We aren't there yet.....

Well keep in mind that this bill has been "an annual feature in the Alabama Legislature and has never passed both the House and Senate" and in so much as I have read and tracked the bill the approval of the Senate has not happened nor the approval of the Governor, who, I would guess, will most likely follow the path of the legislature. Last year the bill came up for vote 3 times and never passed the Senate.

This bill also only allows the use of baits on private or leased land. So baiting in the WMA and other public lands will remain illegal.

The bill contains the following verbage in regards to section 9-11-244 of Code of Alabama 1975.

the proposed subsection labeled (b)1 says this in regards to the preceding section that lays out baiting as illegal ("no person shall bait etc...").

"This section"... (the aforementioned section prohibiting the use of baits) ... "shall not apply to a person hunting whitetail deer or feral swine with the aid of bait on privately owned or leased lands; provided, that the person has purchased, and is in possession of, a bait privilege license issued by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as follows: " ......... and from there it goes on to outline the who, what, and how of the fees and goes on to talk about the commissioner may establish Chronic Wasting Disease management zones. Also goes on to state that "...no person shall use bait in any county containing any portion of a CWD management zone or other disease management zone..."

So take aways.... baiting is only going to be permissible on private to leased land is something of a take away.

"So take aways.... baiting is only going to be permissible on private to leased land is something of a take away." This is exactly why it should not be legalized! Given a choice the VAST MAJORITY of hunters would choose hunting PRIVATE land over PUBLIC land because it is BETTER hunting in the vast majority of places. If baiting is going to be legal it should be legal everywhere and the State public lands should be REQUIRED to set up permanent baiting stations and fees charged to ALL hunters the to pay for it.

However, if one believes that placed bait is the only way to kill a deer in Alabama, then maybe one needs to reconsider their hobbies.

I’m waiting for the “Why are there no deer at corn pile” thread

Nailed it

Well your only feeding one or two deer per day, whichever gets there first. A food plot will feed day and night 365 days a year(with rain). By only feeding one 5 gallon bucket of corn every 2 weeks your really just giving the deer a snack, which is fine, if that's what you want to do. You'll spend $7x26 weeks= $182 dollars. I can Feed deer year round on a food plot for that, plus I don't have to walk back in there every 2 weeks. Human intrusion is part of the problem in killing mature deer, but if your not interested in that, then carry on.

I don't use either to plant my plots.

Or how about a white oak that's the only one dropping in the area?

I can tell you the answer. Its the same for big boar hogs too. It doesn’t make them more nocturnal, they still move when they move but they get used to the food being there so they don’t have to rush to it like the young animals do and thus most times they choose after dark to come into the feeder. Many folk set there feeder in late afternoon or close to dark to put out so much that it doesn’t get eaten at once. I don’t use feeders because I rather it look like I’m not there. I think setting a corn feeder for just before daylight ONLY works best for having a big boar or buck pop in for a look see.

I know guys who get deer running in with only the sound of shaking of a bucket or a deer feeder on a predator call.

If you hunt over a well located green field or feeder and spend enough time doing so, the big boys will make a mistake sooner or later.

I haven’t tuned in to the new changes but I can tell y’all a trick that keeps them coming by. You take a block of Record Rack Wild berry and dig a hole to set it in, thats your feeder. They will tear the place up. You set it in the ground so they don’t roll it all over the woods. It’s natural color makes it vanish too so others won’t know. Once they get used to it you can just bring a chunk with you when you go to the stand then LOOKOUT !

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsmans-choice-record-rack-deer-block

Can you imagine the safety concerns, fights etc that would develop with corn piles on public lands? You could have 2 guys hunting the same corn pile and unintentionally pointing rifles at each other. There's no possible scenario where this could be safe or smart.

I agree, allowing baiting on public land would be extremely stupid and hazardous. Hell allowing baiting on private land is stupid enough as it is. Buncha dang lazy ass hunters in Alabama who just want to pour out there corn and kill a deer so they don't have to work for it.

I’m not a big bait person myself, usually its just to entertain myself or see what or what methods work. This debate will ALWAYS go on but in the end we must remember that if it gets more folk outside, its a good thing. The trophies killed over bait will still be slim unless the hunter really puts the time in and its a good location.

If it gets adopted like it is here in Tejas, you will be looked at terribly if you protest feeders.

"Given a choice the VAST MAJORITY of hunters would choose hunting PRIVATE land over PUBLIC land" Given a choice? Everybody has that exact choice right now. All you have to do is stroke a check if you want to hunt private. Therefore, the rest of your argument does not hold water. "Everyone in the state should have to pay so that there are bait stations on state land for public use to make sure that the people that make the choice to hunt state lands can hunt over public bait stations" ? Grow up man and look up the definition of Socialism. It dont fly with me. If better hunting is what you want, work a second job, marry someone with private land, friend someone that has land, budget better to be able to afford it. There's always options if you dont like your situation. For the record I'm 100% against baiting and think the fines should be 10x higher if you're caught hunting over it or it is found on the property you hunt.

If you don't want to hunt in an area with a feeder then don't. If the club/group you hunt with chooses to do so and you don't approve, then go somewhere else.

Fine job of missing the point and knowing nothing about me and I don't plan on educating anyone.

Thanks

I’ve personally come to the point I don’t care if its legal because its not the magic potion to taking a significant game animal.

I think if it passes all it’s going to do is increase hog sightings

I don’t see what the big deal is about the baiting. A ton of people already do it regardless of the law and I dont think it’s gonna change. If your in a club the rules in the club determine if you can put it out or not and the people that have their own land probably have been feeding for years. If your place is bad off with hogs like mine you will let your neighbors feed so all the hogs will be on them and the deer will be on our food plots. Then all the locals that pour corn out under the night light in the back yard to get them some meat will never be stopped and have been pouring corn all their lives. Just my opinion but I don’t really think it’s gonna matter people are still gonna do what they want when they want

They are literally banning feeding in Mississippi, county by county, as we speak. Once there’s a confirmed case of CWD in Bama, same thing will happen.

And there is no true scientific basis for banning feeding. Deer are social animals. I see more contact with the licking branch near one of my plots (which also has a feeder) than I ever do on a particular square foot of dirt. Literally every deer that can reach it, licks and rubs their face on it. I have also seen fawns stand on their back legs to try to do the same.

And they lick each other, regardless of the time of year or presence of bait/food. Banning feeding won't change that.

So, get married to someone for their land? That’ll last...
A “friend” that is “friends” with you because of what you have is no friend at all. If that’s really the way you think, I’m sure you’re a great friend and husband.