.  One, is that as biggie mentioned, there may be a time and place for everything.  And two is that when you are hunting in a new area that you know little about, and animals you have never seen, it is best to not make any kind of statement to the locals that may cause them to think you are judging their ethical standards.  We both got over it and enjoyed a great hunt.

I live in a state (NY) where baiting is illegal. The local feed stores sell feeders and 100# bags of corn nonetheless. To me, baiting seems to be a way of PREDICTABLY bringing animals to a spot you have chosen, to feed. This takes away what is most interesting about hunting, which is figuring out where and when you're likely to intercept an animal. I have sat near cornfields, oak trees with nuts dropping, apple trees with falling fruit. Do the deer (or whatever) appear predictably at these prime locations? No. Put in your time and you will likely see game but it's on their terms. If it's legal where you hunt, and it works for you, fine. If it's illegal, I hope you get caught. But that's not predictable, either.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally posted by jonsimoneau:
I will say this...whether you are against it or not, it sure seems to be something the non-hunting public does not view with much favor.  You'll hear the old "sounds like shooting fish in a barrel" thing.  
   

Isn't that largely a regional opinion? If I'm not mistaken, there was a ballot initiative in Michigan several years ago to abolish baiting. It was overwhelmingly shot down.

[jonsimoneau]

Jason, you are probably right about that.

[ChuckC]

Vermonster  

can you pass one of those over here.   They look good.
ChuckC

[hayslope]

Vermonster - Chocolate chip or oatmeal ?

[ChuckC]

Why would an animal  "predictably" come to a bait pile but not "predictably" come to another food source when it is available ?

BTW  in all my talks,  I am not saying that a food plot (or any of the other examples given) is baiting.  But I am saying it serves the exact same purpose.  Put out the food,  animals MAY come and eat.  Plant the food plot,  fertilize the oak tree, yadda, yadda , animals May come and eat.  Whats the difference.


ChuckC

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

...read my signature...

[Brian Krebs]

OK this rule makes no sense to me:
*By the use of electronic devices for attracting, locating or pursuing game or guiding the hunter to such game,*

 So no gps; no talking on this site; no using flashlights to get to your stand and back in the dark?

[BigCnyn]

Just plain hard work,
and fun when the bears come in...lol

[Schultzy]

Originally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
You just want to be careful that you don't end up "counting" on it instead of honing your hunting skills.

I agree with everything you said here Biggie, specially the part I quoted you on. I've said this on other hunting forums- Get to know the animal your hunting. I for one use bait to hunt bear In Mn. I know for a fact I wouldn't be as successful at getting the bear I have If I just relied on "baiting" and not spending the time to learn them.

[Mojostick]

The North Dakota DNR has about the best take on it in the great video they produced.

It's worth a couple minutes of everyone's time to watch...

 http://gf.nd.gov/multimedia/pubs/baiting-video.html

[frassettor]

Originally posted by vermonster13:
 

[Orion]

GMMAT:  The Pope and Young Club doesn't have exclusive rights on the definition of fair chase, nor is their definition all encompassing, but I laud them for their efforts to point out the most egregious violations of fair chase and trying to set an example of high ethical standards. A fella by the name of Aldo leopold (A Sand County Almanac) had a lot to say about the concept more than 50 years ago.  Though he didn't use the term, the concept is certainly part of his land ethic.  All I was trying to suggest is that in making the decision to bait or not, or to implement any other practice, technique or tool in hunting,  it might not be a bad idea to do so by considering and examining them in the spirit of fair chase.  In short, we have to decide for ourselves whether baiting (and everything else we do under the guise of hunting) is fair to the animal/fair chase or not.

Mojostick:  Thanks for the link to the North Dakota video.  Excellent discussion of the baiting issue.  Their definition of fair chase is the one I was trying to get at.

[vermonster13]

[frassettor]

Originally posted by vermonster13:
 

Your killin me Dave!!      

[Mojostick]

In light of all the research on baiting we have now, I think we'll find most in favor of the practice are hunting poor deer habitat, whether they realize it or not. Here in Michigan, especially northern Michigan, the common complaint is that many hunters can't see any deer without bait.

Many northern Michigan deer hunters are hunting  poor deer habitat and don't even realize it. They hunt wide open, mature woods where you can see 200 yards because every twig was eaten and few grow because there's no sunlight.

The reality is, without bait, the deer don't want to visit those said properties. And this is maybe 40-60% of northern Michigan.

So the debate strays, should hunters hunting poor deer habitat be entitled to draw deer away from the better deer habitat, only for the purposes of recreational hunting?

What further regeneration harm can be done to the already poor habitat those hunters are trying to lure deer to?

Again, I refer back to the ND video.

[Earthdog]

Where I've hunted Whitetail,just breaking a broadleaf branch off a tree an watching it for a few days,is kind of looked on as being a bit off by some folks.

Not by me though,they vist those trees everyday during their rounds,so I just take advantage of that by making one particular spot a bit more inviting.

I know 90% of the trees,shrubs an herbs my local deer feed off,and I take advantage of that as well.

I don't really consider it's baiting untill you bring something that isn't usualy available to them into an area.

Things like piles of corn,salt blocks,feeders ect,,,,an even then I don't have any real problem with others doing that.

As far as the law is concerned where I live,,you can do anything you like,,there are no rules.

[Bonebuster]

All in all, a very good discussion.

[xtrema312]

[/qb][/QUOTE]Isn't that largely a regional opinion? If I'm not mistaken, there was a ballot initiative in Michigan several years ago to abolish baiting. It was overwhelmingly shot down. [/QB][/QUOTE]

I don't recall that, but baiting has been illegal in Michigan for two years due to concerns with the heath of the deer.  It seems that wild animals all eating off the same bait pile is a bad thing particularly when there is disease concern.  There are a lot of people not following that regulation.  Before that there were restrictions on quantities and how it was to be spread out.  There were a lot of people not following that either.