Will you be proactive or reactive?

[Janedoedad]

People in my subdivision like to feed deer and other wildlife. Unfortunately, this is done from the back porch which brings in a LOT of unwanted 4 footed and winged critters who would normally keep their distance from the bipeds.

 

[jaxyaks]

Ga has very few deer hunters left....we got lotsa deer shooters though...

 

[bigearl68]

Ga has very few deer hunters left....we got lotsa deer shooters though...

I disagree 100%. I don’t know the first deer hunter that filled their tags.

 

[Toothlesswun]

I haven't taken but a single doe in the last 2 years, but my nephews have laid the smack down on em for me. Less does leads to a more active, consistent and noticeable rut.

The largest reason I'm again baiting is the harm it has done to the wild turkey population. Combine baiting with poor land management practices and low number of trappers, all three things have done nothing but harm them as well as harming every other species out there. I've shot 1 deer over bait and swore never again, it felt like I not only cheated myself from a good hunt that required me to do my end of the work but I also felt like I cheated the deer. Since then I've passed on the baiting and hunt scrape lines, plots, and acorns, muscadines, or persimmon trees.

I do not hunt over any unnatural food source, that said what in your opinion is the difference between a food plot and a corn pile? Aren’t they both in a sense a baited area?

 

[sambo77]

I do not hunt over any unnatural food source, that said what in your opinion is the difference between a food plot and a corn pile? Aren’t they both in a sense a baited area?

Well a corn pile or any bait for that matter doesn't grow right there. A food plot I'd somewhat more natural food source that grows. A food plot of clover or wheat isn't going to attract raccoons or hogs the same way a bait pile would. I see both sides of it. I like to hunt near acorn trees, muscadines, or persimmons. Which those also will attract the raccoons or hogs like a bait pile would, so it is more of a natural growth thing for me I guess. Plus a field of clover will benefit more than just a deer, turkeys will eat it along with the bugs in the field, and not have a rush of spreading avian diseases or ingesting toxins that they would if they were eating off a corn pile.

 

[Toothlesswun]

Well a corn pile or any bait for that matter doesn't grow right there. A food plot I'd somewhat more natural food source that grows. A food plot of clover or wheat isn't going to attract raccoons or hogs the same way a bait pile would. I see both sides of it. I like to hunt near acorn trees, muscadines, or persimmons. Which those also will attract the raccoons or hogs like a bait pile would, so it is more of a natural growth thing for me I guess. Plus a field of clover will benefit more than just a deer, turkeys will eat it along with the bugs in the field, and not have a rush of spreading avian diseases or ingesting toxins that they would if they were eating off a corn pile.

Food plots are a great source of nutrition for a variety of animals for sure. But they are also made to be an attractant and can have as many deer on them at once as a corn pile, I haven’t looked in to it , I am guessing food plots don’t spread CWD ? What are your thoughts on auto feeders with products such as buck muscle?

 

[trw2094]

How does the corn piles cause CWD in deer ? This is a disease.
The were already in herds and close proximity to one another before baiting was legalized.
Most of the people who hunt over bait were doing it before it was legalized.

 

[GeauxLSU]

How does the corn piles cause CWD in deer ? This is a disease.
The were already in herds and close proximity to one another before baiting was legalized.
Most of the people who hunt over bait were doing it before it was legalized.

It doesn't cause it, it exacerbates the spread which is why it's been made illegal in several areas to try and prevent the spread. If you are saying most who bait today have a history of hunting illegally, I'll take your word for it.

 

[yardboss1]

Baiting is legal , tacticam reveal camera's are legal , AR-15's are legal. No regulations baby. Nice and legal like. The fair chase doctrine is obsolete in Merica.

FAIR CHASE, as defined by the Boone and Crockett Club, is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the game animals.

 

[sambo77]

Food plots are a great source of nutrition for a variety of animals for sure. But they are also made to be an attractant and can have as many deer on them at once as a corn pile, I haven’t looked in to it , I am guessing food plots don’t spread CWD ? What are your thoughts on auto feeders with products such as buck muscle?

The spread of something such as CWD is more possible on a bait pile due to more concentration on a certain spot. Or atheist that's how many biologists have explained it.

I am on board for protein and nutrient supplements, but at the right times when it actually benefits the deer. I'm not a fan of auto feeders personally, I prefer a trough style that can be covered.