Baiting in Wisconsin

[banen]

The DNR seems to be considering banning baiting in Wisconsin.  I think primarily because it increases disease transmission.  I was curious what your thoughts were. 

[carbineman]

The DNR seems to be considering banning baiting in Wisconsin.  I think primarily because it increases disease transmission.  I was curious what your thoughts were. 

How many people really think that baiting increases or even spreads the disease known as CWD? Can this be proven?
The other day I heard a deer biologistic speak and he indicated they now think it is mainly transmitted by older deer. If so, that kinda shoots down the concept of quality/trophy deer management.

My idea has always been, Don't let the DNR or those "telling you how you should hunt" ruin your hunting. If we all just hunted and minded our own business, it would be a lot more enjoyable and attract more people into hunting. The old divide and conquer concept is alive and well even in hunting.

[Cheesehead]

I believe there is a time and place for baiting. It is not for every one. The existing laws are adequate. We do not need more laws. If you do not like baiting, dont do it. At one time it was excessive. Guys buying dump truck loads and placing all of it at once. We do not need to ban certain types of hunting.

Cheese

[TribReady]

I believe there is a time and place for baiting. It is not for every one. The existing laws are adequate. We do not need more laws. If you do not like baiting, dont do it. At one time it was excessive. Guys buying dump truck loads and placing all of it at once. We do not need to ban certain types of hunting.

Cheese

That pretty much sums it up for me. Just like anti-gunners, some just want to pit us against ourselves. 
If a guy wants to pay the current cost of corn, let him.
I personally don't bait, and probably won't, but who knows, maybe under different conditions..late season..??
The few guys I know that bait to some degree don't have any greater success than us that don't.

[ihookem]

If we don't ban baiting we have to enforce the baiting laws so we don't have idiots putting down hundreds of pounds at a time. I put out one quart of corn and never much more and it works well enough to get them to come in for a bit and leave. I almost never see deer on the weekends when I'm hunting because everyone over baits. In the middle of the week I almost always see more deer except this year, I saw only three. If they get caught overbaiting it should be one heck of a fine.

[Cheesehead]

I think the fine for over baiting is 500+ bucks.

Cheese

[EsoxLucius]

I have 30+ years of deer hunting experience in Wisconsin and here are my thoughts.

1. Baiting changes the natural feeding patterns of deer.  When deer have a known, consistent food source they no longer travel in search of food the way they did before baiting occurred.  Mature bucks in particular will feed on bait piles before dawn and after sunset and do not have to feed much during the day, especially in mild weather.  See # 3.
2. Baiting makes hunters more territorial on public lands.  I have been accused of hunting someone's bait pile when moving through the area during a drive or when still hunting on public land. 
3. Baiting increases shooting before and after legal shooting hours.

Baiting is not the way I hunt.  I am not opposed to other hunting methods, unless they infringe on mine.  That is what is occurring with baiting.  The baiters are affecting the quality of the hunt of those who prefer to pattern the natural movements of deer.  I am not interested in patterning bait piles.  It has been enough of a challenge to try to understand how wolves change deer behavior.

[carbineman]

I have 30+ years of deer hunting experience in Wisconsin and here are my thoughts.

1. Baiting changes the natural feeding patterns of deer.  When deer have a known, consistent food source they no longer travel in search of food the way they did before baiting occurred.  Mature bucks in particular will feed on bait piles before dawn and after sunset and do not have to feed much during the day, especially in mild weather. Then it should be easy to pattern where the mature buck is coming from and where it is going to so as to get a shot at it in the daylight away from the bait pile. See # 3.
2. Baiting makes hunters more territorial on public lands.  I have been accused of hunting someone's bait pile when moving through the area during a drive or when still hunting on public land. If that is all you have been accused of of when hunting on public land you are lucky
3. Baiting increases shooting before and after legal shooting hours. Only by those so inclined to not follow the laws/rules and regulations in the first place.

Baiting is not the way I hunt.  I am not opposed to other hunting methods, unless they infringe on mine.  That is what is occurring with baiting.  The baiters are affecting the quality of the huntBy putting out a 5 quart ice cream pail of feed? of those who prefer to pattern the natural movements of deer.  I am not interested in patterning bait piles. A simple way to get around this is to not hunt those areas, that is what I do It has been enough of a challenge to try to understand how wolves change deer behavior.

I think that we should all try to get more potential hunters interested in hunting and leave the politics of hunting out of it. I have seen food plots growing in the middle of where a wooded area had been cleared, and my first thought was, who is going to be the first to try and ban this one acre bait pile?

[buck460XVR]

I have 30+ years of deer hunting experience in Wisconsin and here are my thoughts.

1. Baiting changes the natural feeding patterns of deer.  When deer have a known, consistent food source they no longer travel in search of food the way they did before baiting occurred.  Mature bucks in particular will feed on bait piles before dawn and after sunset and do not have to feed much during the day, especially in mild weather.  See # 3.
2. Baiting makes hunters more territorial on public lands.  I have been accused of hunting someone's bait pile when moving through the area during a drive or when still hunting on public land. 
3. Baiting increases shooting before and after legal shooting hours.

Baiting is not the way I hunt.  I am not opposed to other hunting methods, unless they infringe on mine.  That is what is occurring with baiting.  The baiters are affecting the quality of the hunt of those who prefer to pattern the natural movements of deer.  I am not interested in patterning bait piles.  It has been enough of a challenge to try to understand how wolves change deer behavior.

I agree. Riding a ATV out to a elevated house overlooking a bait pile is not my idea of deer hunting. It may be a great way to "shoot" or "harvest" a deer, but(IMHO) it is not deer "hunting". To me, the thrill of the "hunt" is what motivates me to enter the woods. The successful stalk, the finding of a new "hot" trail or scrapeline, or the discovery of a previously unknown bedding area is what lights my fire, the shot/kill and what come afterwards is only secondary. Like many others tho, as long as Wisconsin says it legal to hunt over bait, I will support other's right to do so. But the way it looks, from the talk of those in the know, the legality of hunting over bait in Wisconsin is short lived.

[Ahshucks]

I did bait this year, if you could call it that.  Scattered a coffee can of corn along a trail and in shooting lanes a week before and a day before.  They're not getting that expensive gold from me in huge qualities.  I use it for heat, have 2 corn burners and a pellet stove.  Still have to fight the gasohol producers for 8 ton a year.