Food plots vs. Bait piles

[whitetailnut]

Hey guys, heres a great topic stirring a lot of debate here in michigan lately. I've had a lot of hunters challenge me lately that my food plots are no different than their bait piles. Hah! I understand the HUGE difference here but most local hunters dont. To me it boils down to, what is your motivation for each. Having never baited, I assume you bait strictly to shoot a deer over it. Having raised many food plots, I understand the joy in watching scads of deer devour the nutrition I labored over all summer, with my finger on the trigger but not always reacting in a killing manner. What are your opinions? any and all?????????

 

[BOWSTRING]

I don't see it as any different than hunting by a corn,soybean or alfalfa field. I have 3 little plots in my timber and by no means has it givin me the upper had. Saturday was my 6th time hunting in my timber and the 2nd time I had the chance to shoot a deer. The first was a fawn by one of the plots. Satuday morning I shot 2 that weren't by my plots they were going to bed down and that was the most action I've had. Still haven't seen any antlers while hunting by my plots.
Did I plant them to hopefully see more deer? Sure. Is that the only reason? No. Mostly it's to get rid of all the crap weeds and the masssive amounts of small saplings choking the timber.
I got trees that are probably over 40 feet tall and maybe 8-10" in diameter. Some have been knocked over which creates even more of a mess. I guess I plant them to more or less clean up the timber some with something usefull to all animals instead of multa flora rose and that beggars lice stuff that sticks to everything. That and it's fun to help get the kids involved in something fun other than idiot games. If it helps me tag a big buck it was definatley earned and not givin.
If it's legal to do then I don't have a problem with it. Whether it be baiting or food plots.

 

[kurtish]

My uncle has always baited with corn, so growing up hunting my grandpa's 40 we hunted over piles of corn. Personaly it bothers me to sit over a pile of corn laid in the woods....it's just unnatural. Beyond that I don't think baiting will improve success rates on mature animals at all. If you want to shoot yearlings put out a pile of corn. In my experience mature deer always tense up around a pile of feed mysteriously dropped into the woods.

 

[buck1979]

Same difference, your creating an excellerated or advanced delivery of food in hopes to draw in more deer to a pre-determined spot, or increase the concentration at a particular location.

 

[THA4]

huge difference between bait piles and food plots

bait piles are small and very concentrated,
food plots are larger and deer can enter and use them in many different locations.

and i agree that there is no difference inhunting a crop field edge vs a food plot!

some people dont get it....

 

[nannyslayer]

I've hunted in states that allow baiting, mainly Kentucky. We always had a corn feeder sitting in the field edge, and I will tell you this, it will not give you a better edge on killing a mature whitetail. 90% of the time, once you put a feeder up, and get doe's and yearlings pounding it, a mature buck will go to another area.

Now, if doe's and 1 1/2 year old bucks is what you are after, than yes, it does give you a great advantage. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

I have a food plot that is located between switchgrass and a timber edge. It was the fire line for the CRP, and we tilled it up and planted rye there. Food plot is narrow, only 20 yards wide, but is 60 yards long. Now that food plot gives me a great advantage. Every deer on the property goes through it and feeds there. Its hidden, and a natural trail for the deer anyway.

 

[Iowa1]

Think about this: I know a guy who put three round bales together in a field to use as a blind during shotgun season. One day when he went to his blind, he saw a deer eating on one of the bales and shot it. Game warden found out about it and you guessed it... he got a ticket for baiting.

Fine line here, in a lot of ways. As far as I'm concerned, to be baiting, there has to be intent. That would make planting a food plot more like baiting than putting round bales in a field to be used as a blind.

 

[DWilk]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Iowa1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Think about this: I know a guy who put three round bales together in a field to use as a blind during shotgun season. One day when he went to his blind, he saw a deer eating on one of the bales and shot it. Game warden found out about it and you guessed it... he got a ticket for baiting.

Fine line here, in a lot of ways. As far as I'm concerned, to be baiting, there has to be intent. That would make planting a food plot more like baiting than putting round bales in a field to be used as a blind. </div></div>

Boy I bet the game warden was popular in those parts... sheesh that is ridiculous.

 

[buck1979]

I've heard this argument several times, and just can't get convinced that its different.

If your planting for $$ not for deer hunting, thats not baiting, or a food plot, its called farming.

Mature deer @ a bait never happens? I know of....at least 4 200" deer killed @ baits in recent years.

I've killed deer at baits and not @ baits, and trust me the bait deer were no easier.

I guess what I mean is food plot vs bait is really spliting hairs that should be left un split. I don't care and will admit, we hunt baits, and not baits, and anyone who thinks if you "dump a bag of grain on the ground" and hunt it with no prep, is either severly ill-informed or needs to get in the deer woods and learn a little more and rid the "elitist" attitude. Lots of us here are bowhunters. I strickly bowhunt, have never hunted deer with a firearm, but I am not making remarks about the practice of hunting with a firearm as being lazy, easy way out, or cheating...I guess there is a reason guns are called sissy sticks right? I mean how many of you can say with a straight face that hunting a bait with your bow is easier or less ethical than throwing lead at deer @ 100, 200, heck 400 yards? Heck I still shoot fingers, should I criticize 99% of all other bowhuters who use release aids for taking a short cut?

I see lots of trail cam pics here with a bait, Just so I know I'm straight on the subject, its ok to bait for sheds, and ok to bait for trail cam pics to learn the deer in your area, but if you hunt it your lame? Or how about all the mineral lick posts? Thats differnet too I suppose? Give me a break.

I killed a 199" deer not at a bait, however I killed a 189 at a bait last year, and I am assuming that means now maybe I am no longer welcome here?