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dummyracer36 · Senior Member

just curious about the feelings on this subject:

in areas where its allowed, how do you feel about the practice of "baiting" or permanent game feeders for the purpose of attracting game to an area?

as yet, i dont know how i feel about it. part of me doesnt feel like its very "sporting", but part of me also understands the flipside, that by regularly feeding the populations, you are encouraging better health and higher numbers.

please share your thoughts

Dummy

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

I used to bait a lot. And I'll tell you, I'd be gone all day and scores of birds would feed on the bait...nearly eating it all. And at the end of the day I might be lucky to shoot one or two of the birds. So for the loss of just a couple birds, about 100 others would get some good free meals.

It also depends on what you're hunting and where and what you are trying to get out of it. There's also legal implications to it as well. But I don't necessarily see anything wrong with it if it is done responsibly.

I mean, I used to hunt squirrels and I'd always go to the trees I knew they fed on. Now I didn't bait anything, it was mother nature doing the baiting.

And you can call animals in with imitation callers and lures and scents and antler rattlin' and using decoys, etc. So using a little food to accomplish the same end result is not much different.

yourdaddyjoe · Supporting Member

Here ya go DR36,

Squirrel calls

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchResults?searchOption=products&hvarSearchString=Squirrel+Call&storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&CMID=TOP_SEARCH_GO&x=22&y=17

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Personally, I'm not a fan of it- either feeding for "bait" or people who feed "to be humane". It gets the wildlife used to depending on people to "take care of them".

Maybe temporary 'baiting' while you wait to shoot- but leaving the bait out unattended is not something I think is terribly worthwhile.

cw · Banned

Sometimes I bait. I look at it this way. All is fair in pest control.
The main objective is to control the pests by any means necessary.

AirGunEric · Site Admin

cw · Banned

No, in my opinion, those hunters should not be allowed
to participate in the hunting season.

Jaxom · Senior Member

I've got mixed feelings on baiting/feeding animals. My financial position has me putting out bird seed, scraps of bread, ect so I can attrack squirrels, pigeons/doves and if i get really lucky a rabbit. Any other critter that enters my yard gets a free pass.

I can see why people that own land put up feeders for deer. This gives them the ablity to feed the animals special feed that can help maintain a healthy herd. At the same time many hunter use this area to place their camera's giving them and idea how well their managment program is doing.

But you have to ask your self this. Is putting out a feeder any different the planting a food plot? You're using a food source as a magnet to hunt over. I've heard many people say they'd never hunt over feeder, but rave about how big of bucks they have becuase they have an excellent food plots on their property. Same could be said if instead of bird seed and stale bread in my back yard, would it be any different if I'd grown a few extra sunflower or stalks of corn and not harvested them, allowing the wild life to come help themselves?

Jax

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

My dad and I planted some clover food plots for deer before, but when it came deer season we didn't hunt on those plots.

cw · Banned

I don't bait or feed deer. That would be too much like farming
and I'm not a farmer. I just go out very quietly into the woods
and shoot the first good one that I chance to happen upon.

kanyon · Silver Status Member

Just think of it as a last meal

yourdaddyjoe · Supporting Member

dummyracer36 · Senior Member

i brought this up because the neighbor i give the squirrels to, mentioned that i should throw peanuts around my yard to attract them. if they were pests, i might feel different, but they are not pests and i just dont see the sport in doing this.
althou some very good points have been made here, some that i hadnt even thought of in this context, thanks for the input guys!!!

Crosman140 · Senior Member

Baiting squirrels is like baiting a mouse trap. Squirrels are rodents and pests. Just because they don't hang out in your garbage cans like rats doesn't mean they are not pest.

If you don't put cheese on a mouse trap, you may catch the mouse, but your chances are greatly reduced.

BirdMan · Member

when Im hunting for chukars or quail, I dont bait, but sometimes I accidentally drop some potatoe chips lol.