Baitng.. In a way....

[Mark B]

I know that using baits to attract deer maybe Illegal... Im sure there are ways around this and still be "Ethical"... Have any of you guys ever used baits to attract deer??  I've heard stories of fellers hauling up bags of  apples the night before season, just to come to there spot on opening morning and finding that all the apples have been eaten.. Two miles in and two miles out for nothing... What would be a good deer attractant anyways, I know that there are natural salt licks out there and deer love em, SOOOOO... if i just packed a bag of salt and dropped it an area, Would the deer come running??? Thanks guys...

[chrisb]

Baiting deer is LEGAL in WA. Well at least it was last year. I havent read all of the reqs for this season yet.

[washelkhntr]

It is not illegal to bait deer.

[carpsniperg2]

baiting deer and elk has been legal and i am sure it would be this year unless i missed somthing in the regs

[jcswamp]

Baiting deer and elk in washington is totally legal, you just cant bait bear or cat. I have an email from the wdfw enforcement officer that told me this in my pocket that i carry around. (just in case!)

[Hunterman]

Yes you can bait cats..Just don't have a bear tag in your pocket or truck. I have some salt licks out for elk already. Goin to put more out as I scout this area..

Hunterman(Tony)

[Mark B]

Well.. Now that I know that its legal. What would be the best Attarctant to use or what has worked for you all.. Remind you its a good three to four mile walk/climb in so the lighter the better in my case, Dont really wanna add a ton  of weight to my alreaady over stuffed pack when I go.... Thanks again guys...

[Buschingc]

I usually use apples.. Especially in the late season, but it takes many bens of apples to keep them there..... It doesnt take many deer to eat alot of apples..

[deadyote]

I have a couple buddies that use those smoke sticks for deer and elk and then say they are legit.  It sounds too good to be true to me, but until I give it a try I guess I can't knock it.  A trick I used to use was we would take the leftovers from our cider press and dehydrated them.  Yes, we do have a huge dehydrator.  Then the weight was bearable and pack them in during deer and elk season.  It is usually wet, so they soften up real quick and the animals love them.  I have shot a few bears over this as well.  Like I said, this was years ago when we could bait bears.  In my opinion deer like apples more and elk like pears more, just my observations so take what you want.  

[NWWABOWHNTR]

For deer,  apples and COB.  Wet COB is the best!  You can get it at any farmers supply.  For elk,  set out the selenium in the next month or so.... mix it in the dirt with some water,  at the base of trees or root balls....

[PolarBear]

The deer and elk are already hitting my selenium trace blocks that I have set out for my cattle.  They really need it this time of year with calves and fawns coming on.

[elkaholic123]

The salt thing will get them used to an area but by hunting season they won't go to it near as much, but they should be in the area!Best to put it along trails that are used so they find it easier 

[PA BEN]

Apples and Cob is the best. Salt of deer doesn't seem to work that will in the fall. Deer use salt coming out of winter in the spring, they will lick it in the fall, but not like in the spring.

[PolarBear]

They need the salt now because the new plants and grass have more water in them than nutrients.  As the summer burns on the balance between water and minerals in the plants shifts so they don't need supplements as much and will leave blocks alone.  Right now my cows are going through the blocks like crazy.  Speaking of baiting, I am interested to see how my Round-up ready soybean and grain corn garden is going to do this year for the critters.  I already have clover that is 3' tall and the deer are making hogs out of themselves on it.  Apples are usually your best bet,  C.O.B. is hit and miss.  My pet deer won't touch grain of any kind because there is so much good browse around here.

[sisu]

I've used apples, sugar beets, corn, carrots, turnips, etc. along with trimmed shooting lanes (archery hunting). We never dump a lot of bait just a little at each stand. Couple of smashed apples, cut up beets or turnips. Never make it easy to feed. We usually smear one apple on a tree to get smell out there. Stuff other tidbits under branches, high root(above groung). This keeps them busy and not looking in trees for stand or for ground blind.

[chrisb]

COB? as in corn cob?

[bobcat]

COB stands for corn, oats, and barley.

[Curly]

I tried COB on the local neighborhood deer last year to see how they liked it.......I saw a doe give it a lick and then walk on by.  The squirrels and chipmunk devoured it though in short order.

[BULLBLASTER]

i have noticed that some deer really like sweer COB and some wont touch it. apples and corn are a good bet that deer will eat it, and garden veggies.

[PolarBear]

Roses and rhodies on the wet side and alfalfa on the east.

[NWWABOWHNTR]

The COB works great here on the Island... apples is the best but they can eat up a metric buttload of apples in a few nights. 

[Mark B]

So then.. Om making a trip this weekend up to the grounds , doing a bit more early scouting... whats type of attractant brings them in the fastest.. Im all for making a few trips prior to season but, Lets say what Brings em in the fastest?? Could I drop it that morning and just sit?? Thanks again everybody, You guys are being a HUGE help...

[BULLBLASTER]

IMO it wont do you any good to drop any bait and just sit over it. any deer that come in would have come in anyways. for a bait to really work you need to have it out there for a while. so the deer can get used to it and more and more can find it. and then if you have a spot with big bucks coming in it is very easy to run them off the site with your scent or noise or something else, and the will not come back.

[PolarBear]

IMO it wont do you any good to drop any bait and just sit over it. any deer that come in would have come in anyways. for a bait to really work you need to have it out there for a while. so the deer can get used to it and more and more can find it. and then if you have a spot with big bucks coming in it is very easy to run them off the site with your scent or noise or something else, and the will not come back.

Don't touch anything (even branches) with your bare hands.  A buck can smell you for days and with one whiff can deem the site a danger spot and be gone forever.

[PA BEN]

Once they get use to your smell you can put out fresh bait and sit. There no different then the deer you see in your yard, once they get to the smells it's no big deal to them.

[rasbo]

cracked corn works awesome,my mom has 15 to twenty deer everyday

[Huntbear]

The COB works great here on the Island... apples is the best but they can eat up a metric buttload of apples in a few nights. 

Ummmmmmmmmm is this a new measurement, I missed out on??   

Not sure I want to know what is included in a buttload though.