Originally Posted By: 3FFarms
I'm curious about this? It says all bait (I take that to mean anything not done in a normal agricultural practice) should be removed 10 days prior. My understanding that growing millet wouldn't really be considered "bait"...much less if it's been growing for 30-40 days.

Why can't he plant millet back in July (I haven't looked up the recommended dates for planting millet) and hunt over it when it goes to seed? Because he didn't have a nice, pretty, firm seedbed? What's the difference in what he did and throwing out wheat on a roadbed running through the cutover for a deer food plot? Scratch the ground with a rake and throw out some seed. He would be legal to do that.

I honestly want to know the answer to this? I know we covered the throw and mow before, but I don't know why he couldn't hunt this once his millet dried and went to seed? Or even before...not that growing millet will attract any birds...but would he be in violation to go sit on the cutover opening day?


First, I am not an expert here but have looked into this quite a bit and have some thoughts.

Migratory birds are managed by the feds. As such, they require all plantings that are to be hunted over to be planted in accordance with normal ag practices. This is not the case for deer and using deer food plots is a bad comparison because the same rule does not apply.

In the example above of wheat on a roadbed; that would be LEGAL for deer hunting, but ILLEGAL for dove hunting.


That's not to say that he WILL get a ticket for baiting, only that he COULD.


I am also not defending the minutiae here, just pointing out that there is a difference, and the method that he is using would count as baiting per the feds because the application of millet in the manner described is NOT a legitimate ag process or naturally growing forage. If it were either of those it would be legal to hunt.