who baits?

[Hoyt]

It's against the law here in Il. but I do run across quiet a few deep dug out holes with lots of deer tracts around the edges.

I don't think deer eat yellow jackets.

[RickE]

It's legal for all big game here and I can tell you that I and some of my hunting partners are in the very small minority that don't bait.  Most if not all the bigger whitetails killed here these days are taken with bait.  Some guys are putting out literally hundreds of baits.  Basically a pile of peas with a game camera every couple of miles.  They start in the summer and by the hunting season they know if there is a big deer visiting.  If not, then they don't bother with that location.  We have CWD here and yet baiting continues.  There is an entire generation of hunters and outfitters who really don't know any other way of hunting deer and basically they have kept it alive and well despite the disease implications, concentrating animals, etc.  

I've hunted bears over bait before, but haven't done it in a long time.  It doesn't interest me and these days I usually just buy a fall bear license to do spot/stalk if I come across them while hunting in the forest.  

One thing that people tend to overlook is that baiting used to be deployed extensively for waterfowl hunting during the market gunning days to great effect.  When conservation laws were enacted it was one of the first things to go and as far as I know, no jurisdictions allows bait to be used to hunt migratory birds/waterfowl.  Something to ponder, if it's still true.....

Baiting is certainly a touchy subject with most hunters be it for deer or bears.  A long time ago Aldo Leopold wrote that "The recreational value of game is inverse to the artificiality of its origin".  To me, those words hold for all aspects of recreational hunting and ring as true today as they did when he put them to paper.  He was WAY ahead of his time.  Good hunting, Rick.

[Stone Knife]

We can't bait in NY, but I see little difference in a guy using bait, lets say on very small acreage compared to someone that leaves standing corn etc. for the sole purpose of attracting game. I would not judge someone for using bait to put some meat on the table.

[Walter Mauney]

It is illegal to bait in Georgia, but Walmart still sells corn in the sporting goods department every Fall.

[bowless]

Originally posted by Walter Mauney:
It is illegal to bait in Georgia, but Walmart still sells corn in the sporting goods department every Fall.

Same here Walter, and Bass pro.

[Cavscout9753]

Without going into squabbling I'll say this, with bait it depends what your goal is. Some people rely on killing deer for their dinner, for some it validates and justifies all their efforts to bag an animal. For those people I can see baiting and I don't judge them; for their methods nor their motives. I don't hunt to eat, sure I eat my critters, well some, some I donate to the needy or give to my friends. I hunt to hunt. Its fun, relaxing, challenging and rewarding regardless of the blood trails. But thats just me. Im not better than anyone or doing anything any more proper or "real". I simply prefer the hunt over the kill. My best friend baits his butt off. Doesn't bother me, its legal and he likes the kill. I don't kill much these days but I still never have a bad time in the woods and to me every hunt is "successful". Besides, and this is NOT a dig to the baiters, but anything that ups your odds extensively like baiting deer robs you of an opportunity to learn more about your quarry and the land youre hunting. Exceptions will always exist and my opinion doesn't count for much.

[imbowhunt10]

I am 63 and have been a hunter all my life. I have never baited, and have no intentions of doing so. In my way of thinking baiting would break the rules of fair chase for me.

[RAU]

Originally posted by ChuckC:
I use nightcrawlers for catfish and bluegills, but you won't see me using one for trout.  

Same thing, In my mind we have certain games we play and they have certain rules.  Not saying your rules should be the same as mine, but I follow my rules and don't worry so much about yours.
CHuckC

EXACTLY!! As long as your following your states game laws and having fun I wish you all well!

[Whip]

Originally posted by KentuckyTJ:
 

Originally posted by JohnV:
One has to decide whether you want to "hunt" critters or just "shoot" them.  There is a difference.

I never post on baiting threads because I think there is justification to both sides as well as I truly believe that how we find joy in our hunting is a personal decision and shouldn't matter to anyone else as long as its legal. But with that said, I really like your post John.          [/b]

X2

Baiting in parts of WI is illegal due to CWD.  My cabin hunting property in west central WI is one county away from being in the no bait zone. While I certainly don't want to see CWD spread I would love to see no baiting in that county.  I don't bait, but my neighbors do and it has really ruined the quality of hunting we used to enjoy there.  By the time late October rolls around it will be rare to see a doe on our property.