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Baiting Bill HB1618/SB1942

Should baiting be allowed on private land?

  • Yes

    Votes: 193 40.5%

  • No

    Votes: 209 43.9%

  • Don't care

    Votes: 74 15.5%
  • Total voters
    476
Why bait... in these time a person if hunting to feed their families can kill a deer even 20 deer anywhere . Person looking for a trophy does not make you Popular , I kill a B & C size deer . And nothing changed in my life.
Baiting is for hopping to keep the deer on the person properly
 
as a follow up, i have no ag anywhere on my land and none on any of the land around me. probably closest is a mile or more.
 
I've hunted over bait in Arkansas and Oklahoma. It certainly made killing deer easier and more predictable.

And to people that say mature bucks don't eat at corn piles, you are mostly right, But they do come visit does who are eating at cornpiles.

Personally, I don't have strong feelings one way or the other, but it does make it easier.
 
I used maybe two bags of corn a few years ago during the early summer to see if it would help take pictures of what deer were going through the property. Not much help really. A few deer would showed up a couple of days late, but the coons, possums, squirrels and even crows ate it up every day. A couple of bags of corn were gone in just 4-5 days. It could obviously get expensive after a while. And I got no pictures of shooter bucks. Mostly does. In contrast I have consistent luck drawing deer to mineral licks which they use until a little after mid/late October when the rut draws close and the chasing begins.

This stump where I pour mineral salts gets used every year"

1723597974891.webp


It's getting worn down but is still used a lot:

1723598188448.webp
 
DeerCamp said:
I've hunted over bait in Arkansas and Oklahoma. It certainly made killing deer easier and more predictable.

And to people that say mature bucks don't eat at corn piles, you are mostly right, But they do come visit does who are eating at cornpiles.

Personally, I don't have strong feelings one way or the other, but it does make it easier.
Click to expand...
If I hunted in Oklahoma where it was drier and less humid I might not have as strong of feelings as I do....but being in the southeast and having higher humidity along with all of the aflatoxin studies that have been done, the risk isnt worth the return on investment.
 

Summer feeding of deer could be hurting turkeys.

Consider abstaining from summer wildlife feeding. We all are aware that wild turkey numbers have been in decline across the Southeast US. Research has confirmed that declining populations are primarily due to poor reproduction and recruitment, not over-harvest. Supplemental feeding of wildlife, which has grown as a common practice in Tennessee and elsewhere, may be contributing to these declines.

Wildlife managers are concerned that corn put out for deer, especially during the summer, is hurting turkey numbers. A fungus called Aspergillus flavus grows in feed exposed to hot, humid conditions. This fungus produces toxins, known as aflatoxins, that are highly toxic to game birds, especially turkey poults and quail. New research has shown that in the summer, aflatoxin levels in feed can reach deadly levels to wild turkeys after only a few days (read the full report at: https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-21-00052.)

Besides the risk of aflatoxin poisoning, other consequences to wild turkeys from feeding wildlife may include:

• Boosting population numbers of small mammal nest predators;
• Concentrating nest predators near nesting sites and brooding cover which may lead to higher predation rates;
• Unnaturally concentrating game animals (e.g., deer and turkeys) which increases the chances of disease outbreaks and spread.

Please consider these potential unintended consequences as you make decisions about wildlife feeding, especially during the hot, humid summer months.
 
Actually, deer hunting with dogs is worse than baiting, as far as non-hunter support. Non-hunters don't know when people are baiting deer. When dogs are running across their property, they notice it. North Carolina is a dog hunting state, and non-dog hunters and non-hunters alike are against it. Unfortunately the dog hunters have more money to spend on paying off legislators to keep it going. Hopefully that'll change soon.
 
Baiting...
I have hunted/guided South Alabama for years. I rarely hunt over bait while there.
Baiting and bowhunting do not mix well. The deer/hogs come in EXTREMELY spooky.

I am certain as well that keeping them localized causes both emotional and un-natural disease related stress.

I have no doubt turkeys are adversely, affected by some types of corn that are carrying toxins.

On a personal note, younger hunters today are trying to make it easier on themselves (gun hunters, bow especially ) while trying to expedite their success. I refer to this as the "drive through", or "I want it now" mentality.

Here's a thought...LEARN HOW TO HUNT.

Learn how to find bottlenecks, INDIGINOUS, natural food sources like acorns, browse, and reading winds/thermals/fronts, etc.

And learn how to shoot your weapon of choice. Practice, learn anatomy.

QUIT looking for the easy way out and HUNT!

I know a bunch of guys who buys land, manipulates it to attract deer, and sits in expensive blinds until deer show up.

I'd rather kill a young doe or buck that I hunted on that animals turf, in a natural setting, than a B/C over bait (which would probably never happen anyway in daylight because big mature pressured bucks/does rarely visit bait sites in the day!
 
So, what is the question here? The question is are you favorable baiting on your own land.
Not ,should we bait deer in general.or should it be legal
IMHO If I own the land, I should be able to do whatever I want whenever I want in regards to feeding animals on my personal property. The property I bought and paid for and it took years to do so.
Now saying that, if you're hurting the deer population in a certain region or maybe a State I think everyone should use a commonsense approach as to the harm done by baiting.
The new law passed about the Game Warden coming onto private property is a plus in MHO, although it doesn't stop them from entering if they know you're breaking the law, it's still an intrusion on a private property so feeding/baiting deer should have been included in that bill.
Personally I have 20 deer a day coming into my pasture and have no reason to bait while hunting.
However I do start to feed the deer 2 months before the season starts.I have put some 400 lbs out in the last month on 50 acres. I have deer everywhere, Oak trees galore, wild blueberry bushes everywhere. surrounded by fescue on 3 sides and water.
In other words I'm sitting on my porch and harvesting all the deer I want.

So again, should you be able to bait deer on your personal property? I would have to vote YES unless it was damaging the population of deer.
The LAW should not be able to tell you what you can do regarding hunting on personal property. Lions, Gators, Deer, Tree Rats, Coons, Snakes, foxes ,wolves, cotes etc.
Stay the hell off my property unless I give you permission to enter BOTTOM LINE!!
 
DoubleRidge said:

Summer feeding of deer could be hurting turkeys.

Consider abstaining from summer wildlife feeding. We all are aware that wild turkey numbers have been in decline across the Southeast US. Research has confirmed that declining populations are primarily due to poor reproduction and recruitment, not over-harvest. Supplemental feeding of wildlife, which has grown as a common practice in Tennessee and elsewhere, may be contributing to these declines.

Wildlife managers are concerned that corn put out for deer, especially during the summer, is hurting turkey numbers. A fungus called Aspergillus flavus grows in feed exposed to hot, humid conditions. This fungus produces toxins, known as aflatoxins, that are highly toxic to game birds, especially turkey poults and quail. New research has shown that in the summer, aflatoxin levels in feed can reach deadly levels to wild turkeys after only a few days (read the full report at: https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-21-00052.)

Besides the risk of aflatoxin poisoning, other consequences to wild turkeys from feeding wildlife may include:

• Boosting population numbers of small mammal nest predators;
• Concentrating nest predators near nesting sites and brooding cover which may lead to higher predation rates;
• Unnaturally concentrating game animals (e.g., deer and turkeys) which increases the chances of disease outbreaks and spread.

Please consider these potential unintended consequences as you make decisions about wildlife feeding, especially during the hot, humid summer months.
Click to expand...
Great article posted here. It brought up another question in my mind, so I Googled it 🤣. This may have already been discussed here. I haven't read the entire thread. Question: Are aflatoxins present and equally dangerous in standing corn? If so, the adverse effects of baiting by hunters' pails compared to the damage done by millions of acres of standing corn yearly. Standing corn isn't going to touch as much wildlife as corn on the ground, but I've seen standing corn fields in my time that deer practically live in during late summer and early fall. Nowadays, even wild pigs. Between them, they knock down a lot of corn that ends up being eaten by coons, turkeys, quail (what few remain), songbirds, etc. My point is that standing corn may be our dominant enemy in the fight against aflatoxins. Here's one article that comes right out and states, "Aflatoxin can be produced in standing grain before harvest"! Even if the "Master baiters" stop baiting pre-season, which is supported as a wise decision based on the article above", is it a losing battle anyway, considering the war is being waged in the millions of acres of standing corn? Just some food for thought.

Aflatoxin in Iowa | Iowa State University

vetmed.iastate.edu vetmed.iastate.edu
 
Falcon said:
So, what is the question here? The question is are you favorable baiting on your own land.
Not ,should we bait deer in general.or should it be legal
IMHO If I own the land, I should be able to do whatever I want whenever I want in regards to feeding animals on my personal property. The property I bought and paid for and it took years to do so.
Now saying that, if you're hurting the deer population in a certain region or maybe a State I think everyone should use a commonsense approach as to the harm done by baiting.
The new law passed about the Game Warden coming onto private property is a plus in MHO, although it doesn't stop them from entering if they know you're breaking the law, it's still an intrusion on a private property so feeding/baiting deer should have been included in that bill.
Personally I have 20 deer a day coming into my pasture and have no reason to bait while hunting.
However I do start to feed the deer 2 months before the season starts.I have put some 400 lbs out in the last month on 50 acres. I have deer everywhere, Oak trees galore, wild blueberry bushes everywhere. surrounded by fescue on 3 sides and water.
In other words I'm sitting on my porch and harvesting all the deer I want.

So again, should you be able to bait deer on your personal property? I would have to vote YES unless it was damaging the population of deer.
The LAW should not be able to tell you what you can do regarding hunting on personal property. Lions, Gators, Deer, Tree Rats, Coons, Snakes, foxes ,wolves, cotes etc.
Stay the hell off my property unless I give you permission to enter BOTTOM LINE!!
Click to expand...
You own the land. Not the wildlife using the land. So many people can't get their minds around this fact.
 
MickThompson said:
What if your neighbor decided they really liked July fawn meat or deer dogging and "regulated as they saw fit" on their land (and yours, dogs can't read maps or signs, after all)?
Click to expand...
So if my neighbor had dogs running deer on my property, they would be put on notice that If I see those dogs on my property then I will kill the dogs in question. Keep your dogs on you own dam property. That would be like having dogs running and chasing my cattle, horses etc.
As far as fawn in July, well it is the 4th of July Month and it would be great conversation at the family BBQ.
 
Just a little side note here.

Very large, intensely managed private properties are often finding they can only have a sustainable buck harvest of 1 buck annually per every 200-300 acres.

Yet many people owning 5 to 50 acres have a mindset they're entitled to kill one or more bucks annually over the corn feeder in their backyards, never minding that the surrounding 500 acres only offers everyone in the area somewhere in the ballpark of 2 to 5 bucks annually (on a sustainable, ongoing basis).

The wildlife belong to all of us, not just the person laying claim because he just placed a feeder behind his house on his 5 acres.
 
I'm not a real buck hunter, I kill 5 or 6 does a year for meat /personal use.
Killing every buck you see is not a way to hunt.
If a huge 12 or 14 pointer crosses my path, most likely it will go down if I have a good shot. Anything under that really don't serve any purpose other than a cheep thrill by an unexperienced hunter..
 
Falcon said:
So if my neighbor had dogs running deer on my property, they would be put on notice that If I see those dogs on my property then I will kill the dogs in question. Keep your dogs on you own dam property. That would be like having dogs running and chasing my cattle, horses etc.
As far as fawn in July, well it is the 4th of July Month and it would be great conversation at the family BBQ.
Click to expand...
You own the dogs at large, cattle, or horses because you paid for them. You have no private stake in the wildlife.
 

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