Deer bait 101

[huntingbaldguy]

Ask yourself a question...you are looking at two piles of deer feed in sacks.....one was packaged a month or so ago and the other was packaged two years ago.  Same price....which one are you buying?

I wouldn't even look at packaged date, just the price.

[huntnnw]

 

Ive never looked at a date on feed

[Miles]

Looks like we have quite a few master baiters in this thread.

[huntnnw]

I only master bait deer 

[huntingbaldguy]

I've only master baited 1 deer, but i'm planning to do it this year again.  It was fun.

[huntnnw]

Ive done more than I can count..my body is beginning to wear down

[Wacenturion]

Getting ready to head out next week and erect platforms, blinds, feeders and cams on the property with my son, grandson and Yelp.  We'll probably will also auger some tree holes for fall plantings if time allows.  Had to purchase an ATV trailer to haul the stuff behind a 4 wheeler to the two sights I selected.  Property goes up in elevation so packing lumber, blinds and feed, etc, by hand is not going to happen.  A stock photo of the ATV trailer in last photo.  I added the side rail kit (not shown in picture)  for extra capacity.

Actually bought two trailers, the other a new aluminum 7x14 cargo with 2.5 additional feet in the v nose.  Lots of room still, after everything is loaded.  Was going to do all this in early July, but logistics didn't work out.  I'll document everything afterwards and post pictures in a new thread.  Next spring food plots.....and whatever else I can work in.  Hope we have enough Coors Light.

[baldopepper]

Ahh- the saga begins! (or should I say obsession)  You look way to organized Dan! (lol)  I'll be following your journey with interest. Been worrying about fire and battling intense smoke at my place for the last couple of weeks, hope you never have to deal with it.  You made the right decision buying where you did this year, NE and NC part of the state are in sad shape.  Hope we get some rain before the hunting hordes set in, and goes without saying be very carful at your place with anything that could possibly start a fire.  Working around my place is like working around a gas spill, you get the feeling any kind of spark will set it off.  I'm gonna put in a permanent fire line around my place this year and I'm really glad we've kept it all mowed down at least.  Good luck, keep the pics coming.

[BULLBLASTER]

I only master bait deer 

i always knew something was a bit off with you! 

[TRD1911]

This may be a strange question but things already got strange in here so I suppose this isn't so far out there -  I have a shortage of apples on my tree this year from it being so dry but I have more tomatoes in the garden than I could ever use. Has anyone used them for bait before?

[h20hunter]

I've seen my parents toss tomotoes to their yard deer and they were really noshing on them. Kinda funny watching them get their faces all wet from the juice when they bit into them.

[Jarhead Chase]

You know why there isn't a deer baiting 201 class? Because it's no more complicated than 101! Open bag poor on ground.

Look at jarhead chase's post.  He hasnt had a single buck come into his bait during shooting hours.  That is because there is a lot more that goes into baiting than opening some bag of crap and pouring it on the ground.  At least if you want to take a mature buck.  People dont understand that, and that is why a lot of folks are trying to make it illegal.  They think its just pour some corn or apples on the ground, shoot your big buck and game over.  Not even close to the reality.

In my defense, I was trying a new spot. It was more about seeing what would come in after my other spot became overrun with orange vests. A spot that I had seen absolutely zero other people come into for months until opening day for rifle season. A place where I had seen legal bucks walk through, and even had one spooked off by another orange vest that decided to walk through where I had set up about 2 hours after legal light.

Oh, and for the 4 or 5 days I was actually in my stand, those apples brought in 4-12 deer a day, to about 20 yards. I don't see how mine is a failure story about haphazardly throwing crap on the ground.

Sounds like more of a success over the need to spend $500 on bait to shoot a single white tail. Maybe not caring if the deer I am going for is a wall hanger is the difference.

[Seabass]

Let me clear the air a little. I probably came across as an A-hole....I am actually kind of an A-hole and that's ok with me.

 Baiting mature white tails is HARD! Killing a mature a mature white tail over bait is even HARDER! I have been trying to accomplish it for 15 years with very little success, if success is measured by Boone and Crocket entries. I have 100's of trail camera pictures of GIANT's but only managed to run an arrow through a couple of them.

There is no failed attempt unless you don't learn something from the attempt. My point was simply this.....I think guy's get focused on the wrong issues when it comes to this matter. There are a whole host of factors that go into getting one of these giants into the back of your pickup. Much of which is actually out of our control and sometimes luck plays a bigger role than many of us are willing to admit.

The "act" of baiting is pretty simple and the bait you use isn't the key to the deal at all. I have seen white tail eat all sorts of crap and if you are emphatic on the least important part of the process then you are misguided. Being annoyed by that is my problem. Your problem (if you're one of those guys) is that you don't get it.

The first time I baited deer was 1998. I used wheat because my hunting partner was a wheat farmer and he had lots of it. It worked amazingly! We were more than 100 miles away from any wheat farms. I guarantee those deer were eating wheat for the first time in their lives. I also watched bears eat that same wheat. I could give you 10 other examples like that. I'm certain there is a post on here somewhere that would claim many inaccuracies' in regards to using wheat as bait.

I never saw a big buck eat wheat at my stand and that's why I don't use wheat anymore....NO....my partner was less that 400 yards away from my stand and he put an arrow through a GIANT that season. His success and my lack of it had ZERO to do with the bait.

If you put out bait of damn near any kind, you will attract deer if they live there! 1 out of 100 of those baits will produce a true giant and 1 out of 100 of those guys will actually kill one of those giants.

I have never attempted to bait or hunt black tail or Mule deer and therefore will make no claim to what does and doesn't work in regards to those deer. I wish some other folks would do the same if the intention of a website like this is to actually help one another.

The length of this post is in tribute to DBHAWTHORNE. LOL

[Jarhead Chase]

I appreciate that. I will also say that it appears that we have different goals. I don't care about going after a big mature buck. I would rather put an arrow through a big doe than a young buck any day of the week, and will hopefully be doing just that this year.

My original post was just to be helpful. I have used whole and cut  apples, and then I have used apples that I let get a little pungent in the bag before I put them out, with the latter seeming to bring in a lot more interest. This can be done well within my budget, and accomplish my goal.

Best of luck to everyone this year. I know that for me the first can't get here soon enough. Or October 10th, when I still hunt in North Idaho.

[Seabass]

I can appreciate that Jarhead! I have skewered many a doe on the final day of the season. I love the last day because I know it's a day that will end positively either way. I'm either letting loose on the buck I'm after or a slick head is getting a ride to town. Either way I get to let one fly!! Good luck to all of you as well and stay safe!