Whitetail management plan.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I've never been a fan of baiting for deer and elk.  I have been for bear, mostly for the fact that you could tell much more easily ( get to observe longer) and be able to differentiate between a sow with possible cubs or not.  I don't think I have ever spoke out against deer baiting, except maybe some of the salt damage done to areas to people who don't have a CLUE what it does.  Mostly because I tend to be that conservative mind, if it doesn't effect me, leave it alone.

 

I wish everyone had your mindset.

[Cougeyes]

I just think it would be more rewarding to scout your butt off, pattern the deer whether with your own eyes or a trailcam, chose a trail that you feel will produce a buck and stick it out in a tree stand without the aid of luring them in with food. It doesn't seem real sporting to me.  This is a very controversial topic.  To me a person hunting over bait doesn't necessarily do their "homework".  A lot of people just pick a spot and dump bait out in hopes something comes in.  They restock it to keep the animals persistence up in hopes of harvesting them.  And I would bet money that people who hunt over bait vs not over bait but still in a stand have a higher success rate overall and a higher success rate of trophy animals.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I just think it would be more rewarding to scout your butt off, pattern the deer whether with your own eyes or a trailcam, chose a trail that you feel will produce a buck and stick it out in a tree stand without the aid of luring them in with food. It doesn't seem real sporting to me.  This is a very controversial topic.  To me a person hunting over bait doesn't necessarily do their "homework".  A lot of people just pick a spot and dump bait out in hopes something comes in.  They restock it to keep the animals persistence up in hopes of harvesting them.  And I would bet money that people who hunt over bait vs not over bait but still in a stand have a higher success rate overall and a higher success rate of trophy animals.

Your bring out a very key point of why I believe another hunter shouldn't permenantly vote away another hunters right to bait (or any other right for that matter) when you say "I just think it would be more rewarding to scout your butt off, pattern the deer whether with your own eyes or a trailcam, chose a trail that you feel will produce a buck and stick it out in a tree stand without the aid of luring them in with food." When you say that you drive home a point that I bring up constantly on this site in the fact that people want to make it illegal primarily because it doensn't appeal to their sense of hunting. It is literally the first point that most people bring up and the point they defend the most when they make an argurment against baiting. We all hunt for different reasons and have our own beliefs about things but we shouldn't take the anti-hunters side and give away hunters rights simply because it doesn't appeal to our personal sense of hunting. Trail cameras do not appeal to other people sense of hunting. Tree stands don't appeal to many other peoples sense of hunting.. and so and and so forth.

Just because a person baits it doesn't mean they don't scout their butt off. When I bait it's not like I ignore everything else I ever learned about hunting and ignore my "homework". There is plenty of homework to be done and I think that is one thing that many people who don't bait do not understand. I and many other people that bait spend far more time in the field glassing, scouting and setting up bait than most people I know. I know because I am out there and I hardly see anyone (aside from other people who bait) until right before the season..then suddenly you have guys popping up everywhere that you have never seen in the field before despite the fact you are practically living in the mountains.

[Cougeyes]

You're absolutely right, what i say it just my  my opinion and nothing else.  I shouldn't let it bother me, but it still does.  I know some people that hunt over bait and they have spent countless hours in the woods, checking cameras figuring out where to hang their stands so not all that hunt over bait haven't done their "homework".  This topic could and probably will always be debated.  People always argue are food plots considered baiting?  Are scent lures?  There are good arguments on both sides and this has already been debated on here and we dont need to get into details anymore.

[huntnnw]

Well said DB... the " I think" mentality is wrong in the hunting community. There is alot of ways of hunting I don't agree with, but I would never vote against any form of hunting. Take for example,  hunting deer with a scoped high power. Why is it some on here can rip on.people that bait deer and bowhunt, but yet they are out with high power shooting at deer  300 yards. I personally don't find that sporting at all...but you don't see me out preaching it and voicing a loud opinion or trying to get it banned on polls. To each his own,  we all must stick together,or we ourselves will be the demise of the passion we love.

 On a side note about baiting ..I bait deer alot...most of my time baiting is in the summer to see what caliber of bucks are in the area. The 3 biggest whitetails I have ever killed were never off a bait or near one. Its not as easy as some think on here to Just dump feed and shazaam big bucks everywhere. Ask alwinearcher about my year.   I spent hundreds of hours And 5 cameras from July to mid December to come up with no real giants. Its not easy and spendy

[DBHAWTHORNE]

You're absolutely right, what i say it just my  my opinion and nothing else.  I shouldn't let it bother me, but it still does.  I know some people that hunt over bait and they have spent countless hours in the woods, checking cameras figuring out where to hang their stands so not all that hunt over bait haven't done their "homework".  This topic could and probably will always be debated.  People always argue are food plots considered baiting?  Are scent lures?  There are good arguments on both sides and this has already been debated on here and we dont need to get into details anymore.

I definitely know what you mean, find your to be very valid and agree their are strong arguments for both.

[Hangfire]

I have been looking at the baiting of deer as done in other states for a few years. I have  contacted all the western states except Texas plus a few states from the great lakes region.. After moving back to the N.E. corner after having been gone for 25 years, I was originally against baiting. Things have changed in the N.E. corner, baiting is prevalent and there are a number of abuses. The access to private land or any land has become difficult. I now feel there is a case for legal baiting but, I feel some regulations are do. I would like to see the time that bait for hunting can be limited to some thing like 48 hours before a season the early to mid November. Deer patterns and possibly migration can be influenced by baiting. Deer baiting has been outlawed in the lower peninsula of Michigan because of Bovine Tuberculosis and C.W.D. Other states have regulations pertaining to the type of bait, amount of bait, outlawing bait in Grizzly bear recovery areas.

There are those who are baiting bear and turkey saying they are placing bait for deer.

I know one senior in high school who's senior project has revolved around deer baiting. He has purchased 4 cameras and recorded activity on random trails, how it changed when bait added, how different baits draw animals, and how long until normal behavior resumes after baiting ceased.

I think that baiting in areas of development can attract deer to a safe spot for harvest,
and possibly provide a means for elderly, handicapped, and youth to harvest a animal. Bait can also attract deer to a area where animals can be taken, from areas where hunting is not safe, allowed, or heavily posted by nonhunters. They all complain when the roses get eaten.

All the parameters of baiting are being looked, at we need to know what we want and how we feel. There are to many factors to baiting, to cover in this posting.

[huntnnw]

That is another reason I have baited, as Spokane county is almost all private. To bring deer to the little chunks that you can hunt, that otherwise are not very good areas to hunt if you were trying to ambush.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

That is another reason I have baited, as Spokane county is almost all private. To bring deer to the little chunks that you can hunt, that otherwise are not very good areas to hunt if you were trying to ambush.

Funny you mention that. It is the sole reason I started baiting. I had a 15 acre property that the deer were using but I wanted them to spend a little more time in the area. It really brought the does in heavy and in a small one week window of late season that place was magical!!

[bobcat]

I've never had anything against baiting, but then I never really thought it was that prevalent either. If it were really having a negative effect on deer numbers I could see myself changing my opinion. But I don't know. There are certain "degrees" of baiting that might rub me the wrong way. Like baiting with an electronic feeder, on a small parcel of private property, drawing all the game off of adjacent public land. I think what I really don't like, is when outfitters bait deer (and elk) for their clients to just come in and make a quick and easy kill. It's not so bad in my mind if a hunter is doing all the work, because I know baiting does take a lot of time and effort- but for an outfitter to do it so his clients can have an easy hunt, for some reason it seems "wrong" to me.

[huntnnw]

Another form of baiting I have done is spreading wildland seed in april and fertilizing a couple acres of select cut, does wonders..Is that considering baiting??  

[huntnnw]

how is an electric feeder or someone dumping feed different?. If you have used any of the electric feeders u would know that they dont even come close to the all u can eat buffet that happens when u dont use feeders. There is no control over the amount, its a free for all till its gone and u have to keep feed there constantly. People who dont use feeders, feed triple the amount as those who do use feeders.

[bobcat]

I didn't say it was different. I wouldn't like it if it weren't an electronic feeder either. The main point I was trying to make with that scenario is that deer are being drawn away from public land where the public can hunt them to private land where only the landowner can hunt them.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

how is an electric feeder or someone dumping feed different?. If you have used any of the electric feeders u would know that they dont even come close to the all u can eat buffet that happens when u dont use feeders. There is no control over the amount, its a free for all till its gone and u have to keep feed there constantly. People who dont use feeders, feed triple the amount as those who do use feeders.

Triple the amount...that would be me... it isn't cheap... I tell people that my venison is the most expensive meat they will ever eat so they better enjoy it.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I've never had anything against baiting, but then I never really thought it was that prevalent either. If it were really having a negative effect on deer numbers I could see myself changing my opinion. But I don't know. There are certain "degrees" of baiting that might rub me the wrong way. Like baiting with an electronic feeder, on a small parcel of private property, drawing all the game off of adjacent public land. I think what I really don't like, is when outfitters bait deer (and elk) for their clients to just come in and make a quick and easy kill. It's not so bad in my mind if a hunter is doing all the work, because I know baiting does take a lot of time and effort- but for an outfitter to do it so his clients can have an easy hunt, for some reason it seems "wrong" to me.

I think the larger pieces are the ones you would need to worry about. On the smallest pieces they regularly travel on and off the property. I had a property like that and the bucks were always coming off of and going back to the public land.