Would you bait these deer? (Just went a new direction Pg 8!)

[TxAg]

Do it

[L51]

In the city I work (Central Ohio) we have a well managed park and private property bow hunting program. Despite the program, the number of deer killed by cars beats the hunters every year. Without baiting, the deer are nearly impossible to pattern.
One nice wooded park area with a cornfield is bordered by a state route and a highway. We need to get at least dozen deer out of there. I got two saturday (nuisance permits and sniper rifle) and have been asked to get 4 more the "easy way" with the rifle.
Long way to say the health of the herd is not the only factor, the number of accidents, damage and other associated factors can weigh heavily into the "what is appropriate" decision making.
I love to hunt with my longbow. Have not taken one deer with it yet, but EVERY trip out with the bow that results in no deer is more satisfying than dropping two withing three minutes with a rifle.
When I'm out with the rifle, it's not hunting, just plain numbers management. It does put meat in the freezer and that's one less deer someone will hit at 65mph in their vehicle though.

Go ahead and bait them if it's legal and responsible in your particular situation.

[kojac]

I would try to get more permision in areas your see the deer or move on to another spot and hunt this one in the early season when they are near the bean fields.

Then I would see if I could help change the law that allows baiting.  

I'm glad montana does not allow baiting. It just becomes a vicious circle of always trying to get more bait then the next guy.

[London]

No baiting under any circumstance. If you cannot find a deer hunting like a man then take pride in getting skunked. To shoot a baited animal is no accomplishment. Rather like going to the hen house and grabbing a chicken.

Now if deer hunting to you is simply a chicken-grabbing experience and you have no real ambition related to honor and sportsmanship, then bait away. Plenty of slob hunters do this all the time.

[Boone the Hunter]

A couple thhings I suggest would be take some shelled corn or whatever and scatter it over a very large area, sometimes as big as an 100-150 yard stretch. This draws deer to your woodlot but doesn't give you the advantage of knowing the 5 foot circle that every deer is coming to, or what I have done in the UP before is hunt the trails that the deer take to the bait. I have done that before to catch the smart bucks that hang up a couple hundred yards back till dark . Both ways eliminate you sitting over a pile of bait and give the deer plenty of ways to out smart you.

[London]

Boone the Hunter: baiting is baiting no matter how you try to justify it.

Try stalking or still hunting, try a stand at a known crossing. But to bring animals into food really speaks poorly of you. We already have every advantage in weapons and pure intelligence. Man is no match for any animal in the smarts department. So we should try to level the playing field and catch our shots in a manner somewhat fair to the stupid animal. Killing a deer coming into corn is very unmanly.

I'm stunned by the number of supposed sportsman we have on this forum who bait and use dogs to chase down game.

I always considered the traditional archer the most sporting and honorable hunter in the woods. It would seem I'm dead wrong.

I'll leave the forum now for I'm truly sickened by what I've read here in the last few days. Too many dog hunters and bait bucket killers.

London Out

[Kevin Dill]

"London Out"

....and just like that our self-appointed moral spokesboy has abandoned us...

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Kevin Dill:
"London Out"

More so than he thinks.....

Poor guy only lasted 16 posts.....most of which were in this type of tone and aggression.

[JohnV]

A lot depends on how you feel about deer hunting versus deer killing.  Baiting, in my opinion, emphasizes the killing more than hunting.  Baiting may make sense if the intention is to decrease the deer population and the sport involved is secondary in importance. Myself, I think I would look for another place to hunt where baiting was not necessary in order to have any chance at success.

[Plumber]

if they aint were your huntin,you cant shoot them . if you cant shoot them,you cant eat them. I say baitem up.if there are that many deer around you should be thinning them out anyhow.

[fishone]

In ohio in the winter time the deer will herd up always close to a food source. They do not want to use alot of energy at this time of year to get something to eat.

If you do not feed the deer, your chances will be slim on taking a deer from now until the end of the season. If you do feed the deer, there is no guarantee you are going to even get a shot. If they come to your food, they will be coming in groups. The bucks will be feeding in the dark.

[buckeye_hunter]

Fine dilemma isn't it? One deer brings a bunch since they are herding up or possibly don't get any shot at all.......

What about this?

Just go back there and squirrel hunt. Then see if one of the local deer is goofy enough to go out for a sight seeing trip right past my tree.


Ignore the eithical side of the issue for a minute. Many of the replies were fine with baiting, but doubted it would work. Looks like I am leaning more an more toward just hunt and see what happens. Maybe a loner will come through?

[randy grider]

It confuses me when some talk of baiting as a management tool. Looks like If the population was that dense ,getting a shot wouldn't be a problem ?  Am I missing something here?

[randy grider]

Took my 3 year old grandson to the local archery shop today to fling a few arrows. We had a big time. I was having trouble with my arrows grouping high and left, so thought i'd stroll over to the counter and browse for some heavier fieldpoints to see if that fixed it. Two guys were standing there talking "deer hunting" It went something like this.., "yep, them corn feeders is where you'll find 'em now, all my best spots have feeders..."
 It has been snow and single digit temps here for a week now. What kinda genius, seasoned hunter does it take to figure that out? I dunno guys, it tottally turns me off, and it is illegal in all the public land here, as many states. Should tell you something.

[Kevin Dill]

Originally posted by randy grider:
Took my 3 year old grandson to the local archery shop today to fling a few arrows. We had a big time. I was having trouble with my arrows grouping high and left, so thought i'd stroll over to the counter and browse for some heavier fieldpoints to see if that fixed it. Two guys were standing there talking "deer hunting" It went something like this.., "yep, them corn feeders is where you'll find 'em now, all my best spots have feeders..."
 It has been snow and single digit temps here for a week now. What kinda genius, seasoned hunter does it take to figure that out? I dunno guys, it tottally turns me off, and it is illegal in all the public land here, as many states. Should tell you something.

Your post mainly tells me that you don't like or approve of baiting...and I'm perfectly understanding of that. As for our various states and the legality issues...

These are the same states which have mostly endorsed rampant technology in hunting seasons. They have had the wisdom to give us crossbows, and huge let-off in compounds. 250 yard in-line muzzle loaders. Electronic game surveillance. A host of other advances that many "traditionalists" might find distasteful.

At the same time, these same states have taken away many time-honored and traditional methods of hunting...mostly in the name of "sport". Baiting...dogs...both current topics on this forum have been used for thousands of years, as have longbows and wood arrows. Better hope our states never look too close at these. What about stone heads? Many states won't allow them in any seasons...they give more preference to mechanical heads. One by one, our old hunting traditions are being legislated away, and we find ourselves part of the new modern-day definition of hunting.

Honestly, I'm not tempted to bait for the majority of the hunting I do. I don't consider it unethical in any way, but that's me. I consider it "easier", and that's probably why I eschew it. I basically avoid most baited hunts now, but I do support this traditional method of hunting for those who care to do it. As previously said, where baiting promotes disease transmission it should be limited or halted.

[Don Stokes]

Any time corn is piled up in the woods it can be damaging to the wildlife. Feed concentrated in a small area guarantees that if an infected animal feeds there it can spread the disease to others.

If you're going to bait, you should spread the bait out over a large area to help keep diseases under control.

[buckeye_hunter]

Randy,
It is hard to get a shot because the deer are in the neighborhood instead of the woods and fields where the SHOULD be. The popluation is very high,  but they mostly hole up in the neighborhood.    

The kindly people feeding the deer in the neighborhood have completely altered what the deer would NATURALLY do.

I probably still won't bait, but I am seriously tempted.

[Fischman]

If its legal there go for it ! Not legal here in Neb.

[Drummer@Home]

Been there, done that! Didnt cheepen it for me and I would do it again at the drop of a hat. Didnt make it easy, just helped bring them to me cuz I couldnt go to them.    

[joe ashton]

yes if it is legal...