Baiting Deer? Trophy?

[freedomrules3]

While everyone is around and a bit lively....I will ask this question? well 2

Is baiting deer with corn or something else (not food plots) and hunting over it really hunting?

Is a "homegrown" Buck shot over a cornpile a true trophy accomplishment? for that matter is a buck shot over corn (being the only reason he is there) a true trophy accomplishment?

in reference to the second ? i mean basically a backyard deer fed troughout its life. i dont want to hear anything about the buck itself, we all know its not its fault . the big buck is a trophy but is the hunter really a "trophy" hunter?

[hatracked]

I think cornpiles ought to be ruled unfair chase and as a whole deer baiting should be stopped. It serves no good purpose for the welfvare of the animals. Food plots or manipulated natural growth.. Guess I am willing to turn a blind eye to the attraction properties of these ways, since they are truely a benefit to the woodland.

None of my big deer were killed on corn. But all but the ones I killed in NY had corn in their guts. Well actually they all came off of patterns leading to falls cut corn fields so they probably had some yella in there as well.

I did backstand some cornpiles and I darn sure have whacked more than one deer with his feet all surrounded by yellow. However, when your surrounded by people baiting you pour it out or see no deer. Even if you stay away from the corn pile and brave the effort of actually scouting and hunting a deer moving in the woods where and the way he chooses, at the end of the day your still hunting a deer that is being influenced by a non natural food source ( bait ) .

best thing my state could do for deer hunting and its potential to produce what some of y'all deem as a "trophy" would be as follows.

1) lower the buck bag limits

2) stop baiting

3) stop dog hunting or at least restrict it to minimum acreage access to slow down the rampant practice of shooting deer from land you have no access to.

Tough part is until they stop baiting and rule it unfair.... You have to accept my corn piled PY class buck next to your acorn fed buck.

[ARO]

we have about a dozen or so feeders, on several pieces of property. which most of them have camera's placed throughout the year. we might get one maybe two, 125" or bigger bucks a year on the trail cam pix.
so just because you put corn out doesnt mean your gonna shoot, 95% of all buck pix are at night, and 75% doe pix are at night. you still have to be damn lucky, to be sitting in the stand, that one day bobby big bones decides to come eat early.

also i bait into march, it might sound stupid, but i think it helps the little ones get through the winter, ecspecially if mama has been killed.

[Twanger]

I've never seen a truely big buck come to a bait pile, although I've seen average bucks do it.
I don't see much difference between a food plot planted to draw deer or a bait pile.
I don't really consider killing deer over bait to be hunting. It's more like shopping with a bow (or gun). I've done it, and while it fills the freezer it does little to satisfy me mentally... it's kinda boring except for the killing part.

[scdave449]

When in Rome, one does as the Romans do....or gets out of Dodge!!!! Not even a question.......which do I get the biggest thrill out of....a deer hunted in its' natural habitat, or one standing deep in a baited area? Hell, my heart rate is probably higher just hearing a deer I've waged war with in natural surroundings, than sitting and seeing deer come to a bait pile. AND I DO BOTH, for I live in Rome and MUST travel to get the ultimate sensation. As hat stated.....baiting and manipulating harvest to increase deer sightings is almost the norm in these parts and one has to travel to escape it. Don't know about yall, but my budget just won't allow much of that. I make do here in little ole SC and am quite glad at least I can still hunt at all!!!!!!!

[freedomrules3]

nice job dodging the real ? here .

my take:
no disrespect to the animal in question. i don't see it as hunting at all myself. fact is it should be illegal if the states were looking out for the deer. it promotes disease and is a ways and means to pass it along. if you show me a buck that i know was shot over or near a baitpile , i look at it as less of an accomplishment as i would a buck killed in the wild. yep i said in the wild, because once a baitpile is involved it no longer is a wild deer situation imo. this above all is what the P&Y and B&C orgs should be looking at. no deer shot on baited property should be entered imho. of coarse it would be hard to police so to speak.

nearly 100 % of the deer i shoot on public land has corn in its belly ... wonder where it gets it from... although baiting is illegal. it has become a normal practice everywhere and is just another blackeye to hunting.here at the house the neighbors bait heavily and i pay the price, but i've shot 2 deer at baitpiles in my life and i compare it to "internet" hunting . as you can tell i dont bait , but i do put out corn after season is over but generally only buy 250 lbs at the most.
"to me it isnt about the kill its about how the game is played"

[txm]

In my management programs I use bait only to assist in the harvest of surplus does.
A trophy buck is seldom seen at the feeders during daylight hours and very little buck hunting is done at the feeders.
If population reduction is the purpose then we will hunt the feeders and kill whatever comes.

[ARO]

rick,
just curious, why do you bait after the season is over? wont that still spread disease?

[freedomrules3]

aro,
i only bait behind the house , more or less to just try and get a count on how many made it through the season. i also figured by then the other baitpiles were gone and not being attended to. answering your ? though, it sure could still promote any disease that a single deer may be carrying. maybe i'll just skip it all together .

[hatracked]

To undodge your question NO I think its shooting at this point in my hunting life.

I couldnt agree with you more on baiting needing to go the way of the dino's. I would like to see it end it isnt even needed to kill deer as most folks who have hunted nonbaiting states already know. Baiting affects and changes deer movement 100 % of the time unnaturally. So does a fence.

Lot of things I see you not calling hunting Rick, I have also taken issue with my own hunting. Lot of them many of us have been participating in for years as accepted legal hunting methods one of which is baiting. Not exactly sure but I think as I mature as a hunter it is only a natural progression to even the odds and get closer and closer to a truely fair chase. But is it right for me to insinuate that anyone that doesnt live up to my own ethical expectations isnt hunting?? I dont think so, I think its more of it isnt my idea of hunting today aftert speding yearts as a hunter and finding out what the true gifts of the sport are.

Its our job to keep telling the truth in opinion and how the real hunting experience and thrill comes about so others can follow and find it to. many of those folks that care to learn though are going to start hunting at the cornpile until it is illegal.

[ARO]

rick, if you put that corn out at the end of the season , it would be a good place for your trialcam. you might get a pix of a buck you never knew was there!!

[dbowers]

Although I dont have a people baiting and i dont do it myself. I just did soem reading that kinda sways me to agree with outlawing it.
Found out that not only does it possible to spread decease by baiting. But seems its actually harmfull for the deer. Deer have produce enzyms in their stomach that help break down the foods they eat. Biologist say it takes four days for a deer to produce the enzyms to break down the foods. And each different food requires a little different enzyme to break down the newly introduced food.
It goes on to say since it takes so long to produce the deer can actually die from starvation in that time period. Especailly in the winter months.
I think i got it right ..

[campkingmd]

To me Its a last ditch effort for those that are too unlucky to do it any other way or to lazy to scout natural food sources,and natural sign to harvest an animal. I never baited prior to the camera era. I just have to much fun with trail camera's now.
I never hunted over them before but will for the same reasons that txm stated. If a big buck walks in, Well, sucks to be him. Although I have never seen a big buck while hunting over corn.

[ncboman]

Some big bucks are killed at bait, either feeding or following a doe. If it's legal, fine with me. I think it's mostly a way to fill the freezer or get a beginner a shot at adolescent deer. Adolescents are the hungry ones and are usually what hangs around bait stations.

Per big bucks, I tend to think the age bucks I'm after are usually so nocturnal the only way they'd get caught at a cornpile is following a doe. Thing is, when the deer are actually breeding niether sex is as interested in food as they are just moving about, so the buck following a doe could be killed anyplace. The key is being around when the ol boy is on his feet during daylight. Cornpile wouldn't rate as high as a good trail to me. Likely to be more alert for danger at the bait and perhaps carefree on a trail.

[deerhunter3]

Baiting deer ain't hunt'in. Can't figure out how anyone would ever consider that hunting. Throwing out a salt block or food plot to get the deer to come to one spot so you can already be sitting there ready to shoot them and some people want to call that hunting???

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OK...............I am done.