Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Hunting Sucks Now

Here's a scenario that played out the past two years.

Last season, my son was 13 and got to start sitting on his own for the first time. He was after his first buck, and solo at that. He passed on a few opportunities at small bucks hunting with me the year before, and was waiting for one he would be proud of. I could care less how big the buck was, but he decided that. He hunted his rear end off, scouted, worked and worked, hung in there, sleep deprived, and come rut it paid off and he got a nice 8 point, very heavy mature deer. Took him 30-40 stand hours.

Fast forward to this year. I put a feeder on the edge of a small green field this summer that historically didn't produce all that well. I filled it up every 3 weeks or so. First and only feeder I have ever put out. Lots of tracks around it. I suggest we go sit there this weekend, for the youth hunt. He agrees. We get in the stand 30 minutes before daylight, and 30 minutes later there is a very nice 8 point standing under the feeder. He made a good shot and the rest is history.

That's the difference right there, summed up in one boy's experience. It's flat out easier to kill a good deer with a corn feeder, that is a fact.

I don't personally care how folks hunt, that's their business. Baiting will change the way deer have historically been hunted in Alabama. Positive or negative depends on one's personal beliefs, but it's night and day different than not hunting over bait. A greenfield is a growing food source, not a bait pile.

He's right you know...

First of all I will preface this by saying I hardly deer hunt anymore. Nor do I hunt over corn when I do. And I don't care if you do or don't.

But I'm surprised you fail to see at least a fair argument that distinguishes food plots from baiting over corn.

Once you start shooting deer over your bait station, tracking them after the shot, and changing out the cameras bi weekly and the deer stop coming to that part of the property, you simply move your feeder to the other side of the property where the deer aren't spooked. After those deer get spooked, you move to a third spot and so on and so on.

But once you booger up a food plot after over hunting it and shooting at deer, tracking deer, and changing trail cams you can't just move on unless you have more food plots you haven't hunted.

Food plots require more "consideration" unlike bait stations.

So yes, the debate involves elements of fair chase.

Whether you agree with it, that's the way that it is and how lots of people perceive it.

A greenfield is a growing food source, not a bait pile.

Ethically, it's no different. But if that makes you feel batter to think otherwise then that's fine. Not an issue.

Even though I think grown men baiting deer is silly and totally unneeded to kill deer in Alabama and I refuse to do it, my response had nothing to do with ethics.

Even though I think grown men baiting deer is silly and totally unneeded to kill deer in Alabama and I refuse to do it, my response had nothing to do with ethics.

You stated an opinion, and I refuted it with fact.

Simple.

Whatever. You win. Feel better ?

Fact - Currently, hunting over bait is just as legal as hunting over a food plot. Hypothetical's like CWD have nothing to do with the current state of the law. Everything else is window dressing.

Nothing else needs to be said.

I'm knocking on fifty.