Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

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Carpdaddy
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Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#1 Post by Carpdaddy »

This seems to be a popular and highly debated issue across the hunting sites. Different states have different laws concerning it. Our state permits baiting for Deer but not Turkey, don't know about Bears. I'm certainly not wanting to start a fuss, just curious about the laws in your State, and how others feel about it. I personally don't try to push my thoughts on anyone else and hope they don't waste their time trying to fix me. We discussed this a year or so ago and I still remember something Shadow said that stuck with me. It was about losing our ability to "hunt"! I personally use some mineral licks and have used corn. I also hunt crop fields planted by local farmers, some consider this the same. But I still love scouting and finding sign, then setting ip on it, especially for bucks! What can you do and what do you do?

Kamn
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#2 Post by Kamn »

We are allowed to set up feeder/bait but cannot hunt within 400 meters of any bait. My personal plan and use for it is to be able to see whats coming around over the summer and remove it all before fall. I too am all for scouting and tracking which I have been doing and there are plenty of tracks and poops around my area. The bait I am using is mineral lick and corn
I believe we are not allowed to use scent baits

Carpdaddy
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#3 Post by Carpdaddy »

That seems like a strange law, you can bait but not hunt over it. Mineral licks & cams certainly are a good thing to let you see what's in your area though even if you can't hunt over it.

Kamn
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#4 Post by Kamn »

I guess they dont want you shooting them while they are eating, which I can understand.

Captainkirk
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#5 Post by Captainkirk »

Around here nothing is legal. Not even attractants but especially not baiting.
Which is really amusing, because the Bass Pro 7 miles from my house is chock-full of all of that stuff including mineral licks. Go figure.
Aim small, miss small!

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Shadowhntr
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#6 Post by Shadowhntr »

We can do any and all of it for big game including turkey. Only restrictions we have with baits is you cannot use on public lands...and cannot bait migratory birds.

Farmers fields are not considered bait here.

None of it personally bothers me. I don't use anything of the sort, but I pattern deer between the bedding and feed, and set up in funnels along that travel....so it matters very little to me what they feed on. What matters to me is that feed is available and I care not what.They will get out of bed to go feed and when they do, I'll be there.
The element of surprise can never be replaced by persistence.

Carpdaddy
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#7 Post by Carpdaddy »

In the early season on evening hunts I like to hunt the trails between the bedding areas and soy bean fields that is planted by the local farmers.

Crazynate
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#8 Post by Crazynate »

We can bait I think up to 2 gallons at a time I believe. I don't bait because my spots on state land I hunt are to far off the road lol. I don't care if people do it I know guys that do. I have used mineral licks and rocks at the house so my wife and daughters can watch the deer in the back yard but that's about it up here in the north.
Goodnight Chesty Wherever You Are.

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Shadowhntr
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#9 Post by Shadowhntr »

Carpdaddy wrote:In the early season on evening hunts I like to hunt the trails between the bedding areas and soy bean fields that is planted by the local farmers.
That's a very good tactic Carpy.

As I've mentioned before, and as you pointed out Carpy, it does bother me that it seems hunters are losing the ability to get on deer by reading the lay of the land, and reading sign and with good old fashion know-how and elbow grease,,, but instead rely wholly on baits, lures, cover scents, and anything else that they feel gives them a more modern advantage. If they cannot have those things, they don't even want to go hunting because they dont know what to do. That scares me to death, because hunting is SOOOOOO much more then simply dropping a string on a deer. At least to me, hunting has meant: to learn about the animal, how to take part of the animals world and learn it undetected, then use what you know and what you learned about them, in order to realize and use any weakness in their natural everyday life and travels. Something that gives you the advantage within their world. It takes certain skill sets, to be able to take deer in basically the same fashion as animal predators do or would. Those skills can be owned, but are being lost, as are so many other things of the past. (Effective trapping and furharvesting is another one!) I don't hate on people for baiting, I just don't see a need for it if the land already harbors deer. If deer are there, they already have natural food or they wouldn't be there. Think of it as free "bait" that exist with or without you...lol! All you need really, are deer moving to feed. Not necessarily grains or even acorns....deer eat WAY more then that! Their staple is often just browse. ....and a skilled person should be able to set up for an encounter no matter what it is they are feeding on. Learn the animal, have the animal.
These are simply my personal thoughts.
The element of surprise can never be replaced by persistence.

Captainkirk
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Re: Baiting, laws, and fair chase.

#10 Post by Captainkirk »

Good thoughts at that. I agree. Depending on artificial attractants, baits is really not much different than depending on sights, releases, etc. Nothing "wrong" with it, per se, just not my cup of tea and the whole reason I gravitated over to trad in the first place.
Aim small, miss small!

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