I was stopped by the local CO as I was walking out to my truck the other evening after sitting in my blind waiting for a big buck to cruise by. Among the other “friendly” questions he asked was “how much bait I had out ?“. It took me a couple of extra seconds to even comprehend his allegation ( not question ). Kinda like asking “how much have you had to drink? “ or “when did you stop beating your wife ?”
Afterwards, it got me thinking. Why is it illegal to bait for deer ? It is my understanding it’s considered baiting if you put out scent or salt blocks, throw out corn in a bean field, or use other non “naturally occurring” products. You’re even required to remove any dirt from a salt block area a minimum of 10 days before hunting the area.
However, I CAN plant all the turnips, beets, or other non naturally occurring food items I want ! I can put down deer scent to my heart’s content. I can make a fake scrape and put buck scent in it. I can pull a scent rag around with doe in estrus urine till I’m too tired to walk anymore.
So what’s the logic in making it illegal to put out a salt block or planting an acre patch of turnips to draw deer into an area ? I can only guess some anti hunter type decided it wouldn’t be “fair” to use certain foreign attractants. Don’t know who made the arbitrary decision of what to include on the list of illegal items and what to leave off, but in my mind it makes for an interesting discussion topic.
I’m certain a CO could explain the rationale. NOT - nor would he care as he writes a ticket for a violation.
As a follow up question - if I don’t have a persimmon tree or an oak tree on my hunting property, can I bring in persimmons or acorns and hunt over the bait pile ? Same theory as bringing in apples ? Not legal ?
Afterwards, it got me thinking. Why is it illegal to bait for deer ? It is my understanding it’s considered baiting if you put out scent or salt blocks, throw out corn in a bean field, or use other non “naturally occurring” products. You’re even required to remove any dirt from a salt block area a minimum of 10 days before hunting the area.
However, I CAN plant all the turnips, beets, or other non naturally occurring food items I want ! I can put down deer scent to my heart’s content. I can make a fake scrape and put buck scent in it. I can pull a scent rag around with doe in estrus urine till I’m too tired to walk anymore.
So what’s the logic in making it illegal to put out a salt block or planting an acre patch of turnips to draw deer into an area ? I can only guess some anti hunter type decided it wouldn’t be “fair” to use certain foreign attractants. Don’t know who made the arbitrary decision of what to include on the list of illegal items and what to leave off, but in my mind it makes for an interesting discussion topic.
I’m certain a CO could explain the rationale. NOT - nor would he care as he writes a ticket for a violation.
As a follow up question - if I don’t have a persimmon tree or an oak tree on my hunting property, can I bring in persimmons or acorns and hunt over the bait pile ? Same theory as bringing in apples ? Not legal ?
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