Deer bait 101

[MLBowhunting]

Simple is key guys.  I pick a spot I want the deer to be and set it up very simple.  First set is a over feeding for a attractant.  I use a 40 lbs bag of corn as my primary food.  I also use two buckets of apples for the scent. 

After the first week soak I cut my bait way back.  I go half a bucket off apples and half corn for a dump cycle of every 2-3 days.  Give it a shot and add what you like to eat.  I do know that my group of bucks love carrots.   

[gee_unit360]

I saw someone else use apples and corn together and it worked really well.

[huntnnw]

Sweet mix over here is awesome .. I dump more than that .. The big bucks always show up late if they do show and all the feed would be gone in a matter of hours before they got to eat any .Most of us here dump 100 plus lbs a week.

[tgomez]

Phattin those bucks up with some crisp apples and corn!!! Mmmmmmm mmmm tasety!

[MLBowhunting]

  yes sir these blacktails love it

[huntingbaldguy]

I've tried a lot of combo's for blacktail.  Apples have always been the winner, but i've never done a mix with corn.  Tried corn alone and they didn't seem to like it.  Tried some stock feed with oats and corn and all that, didn't try the molasses like someone told me to, but they didn't like it.  Tried some of the stump licker stuff, some other powder type stuff, salt blocks, apple flavored salt blocks, etc.  Apples have won out every time.  It sucks.  But i will try that mix if you say blacktails specifically love it, because most of the stuff i've tried has been for whitetails in hopes blacktails like it also, but they don't seem to.

[lokidog]

Not sure for the summer, but I've had luck with feeding the blacktails Del's Allstock pellets.  They seem to like them.  I will put apples with it to get them to try it, but then they seem to eat it on their own afterwards.

I'm lucky in that I can just toss a few apples out a couple times a day, most days, which keeps them coming by to see if any have "fallen" but doesn't bankrupt the apple fund.

I also try to not bait in the evening as I try to condition them to come looking in daylight.

Good luck everyone.

[DoubleJ]

I still say alder branches.  Throw some apples out for scent along with some freshly cut alder branches.  Once they know where the food hole is, those alder branches will be stripped clean daily.  Wish I could find it but it's gone forever I think but I had a trail cam pic of a blacktail buck standing on my apple pile to get within reach of some lower hanging alder leaves on an overhead tree

[CP]

Good thread, let’s hope the bait bashers leave it be.  We’ve had that discussion.   

This is what I’ve found:
•   Salt blocks = summer yes, after August no, elk seem to lick it into September   
•   Apples = Yes, they attract coyotes but deer & elk like them
•   COB = no, deer pick out the corn, rodents eat the rest, starts to stink after awhile
•   Molasses = mixed results, not worth the mess and expense
•   Corn = Yes, deer & elk love it

If I spread it on the ground the rodents and birds make off with most of it.  I’ve tried these PVC tube feeders and they seem to keep it safer and if it gets rained on it doesn’t rot.

My next experiment is going to be peanut butter. 

[CAMPMEAT]

We use a deer block called, Deer Acres, $15ish and the deer love it. With corn or apples, that get's kinda spendy. I'll throw some GOOD alfalfa, $15ish again and it's lasts quite a while. Repeat when gone. Wet cob is good too, bury it under the alfalfa so the deer have to dig for it.

[CP]

Where's a good place to get cull (free or cheap) apples? 

[MLBowhunting]

Knock on doors.   

[CAMPMEAT]

Where's a good place to get cull (free or cheap) apples?

Brewster

[vandeman17]

Where's a good place to get cull (free or cheap) apples?

I know lots of orchard owners so I have unlimited access to apples. I never use them though 

[h20hunter]

Agree with what you guys are finding. Apples are number one. The COB I've put down brings in more birds/bears/critters but the deer do and will eat it.

Peanuts are another one........I was picking up some cob one year and saw a 25lb bag of peanuts in the shell. Deer loved them.

Pressed blocks....I've put them out and the deer nibble on them but mainly the bears will roll them around and eat them like a big sugar cube. In my opinion not worth the cost when a 50lb bag of cob is half the price of a block.