Pros and Cons Deer feeding

There are cons to baiting though too.

1. It concentrates the animals in one area, causing them to overbrowse that area, when not feeding on the bait. This effects all the wild animals in that area.

2. Deer can become sick and in some cases die, for the fact that they are taking in too much of one type of food. If baiting, switch it up, and use different types of foods.

3. Baiting in piles can spread diseases, causing widespread disease or death. Use broadcast feeders.

4. Most the larger deer that feed at bait sites, dont come out until after legal shooting hours, they know it isnt natural.

5. A study was done a few years ago, and it showed that the success ratio for baiters, and non-baiters was about the same. Infact in some cases, the non-baiters had a much higher success ratio. They attributed this to the fact that deer pattern hunters at bait sites, and feed on it nocturnally.

So if you want to bait, go ahead, its legal, but try to do it with the least amount of impact on the deer, surrounding wildlife and habitat. Remember too though, good scouting can put you on deer just the same.

Have a good one---Matt

Food plots are a totally different story. They are great!

Secondly, broadcast feeders, like what many of the ranches use, are ok, as long as you mix up the food.

Finally, you have to take into account that deer in different regions act differently and therefore must be hunted differently. People that I have talked to that live in texas, and areas like it, usually say the deer dont have much as far as patterns. They claim baiting is one of the only ways to get them to a certain spot. Several people have said it, so it must be true to an extent. Therefore, the ranches are going to bait for the sole reason that they are a business. They need deer infront of their clients.

Do I dislike baiting? No, as long as its done properly.

Im not saying baiting is the end of all deer herds, but many people go about it the wrong way, and if they could be educated as to how to bait properly (little effect on the animals) than I would be all for it. Unfortunately the majority of baits I come across in the woods, are large 50-80# piles of corn. Thats not the healthy way to do it.


By the way, not to say that the Newark watershed is small, but if you think thats "big-woods" you'd die if you had to hunt the Great North woods of Maine.
How anyone shoots a deer up there is incredible, they cant even bait! Saw a few pics of bruisers though, and a few mounts while I was there that blew me away...all taken in GIANORMOUS woods. It made me realize how easy the deer hunting is down here....we hunt them in small woodlots, and they are as rampant as rats at a dump.