When you legalize baiting and have no enforced limits then it becomes about the number of squares in an area……Hunters will flock to good areas to occupy any square they can……and there’s a lot of little squares around Union Springs, Aberfoil, Midway, etc……I bet you that every black family in Bullock Co with a backyard has been approached by someone wanting to know if they can set up a feeder and hunt….I know this is happening because I get called out to track the deer that get shot on them and I see the feeders and corn piles for myself…..I wouldn’t call that “anecdotal”…..I just had a call a few days ago from a hunter on 2 acres that gut shot one that I had to turn down because of lack of permission on other properties.
I think everyone agrees with you that the 2 acres with a feeder are a big problem, but from an age structure perspective not total population issue.
If all I owned was 2 acres and had deer around the area and set up a feeder to kill a deer or 2 and it caused you to have issues with it, you could put your issues in one hand and shit in the other and mash em together. It’s no ones business what I do in my property. People need to worry about what they can control. Heck if you think I killed a deer or 2 too many on my property, shoot a deer or 2 less on your property if you’re worried about the population. It’s really pretty simple.
If you own two acres and feeders are legal, I blame the state not you. That is the point.
Because the state made it possible for the small guy to finally compete with the big guys? I’d be willing to bet my retirement that the guy with 2 acres has not killed near as many deer since baiting has become legal as the big “hunting clubs” have killed in the same time period or before. Sure I agree there could be a population problem but I have a hard time believing it’s the small landowner. Heck the first couple years we hunted in Conecuh/Butler co. we were surrounded by big dog clubs. We would kill 10-15 deer a year and they would tell us they were killing 2-300 between the 50 members they had. Who was hurting the population more? The small guys or the big guys?
It's hard to kiss the lips at night that chews your a$$ all day long.
