who baits?

[aim small...release]

Just wonderin how many of you bait. I do the mineral site in spring/summer but come fall its hard to bait my stand because of the far walk but problem is every other property around me baits heavy i was thinkin some of the different attractants they hsve out there but i dunno.

[Roger Norris]

I have a farmer baiting for me...he planted 1200 acres of field corn, and it's still standing.    

[Slickhead]

I put out supplemental feed in the off season. During season I put out food in non stand sites.
I hear its twice as hard shooting an animal over bait (very jumpy)
From my trail cam pics I believe it.

This year in Ohio there are so many acorns the deer probably wouldnt care about bait.

[Stump73]

I do because its easier to catch fish. Sometimes you can catch them on a bare hook.    

[ronp]

Not legal to bait deer in NY State, so I don't.

[aim small...release]

I kinda wish it was still not legal here

[kiamichi kid]

I bait. I much prefer the "feel" of hunting pinch points and funnels but on some of the properties I hunt bait is the best option....especially early season. I'm not a fan of big barrel feeders but would much rather disperse corn by hand in my shooting lanes and hunt over it within the next 24-48 hours. I find this to feel a bit more "natural" than hunting over a mechanized broadcaster or one large pile. While these are my preferences, I have adopted the philosophy "To each his own" when it comes to this topic (pretty hot button issue in certain places).

[dragonheart]

Originally posted by Roger Norris:
I have a farmer baiting for me...he planted 1200 acres of field corn, and it's still standing.      

Talk about a feeding area!

[LB_hntr]

Originally posted by aim small...release:
I kinda wish it was still not legal here

Me too! Those were the best couple years I ever spent in the woods.
Now you scout all year for funnels and perfect spots and come October throw it all out the window because there is a pile of carrots every 100 yards along every dirt road and two track.
Wish they would at least make it illegal on state land like Ohio does.

[rraming]

I spit a little tobacco from my tree stand - does that count?

[freedomhunter]

Florida public land does not allow it.  Private land your allowed feeders but they have to be in full operations for so long before you can hunt them.  I have done both and have killed more deer not over bait.  Hogs on the other hand is almost like shooting fish in a barrel when they show up.  It is nice to have something to start pulling animals out of the thick stuff, but like stated above if you are baiting an area first time the animals tend to be super spooky. If I had opportunity at private land again I would rather do a food plot.  Florida gets a lot of rain and can really grow a lot of different plants.  I did a rye field one year on my buddy's parents property and we saw a lot of deer around the house way more than the past, but never saw them on the plot.  Probably made the mistake hunting the actual food plot rather than the trails going to it.

[sidebuster]

Depends where you live.   IMO anything you put on the ground that was not there naturally is baiting and that's ok if your state allows it.

Putting spray or deer scent on the ground IMO is also baiting.

[Bowwild]

If I hunted small tracts adjacent to people who baited heavily I'd probably resort to the practice. I don't so I have never baited.

I spent the first nearly 20 years hunting in Indiana where baiting was illegal. Then 3.5 in KS and 3.5 in MO -- baiting was illegal in both when I lived there. So, part of the ethic that was ingrained in me by regulation was not too use bait.

Of course I scout natural food sources (acorns, persimmons, dogwood and honeysuckle browse, etc.) I LOVE hunting adjacent to standing corn but none of that in my area these days. Nothing like hearing deer walking in rustling corn stalks pre-dawn on the edge of such a field.

[frassettor]

I don't bait

[pitbull]

It is more rewarding to go out and use your woodsmanship skills and find natural food sources and use the terrain to hunt. I wish it weren't legal here.

[ChuckC]

I don't.  To do it right you need to be skilled.  I have a buddy who is a Master.
CHuckC

[J-dog]

Don't, but nothing against it. Only legal on private land here btw. Too many bears anyhow

[PAINTER]

I bait, especially later in the season and I hate it! Because it is legal in NJ, if you don't bait, the guy on the property next to you is and chances are he's bringing in bait by the truck load.  It becomes a situation of, no bait no deer. I much prefer the early season when the deer are working ag fields, persimmon, wild quince trees and the first acorns.  Even when baiting I prefer to hunt the approaches rather then directly over a bait pile.  Still, I long for the the days when it was illegal.

[Kingsnake]

I don't bait.  Not my style.

In fact, I only opened the thread to see who would go where ChuckC went with the question.  You're a bad boy, ChuckC.      

Kingsnake

[TxAg]

I do both. I don't mind a little corn