• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Baiting with corn.

S

Skrause5

Active Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2019
Messages
102
So I want to start a discussion about baiting with corn. Do any of you guys do it or is it frowned upon as lazy hunting. Just curious someone was giving me crap about using corn for hunting deer.
 
Thetrueredneck said:
If it’s legal where you are at I wouldn’t worry a thing about what anyone had to say about it. IMO
Click to expand...
I think stupid not too if it's legal. It's a huge advantage.But just never heard of people thinking it's "lazy hunting".
 
I don’t like it personally, but that may be because it’s illegal here and I didn’t grow up doing it. That means the people around me that bait are poachers, so there’s a strong negative connection to that for me. Also, it sort of strikes me as a lazier version of a food plot.
I’m not going to criticize someone who’s doing it legally, but I’m less impressed with someone that kills a deer over corn than I am with someone who kills deer without baiting. It’s akin to high-fence hunting (though not quite to that level) in my book.
Not trying to knock you here; just sharing my personal opinion. (What’s most important is that you hunt lawfully, enjoy what you’re doing, and put meat in the freezer for your family!)
 
TNbowhunter said:
I don’t like it personally, but that may be because it’s illegal here and I didn’t grow up doing it. That means the people around me that bait are poachers, so there’s a strong negative connection to that for me. Also, it sort of strikes me as a lazier version of a food plot.
I’m not going to criticize someone who’s doing it legally, but I’m less impressed with someone that kills a deer over corn than I am with someone who kills deer without baiting. It’s akin to high-fence hunting (though not quite to that level) in my book.
Not trying to knock you here; just sharing my personal opinion. (What’s most important is that you hunt lawfully, enjoy what you’re doing, and put meat in the freezer for your family!)
Click to expand...
Well I don't see it any different then having a food plot and I know alot of hunting especially the lucky ones that have private land unlike me.
 
Last edited:
TNbowhunter said:
That’s totally fair, man. Not trying to convince anyone to see it may way; just sharing my opinion since you asked for it.
Click to expand...
Nah man it's all good man. You I am hunting public land for now so I need all the help I can get haha
 
Half of my state can’t grow a food plot without irrigation. Ain’t nobody gonna spend 10’s of thousands of dollars to put in a pivot irrigator for a food plot. As such, Texas has been the king of corn.

I personally don’t like sitting in one spot staring at a feeder, but if the neighbor has corn he will probably get the first crack at the deer in your area. Sitting in one spot staring at a food plot is pretty darn boring as well.

As far as “fairness” I put feeders, food plots, and even crop fields (to an extent) in kind of the same category. All 3 are artificial food sources placed there by man. The crop fields get a LITTLE more credit in my opinion because they are typically large enough that you can’t always predict which part of it the deer might use. But, they still provide a strictly defined place that deer will utilize for food on a consistent basis.

You want to point to what is most “fair” I have 3 categories that I think are TRUE old school hunting...

Big woods, without bait
Cattle grazing country, without bait
Western hunting without crop land

All 3 of those require legit woodsmanship and don’t have defined man-made food sources to concentrate deer numbers or initiate unnatural travel patterns. Give me one of those three categories for most of my hunting, and I would still thoroughly enjoy the small percentage of my food plot / corn feeder sits. Heck, I did sit one morning in an archery box over a food plot and feeder this year.
 
I'm not going to take a stance for or against baiting on a public forum but something to consider is non hunter support. As hunters, we make up less than 5% of the population in the United States. We enjoy excellent support from the non hunting public generally speaking, usually over 75%. When baiting comes into the discussion, support from non hunters drops significantly.

As the population of hunters continues to drop, we (hunters) will continue to rely heavily on support from voting non hunters. We're basically allowed to do what we enjoy with their permission. It could easily change one day.
 
If it’s legal, I don’t see where there is anything wrong or lazy about it. Takes time and work to install and keep feeders full. Here in Central VA though it means you’re more than likely feeding the crow, coon, and bear more than 90% of the time. I gave up on it because of this. I also feel the mature deer prefer more natural food sources than feeders or bait pile, but that is more of a speculative opinion.
Besides, here in VA the feeders or piles have to be removed 30 days prior to season begins. So if you’re hunting over these, you are in the wrong.
 
Being from FL, I grew up and basically learned to hunt with bait. The past 10 years or so I’ve hunted public land 90% and usually go to a non baited area if I hunt a friends private club. I’ve learned a lot more about deer since the switch. I will say, anyone that thinks hunting over bait is easy or lazy is wrong too. Deer, and especially mature deer will pattern the people and the bait areas quickly. If you think the deer aren’t moving, they just aren’t moving at your corn pile. Now, a pile on unpressured land uneducated deer can yield mature bucks, as well as very early or very late season on bait. Just my opinion. But consider these things if your hunting gets slow on bait. Throw the corn, br hunt away from it. Find their bedding and catch them in daylight on the way to feed. You’ll see more and the deer will act natural rather than a edgy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
BuckTown said:
If it’s legal, I don’t see where there is anything wrong or lazy about it. Takes time and work to install and keep feeders full. Here in Central VA though it means you’re more than likely feeding the crow, coon, and bear more than 90% of the time. I gave up on it because of this. I also feel the mature deer prefer more natural food sources than feeders or bait pile, but that is more of a speculative opinion.
Besides, here in VA the feeders or piles have to be removed 30 days prior to season begins. So if you’re hunting over these, you are in the wrong.
Click to expand...
I don't see the problem with it. If it's going to give me a higher chance at seeing deer then I am going to do it. But this is my first year hunting so I am still trying to figure out how how deer travel where they bed. So eventually I will probably wing my self off of baiting but for now I am going to do it.
 
In my state your allowed to bait on private land as long as the area your baiting is maintained at least 6 months prior to hunting that spot. I like that rule. The guy who buys a bag of corn, dumps it, and kills a deer off it is lazy IMO. Having to maintain for 6 months takes dedication and hard work so you earn that right.

With that said....I don't have access to private and baiting isn't allowed on public so I'm deer hunting al natural. I have mucho respect for anybody who can successfully harvest a deer on public in Florida
 
Weldabeast said:
In my state your allowed to bait on private land as long as the area your baiting is maintained at least 6 months prior to hunting that spot. I like that rule. The guy who buys a bag of corn, dumps it, and kills a deer off it is lazy IMO. Having to maintain for 6 months takes dedication and hard work so you earn that right.

With that said....I don't have access to private and baiting isn't allowed on public so I'm deer hunting al natural. I have mucho respect for anybody who can successfully harvest a deer on public in Florida
Click to expand...
Don't get my wrong. Definitely see your guys side of this where it takes deer from you guys. But now the pride part I don't care about. I would rather come away with a deer baiting and not bagging a deer at all so. But I still scout and everything but I am learning right now how to hunt without but for now I am going to bait.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top