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Food Plots and Baiting

Bowtech84 said:
It's all baiting. But it takes so much "heart and sole" to grow food plots. At least that's what I'm hearing every year this debate comes up. Guy takes 3 acres worth of corn and dumps it in a pile it's lazy and baiting. If a guy plants 3 acres of corn then mows it? Not baiting. Evidentially because the guy doing the planting and mowing worked harder to get it done? But what if the guy with the pile of corn planted it on another farm, harvested it then hauled it to where he hunts? Technically he would have put more work into that then the guy that planted it and mowed it. Hmmmm........ Still baiting!
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very well put! for the love of ??????? there is no difference in a "food plot" or baiting, a "food plot" is the biggest form of baiting as far as im concerned but not from a law stand point i guess. A person can plant what ever they want and how many acres they want to draw the deer in and harvest the deer but its not considered baiting, but a person takes a gallon jug of salt and dumps it and its considered baiting. WT? This law is so vague that it should be done away with JMO
 
The big difference I see is farming for a living, and farming for wildlife. They are not the same even though steps are pretty much the same. I am not a foodplots guy personally. I feel it's baiting, and that is something I am not for. I see why guys do it, I don't see it ever abolished, but I am not sure I really like it. Habitat improvement is not the same, such as planting trees, grass, establishing cover. It's such a fine line trying to decide what's natural. The guys who plant plots to draw in and kill deer know who they are, the guys who hunt "natural" food sources know who they are. To be 100% honest I don't really like the "toy farmer" as I think of it in my mind. Maybe it's because its nothing like the real thing, a hobby. I will sound bitter and many of you will be pissed but I don't care. It's like my brothers that like to talk farming, give input, speculate. But I am the one climbing the wet silo or slopping they the mud and heat to make just enough to survive. I say write it clear as day. If you dump it in a pile its out, you want to grow it, I guess it's lawful.
 
Some states allow bait piles and some don't. Are there any states that don't allow food plots? Would be hard to tell that a guy sprinkled in some clover here and there
 
I think the whole "baiting spreads disease" argument is bs. If they were that concerned with spreading disease then it would be illegal to bait anytime and not just during hunting seasons. Also the idea that just because you put a pile of corn on the ground a mature buck will automatically come to it is stretched to say the least. You can ask any serious hunter in states where bating is legal and most will tell you mature bucks seldom visit feeders during the day. Now during the rut they will check these areas looking for does, but rarely to feed. I personally have seen more mature bucks in the 5yrs I have been hunting in Iowa just by getting between beading areas and corn/bean fields, than the other 25 years I spent hunting in Texas.
 
Quote:I'm not saying you but I find it hypocritical anyone who thinks planting a food plot is baiting yet has no problem hinge cutting, putting out deer piss, rattling and calling deer into their stand. Really don't see any difference.
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There is alot of difference here.Planting a food plot is a guarantee to draw deer in rattling,deer lure & hinge cutting is still hit & miss way higher percentage for a food plot to bring in deer.Not even a comparison!
 
I could honestly care less if baiting was ever legalized. If it was I doubt I would take the time or money to do it anyway but what I don't get is that the strongest supporters of keeping it illegal are the ppl with food plots?
 
Bait is any "lure." It doesn't have to be a food source. A bleat can, rattle, grunt tube, doe or buck pee you name it. I guess we all bait deer.

Watching a hunting show last night a company is now promoting a plastic fence to block/guide the deer into your stand. While I plant food plots and use all of the above I would never use this method. I would consider hinge cutting to create bedding areas but I won't hinge cut to guide deer to a stand either.
 
OK I have to chime in. This debate comes up all the time. I am not really sure why. We all know what we can and can't do. Hunt within the laws and YOUR moral values. Don't worry about what someone else does that is hunting within the law.

I feel my ethics are right up there with anyone else. I do own a farm which I have developed for wildlife. 110 acres of timber, 20 acres of CRP and YES, 5 acres of food plots. First of all it is a lot of work to do all this and it takes a fair amount of money. For what, to shoot a deer and a turkey? If that is what it's for I would be out of the game a long time ago! No, it's about conservation. For the betterment of the wildlife. The enjoyment of helping mother nature. Maybe unless you have done it you just can't understand. A very minor part is actually harvesting game. I'm willing to bet anyone else in this same situation feels the same way.

Go ENJOY your hunt!
 
Reno said:
OK I have to chime in. This debate comes up all the time. I am not really sure why. We all know what we can and can't do. Hunt within the laws and YOUR moral values. Don't worry about what someone else does that is hunting within the law. I feel my ethics are right up there with anyone else. I do own a farm which I have developed for wildlife. 110 acres of timber, 20 acres of CRP and YES, 5 acres of food plots. First of all it is a lot of work to do all this and it takes a fair amount of money. For what, to shoot a deer and a turkey? If that is what it's for I would be out of the game a long time ago! No, it's about conservation. For the betterment of the wildlife. The enjoyment of helping mother nature. Maybe unless you have done it you just can't understand. A very minor part is actually harvesting game. I'm willing to bet anyone else in this same situation feels the same way. Go ENJOY your hunt!
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Then why not just make "baiting" legal? If it's about conservation I'm sure a lot of critters could benefit from someone dumping a 5 gallon bucket of corn out daily. Sure they might hunt over it every once in a while, but on the conservation side of things many animals will benefit from it.
 
I bait all my women with food then lots of alcohol. It's all legal. My morals and standards are low I admit that. I have never had one come to any of my food plots yet.
 
Bowtech84 said:
Then why not just make "baiting" legal? If it's about conservation I'm sure a lot of critters could benefit from someone dumping a 5 gallon bucket of corn out daily. Sure they might hunt over it every once in a while, but on the conservation side of things many animals will benefit from it.
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I said WITHIN the law. I'm, not debating what's right or wrong here. You missed my point.
 
If they did legalize baiting (putting a corn pile out)would I do it? Probably not. But I wouldn't hold it against someone else that did. As I said before, It's about being within the law and YOUR ethics not mine.
 
Pointless to argue baiting (or not) here! Lobby the Natural Resources Commissioners and the DNR. See if you can convince them.
 
Reno said:
I said WITHIN the law. I'm, not debating what's right or wrong here. You missed my point.
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No, I get "your point". I wouldn't bait if it was legal and could care less if it ever was. I just call it as I see it. Food plots are baiting. I don't care that others do it but in my opinion there is little difference. Again just my opinion. Different strokes.......
 
Cooter said:
I bait all my women with food then lots of alcohol. It's all legal. My morals and standards are low I admit that. I have never had one come to any of my food plots yet.
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Yes but remember you are hunting cougars and they have no status in Iowa. I believe all methods of take are legal.
 
If people are happy with there hunting ground (maybe be it a barren wasteland with minimal 'natural food sources'), let them have at it!!! Also, if people want to invest their time and $$$$ into planting plots and doing other improvements to their ground to make the deer want to be there, let them have at it too! If you are in the first group though, you better hope your neighbor is not in the second group. Else you will be complaining the DNR is issuing too many doe tags.
 
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