We did a lot of cross country type flying when I was stationed down there. You guys would be surprised how many feeders and how much corn was on the ground before Bama allowed it.

The problem with that statement is NOBODY wants to HUNT and find where the deer are and go to where the deer are, they want to bait them to where they want them to be to make it easier to kill them.
It's the whole hunt, find, read sign and plan a strategy to kill a deer that most "hunters" can't, won't or refuse to do. They would much rather bait up a place they can easily get to and kill a deer, pat themselves on the back, brag around the water cooler and hurry to watch some football game instead of, dare I say it, hunt.
Baiting just needs to be legal cause hunting is just too incredibly hard and boring if I have to do all that other stuff! Jeesh!!

So, when you search and "find" the deer and they are on your neighbor's property because he is feeding them, then what do you do?

Hunting over bait will not be the most effective way to kill a mature buck, especially on land that receives any amount of pressure, IMO. Sure, it will probably happen but most of the mature bucks will still require scouting, skill and/or luck to kill them.

We already have...

I guess one could sit on the property line and be frustrated or they could hunt somewhere else. If the neighbor is not hunting over the "feed" then there is not a thing you can do. If the neighbor is illegally poaching deer over the bait then one should let the GW know and move on.

What happens if the neighbor has a 500 acre corn field with hardwoods and brushy creek bottoms and a person has 500 acres of 6 year old pine trees, does one bait their place up because they are not seeing any deer or do they move on to find something they would rather hunt?

Reason I asked the question, is Ima thinking were are going to have a bunch of openings once the masterbaiters see the new club rules around mid April

I doubt we will. Most of our 8 man group are traditional bow hunters so it won't change for them.

yep.

We have divided up our lease into a non-corn side and a corn side

Even with 24 members we rarely have a single spot marked on the map signifying corn is out.

With all that said, we may try to add a few spots next season. We need to try to improve our foodplots and this past season we didn't do any summer plots, but we had a few areas on our lease that I personally witnessed multiple deer leaving our property heading to the neighbors on multiple occasions.

But they can't get away from the wrath of a squirrel

Well let me ask you this. How many days do you think hunters scout a green patch before their woodsmanship skills collect enough trail sign data to indicate they need to climb in the shooting house that has been overlooking it all along? LOL!

If corn hunting is lazy slob hunting then so is green patch hunting. If corn feeders are unethical to hunt over then so is a green patch. They should either both be legal or both be illegal because there is no ethical or moral difference. And it sure as hell doesn't require any more skill to do one vs the other.

Yes, both are for lazy hunters, of which I have become in my old age, where I film deer more than I shoot them. A food plot however, has more benefit to the deer and other wildlife, than a pile of corn. Plots are in line with being a wildlife manager. Corn is feeding wildlife junk food. It tastes good, but gives them no nutritional benefit.

You obviously haven't hunted public land in Texas...lol.

After hunting public land in Texas for 8-10 years Texas leased the lumber co. land and then for $35 gave hunters maps to all the land...what I once hunted for free and few people knew about all of a sudden thousands and thousands of people knew about it. I trudged out opening weekend got in my stand and 30 minutes later had 4 rounds fly over my head...climbed down and sat at the base of my stand till about 11:00 at which time I went and packed up and left. There were just too many idiots out there and things haven't changed much. Also in Texas over 90-95% of the land is private so the idea of hunting in what I'd call the traditional way is pretty much impossible unless you own a lot of land.

I've read where people are condemning feeding corn and praising food plots, I will agree that food plots are better for deer, but BOTH are baiting deer. I support whatever is legal in the state/s you choose to hunt.

The point you missed was that the PRIVATE land "hunters" have it significantly better on the average than the public land hunters and yet the PRIVATE land "hunters" do nothing but complain and whine about finding more ways to make it easier for them to kill a deer (because it's never about the "hunt", just the kill) and brag about it around the water cooler. Most, and that does not mean all, but I would say the majority of private land "Hunters" want easy instead of hunting.

Just my humble opinion of what I read and hear.

baiting IN food plots.

I don't disagree but in Texas hunting feeders are simply an acceptable way to "hunt". It's been going on so long that it no longer has the stigma it once had. Also if you are on a "lease" which I am, then it's simply a lot safer to stand hunt rather than walk and stalk. I wish I owned land and enough of it to hunt in the old fashioned way but then again with age comes limits due to health and so you do what you need to do to continue to participate.

As for the state charging hunters to feed corn...crazy!

I really wish this topic would go away. I'm for feeding (baiting) and don't really care what others do. I feed pretty much year round, because that's what I like to do and honestly have more fun with the pics I get than shooting a deer. However, if that's not what someone else wants to do, then so be it. I love to crappie fish and I use a 1/16th jig head and jigs...but some people like to fish with minnows...great for them. Enforce the bag limits, poaching, night hunting and all the other crap...but this baiting thing needs to become a non-issue. I will keeping feeding the animals regardless and keep on fishing with my jigs. And yes...a dang green field is the same thing as a pile of corn, sweet feed, milo...etc. It's how someone articulates the two that differentiates them. May as well outlaw hunting over white oaks, persimmon tress, honeysuckle vines...etc if one thinks that hunting over those is any different than hunting over a pile of corn.

Dude, you need to stop baiting those crappie with a jig like that. You should just use a treble hook and snag those jokers.

Dynamite or an old crank telephone is much more effective

Actually, back to the subject, we all have various skills, abilities and knowledge. We challenge ourselves in various ways. We derive our own satisfaction by hunting in a way that suits us best. One size does not fit all. If sitting on a greenfield is your thing, then sit on a greenfield. Just don't think that everyone should hunt over a greenfield or else they are somehow inferior.

If baiting becomes legal, and you want to bait, then bait. If you don't, then don't. If you want to make arrowheads out of flint and build your own bow and string, go for it. We do lots of things to "improve" our odds like trying to eliminate our scent, or using scents, hunting the wind, using tree stands, camo clothing, hunting food sources, hunting trails, or using optics and rangefinders and so on.

At times, we increase our difficulty. We may hunt with a long bow when we could use a crossbow. We hunt with a compound bow when we could hunt with a muzzleloader or rifle, we may hunt thick woods or hard to reach places rather than open or easily accessible places, we may pass on younger deer and focus on mature deer, and so on.

I really don't see what the big deal is all about. Those that say, we don't need bait to kill a deer, well, you don't need a rifle either. You don't need crossbows or compounds for that matter. You don't need tree stands and you don't need camo. If you are looking for a challenge, then go to the woods naked and come out with a deer.

We each will find what works for us. What satisfies you, won't satisfy everyone. Mature deer didn't become mature by being stupid. It won't take them long to adapt and be just as hard to kill. Just like a greenfield, if you shoot everything that walks out on it, then it won't be long until it is rarely, if ever, visited during the daytime hours.

I just hope that if anything is passed, it is unambiguous.