Deer baiting poll

[pendoreilleadventures]

I've dumped apples, falfa, pumpkins, corn or sweet mix ... 20-40 miles from agriculture areas and had deer eat it all

 

[pendoreilleadventures]

Another thing most people who don't bait assume is that the deer just walk right in and stay there. With baiting over the years. I have watched lots of deer come to bait and that is rarely the case. A lot of time deer will spoke from the bait if it is in a new area. Deer are very weary animals and they notice things that are out of place. But if the bait stays there over a week or more they will start feeding on it. But in most cases with the bucks they will walk in take a few bites and keep on moving looking for does rarely do they stay for long periods of time.

Just because someone baits doesn't make them more successfully. It still takes a lot of skill to get a mature buck to come to the stand when you are hunting over the bait without them busting you. Why do you think most guys always post pictures of the big buck under their stand during the one day they didn't hunt? More than likely the buck knew the hunter was there on those other days and that is why they never had him come in.

[idahohuntr]

I must admit I was astonished at how difficult baiting was.  I've never baited deer before and I knew it wouldn't be easy but I figured if I kept up the food supply I would eventually have them coming in like clockwork.  Earlier this spring I put up a nice feeder, planted food plots, set out salt blocks in an area with lots of deer  and figured come archery season it would be a piece of cake.  All summer I had pictures of nice bucks.  Then archery season opened.  Goodbye Bucks...at least during the day!  I still can't figure out what happened but it was definitely not the cake walk I was imagining!  I am starting to wonder if what some of you guys have posted is the problem...something about my presence/setup tipped those deer off that I was there and they did not come in.  Although I didn't get a buck (yet) I am kind of becoming obsessed with keeping my cameras and bait going, monitoring the deer, and trying to figure out how to get them coming in regularly during season. I get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing pictures of big bucks, new bucks, bucks with weird antlers...if they outlawed hunting over bait I would still bait just to get the pictures! 

[bobcat]

I've been baiting for three years now and haven't killed a deer yet, over the bait. In fact I haven't even seen a deer, not even a doe. I admit I havent actually spent much time sitting and watching my apples. For a couple reasons- one, it's boring! The other reason is that for the most part, they do not visit the bait during daylight hours. I originally started putting a few apples in front of my cameras just to get more and better pictures. As an afterthought, I tried hunting those bait sites, but like I said, I haven't even seen a deer. The best I have done is I have heard them run off as I get up after it gets dark and I begin walking out.

Nope, it's definitely not an easy way to hunt.

[buckfvr]

I must admit I was astonished at how difficult baiting was.  I've never baited deer before and I knew it wouldn't be easy but I figured if I kept up the food supply I would eventually have them coming in like clockwork.  Earlier this spring I put up a nice feeder, planted food plots, set out salt blocks in an area with lots of deer  and figured come archery season it would be a piece of cake.  All summer I had pictures of nice bucks.  Then archery season opened.  Goodbye Bucks...at least during the day!  I still can't figure out what happened but it was definitely not the cake walk I was imagining!  I am starting to wonder if what some of you guys have posted is the problem...something about my presence/setup tipped those deer off that I was there and they did not come in.  Although I didn't get a buck (yet) I am kind of becoming obsessed with keeping my cameras and bait going, monitoring the deer, and trying to figure out how to get them coming in regularly during season. I get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing pictures of big bucks, new bucks, bucks with weird antlers...if they outlawed hunting over bait I would still bait just to get the pictures! 

More to it than quantity of offering.....keep it simple........make sure you are on or near a seasonal trail...probably most important is low impact in and out, always with the wind advantage......never walk the trail.  Set up near the trail rather than over the bait.  If you decide to hunt your stand, get in early and stay all day.....too many in and outs and they will have your game.  Hang several stands and mix it up....keep them guessing..........ALWAYS be ready to shoot.....the best hunter I know once told me the difference between the most successful hunters and all the rest is the continually successful hunters are ready and able to take advantage of every opportunity they get, no matter how small..........his success clearly backs this statement........he NEVER sits the same stand two days in a row..........

[pd]

I've been baiting for three years now and haven't killed a deer yet, over the bait. In fact I haven't even seen a deer, not even a doe. I admit I havent actually spent much time sitting and watching my apples. For a couple reasons- one, it's boring! The other reason is that for the most part, they do not visit the bait during daylight hours. I originally started putting a few apples in front of my cameras just to get more and better pictures. As an afterthought, I tried hunting those bait sites, but like I said, I haven't even seen a deer. The best I have done is I have heard them run off as I get up after it gets dark and I begin walking out.

Nope, it's definitely not an easy way to hunt.

I am with Bobcat on this one.  I put out apples and salt to get the animals to come to my camera--I wanted to know what type of animals were there, when they came, and so on.  Is this "baiting?"  Well, I guess you could say so.  I did learn that the animals were never at the camera during the day time.  This was very effective in teaching me "what" is in the woods; now it is up to me to learn "where" they are and "how" to hunt them.  This is all on me.  In fact, this is my task for next year.  I am very happy to have put out cameras this year, and I look forward to the pictures from over the winter.  (I wonder if my frozen apples will still be there next spring?)

[idahohuntr]

This guy showed up during the daytime finally.  Still several pics of good bucks at night, and many small bucks and does during the day.  I have a late tag so my plan at this point for this spot is to keep feeding heavily to keep does close by and see what buck comes cruising through   Any other ideas?  I plan to hunt a lot of other areas and try rattling...would you recommend any rattling, putting out doe scent or anything near/at the bait?  Or just sit down and shut up when i hunt it?

[BULLBLASTER]

Sit down and shut up when you hunt the bait. The feed is already there and the deer know pwople put it there. They will be very weary coming to it and if anything is off the older deer won't show.

[Machias]

Here is something that I learned this year: Make sure that your bait makes culinary sense to the targeted animals!

I spent the entire summer and early fall of 2013 lugging hundreds of pounds of apples deep into the woods (all on bicycle, several miles back), to place in front of my game cameras.  My daughter and I always downloaded the pictures with great anticipation, to see what critters had come to the feast.  We were surprised that the previous drop of apples were never completely eaten when we came to refresh them.  Only after the season did we learn the reason why: Our cameras are very deep in the mountains, far from any agricultural sites.  The animals there have never seen apples before; thus, they never touched our camera bait.

I learned this from a knowledgeable and kind gentleman, who told me that he once dropped a bale of alfalfa in the same area for elk, only to discover that the elk wouldn't touch the bailed green stuff.

The lesson here is this: Bring whatever bait you like (it is all legal, except if your quarry is cougar or bear), just make sure that they are familiar with your offerings.  Otherwise, you are waisting your time.

By the way, when I went to my super-secret spot during general elk season this year, the last round of apples were still there, perfectly frozen. 

its all legal except for cougar or bear?  if youre going to tell people what the laws are make sure you know them yourself.  baiting cougar is perfectly legal.  its all legal except bear and game birds

Actually cougar baiting is perfectly legal, unless they outlawed in the past 12 months! 

[jackelope]

I had a bull elk on a baited camera virtually all summer into fall. I had pictures of him one night. 36 hours later he was killed 2+ miles away and 2 different pieces of private land away..... Not sure how much "hanging around" they do. I had pictures of a great mule deer buck too. Got 4-5 pictures of him 1 night, never saw him again. Also pretty much in the middle of summer.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Here is my  Not for me ....I love to hunt ....you know get off your butt and get in the woods and find the game ....that's called hunting ...but if it floats your boat then have at it ....long as it is legal its your choice !


One more thing .....it is legal to bait deer -elk and cougar !! The only animal that( can not) be baited is bear !

[PolarBear]

 

[jackelope]

I don't hunt over bait. I don't know if I ever will, but I will say that if you guys think there's not a lot of work that goes into it, you're wrong. It's just like treestand hunting. Lots of folks criticize the guys that hunt out of treestands. They've obviously never done it.
One of my cameras was in the middle of nowhere 2 miles from a road down in a hole full of blown down trees, tangles, etc. Anytime you guys think it's not work, you're welcome to tag along. The only thing I ask is that we split the bait and other gear between 2 packs.
 

[archery288]

I feel like a lot of people think baiting deer is a sure thing to kill a deer... It's not!  Especially a big mature buck.  One thing about baiting if you hunt over it and hang a trail camera, it allows you to be more selective on the deer you're going to hunt.  99% of rifle hunters go out and shoot the first buck they see, this reducing the deer heard in that area and the number of bucks that will reach maturity. Most bucks are 1.5 to 2.5 with the occasional older deer being harvested.  By knowing what's in the area on camera, you can let these younger deer walk and get older therefore increasing the size of deer in your area, potentially. 

This is why I never understood the WDFW making bear baiting illegal? You could be pickier about the bear you harvested waiting on a mature bear.  Now guys are shooting whatever they lay their sights on for the most part.

Baiting is legal, if everyone wanted to do it they have every right too.  It's not cheap, and if you want to be successful it takes a lot of time learning and scouting.  Sure, go through out a bait pile in the middle of the woods, you might have a deer or two. But to really make it work year after year, you'll spend years trying to figure it out and a ton of money...

[JLS]

you're welcome to tag along. The only thing I ask is that we split the bait and other gear between 2 packs.
 

When do we leave?