Baiting Mature Bucks.
- Thread starter Jackalope
- Start date
Speaking of lazy, I've seen a lot of trucks parked 200 to 400 yards off the road so the guys don't have to walk as far to get to their stands. I guarantee in flat wide open northwest Ohio deer notice this difference in vehicle locations, not to mention the extra attention they are drawing to themselves parking in fields way off the roads. Its just annoying to me. Go the extra mile and walk in from the road. Your odds will greatly increase.
My buddy sent me a video from central OH public yesterday of a guy no less than 200 yards from his truck in a public lot. This was not the gem of an overlooked spot either. So lazy.
Perhaps I’ve got into my own head a bit and believed I had to bait. I literally have never baited deer prior. Not only do I feel dirty for doing so, especially after reading that it’s making a mess more than an opportunity…. It sounds like I’m pushing my ability and land backwards by putting corn piles/feeders out. Maybe I have this all wrong… but honestly felt like it was you either did it or weren’t in the game.
My property is on the edge of a city too- not an ag area. While there is a chit ton of browse it seemed smarter (and easier, yes) that trying to maintain big plots and lots of deer mouths. I’ve hunted soup kitchen properties where you had a lot of deer- rarely the old ones and always getting busted. Planned on a few plots but what could be managed (and sorry I do not consider plots bait).
Perhaps I’ve got into my own head a bit and believed I had to bait. I literally have never baited deer prior. Not only do I feel dirty for doing so, especially after reading that it’s making a mess more than an opportunity…. It sounds like I’m pushing my ability and land backwards by putting corn piles/feeders out. Maybe I have this all wrong… but honestly felt like it was you either did it or weren’t in the game.
My property is on the edge of a city too- not an ag area. While there is a chit ton of browse it seemed smarter (and easier, yes) that trying to maintain big plots and lots of deer mouths. I’ve hunted soup kitchen properties where you had a lot of deer- rarely the old ones and always getting busted. Planned on a few plots but what could be managed (and sorry I do not consider plots bait).
cspot
Member
I have nothing against it. Honestly on my private land, if I didn't bait then I wouldn't be in the game there or at least not as much. Now I do hunt on public land a good bit in Ohio.
Funny thing is I never baited until we got our camp in Ohio. The first year baiting, I thought this will be easy. I found out that baiting wasn't as easy as I thought. LOL.
I traded some manual labor for 25 bales of hay this fall. I've got a little surplus and I got to thinking about baiting techniques, which got me thinking about how I like to consume my meals. If I were a buck and I had the choice of eating shelled corn from a mud hole, or ear corn on a bed of hay, I'll take the clean corn I don't have to lick off the ground. So I decided to hook 'em up and laid down a bale before the last corn dump. Coincidentally, last night was the most active night in weeks.
The other thing I'm seeing is 3 new bucks since Christmas, 2 of them pictured above. The other is a nice 3 year old. The buck in the back has genes I've seen for two decades. That got me reflecting on the 15 years of baiting back here and how that's influenced future herd demographics. I believe if you run a bait site that they come to know and enjoy this time of year, you can influence a young buck's future decisions on where to establish his home range. This block of woods lost 3 bucks 4 and older (200ish acres) this year. These new bucks are filling their shoes. I'll stop feeding mid-Feb and will resume late July and I'm certain I'll see these boys again.
The other thing I'm seeing is 3 new bucks since Christmas, 2 of them pictured above. The other is a nice 3 year old. The buck in the back has genes I've seen for two decades. That got me reflecting on the 15 years of baiting back here and how that's influenced future herd demographics. I believe if you run a bait site that they come to know and enjoy this time of year, you can influence a young buck's future decisions on where to establish his home range. This block of woods lost 3 bucks 4 and older (200ish acres) this year. These new bucks are filling their shoes. I'll stop feeding mid-Feb and will resume late July and I'm certain I'll see these boys again.
Last edited:
at1010
*Supporting Member*
- 5,241
- 159
Good idea in hay - I’m curious if it’ll make the bait last longer. You’ll have kernels fall between hay and I suspect the deer will keep coming to nose it around for awhile. Let us know!!
Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
- 25,122
- 261
Many years ago a buddy had deer coming into his barnlot to eat hay. We had an extended period of ice and snow that year. I thought it would be a good idea to scatter alfalfa hay all over a wood lot I hunted at the time. That hay was still scattered about into spring Nothing ate it. Maybe just a fluke or my bad luck, but it was a waste of time there.
Some input from a new dumb baiter who just closed on a property in Oh.
have all sorts of browse from green briar, to acorns, saplings, bh, etc but the cleared “ food plot” areas appeared to be garbage grasses with very little for broadleafs or what I would call desired food for NY. So I “was going to outsmart” the deer with corn piles as feeders”. Again- this is all new to me. My neighbors appear to partake in the Golden Hopes Buffet Plot attraction as well. ( I think this matters ).
corn spilled directly on the ground did the most for attraction. Scented also did more than “plain”. I had a 4yo in one location most of the year and vanished during gun. One can only assume. This was one of two open woods bait settings A stump resembling gravity feeder took all the other corn to be gone before the courage to approach it started to show. Maybe one three yo. No known pressure or human presence at any feeders beyond cell cAms (and “yes” I think deer sense them or some chit like that). Mind you the stump still has corn and the quality of the bucks using it has diminished since gun. I don’t think they all died and have only seen one I’d suspect shed.
I am not sure I will have much for corn out next year. Maybe in a doe harvest location or for a any buck that has a yellow tooth… despite all sort of variables and learning ahead; it seemed to be more of a help on burning camera batteries with squirrels, trash pandas and flats tops or young without nice hats.
My 22-23 season trying corn piles trials and consensus
have all sorts of browse from green briar, to acorns, saplings, bh, etc but the cleared “ food plot” areas appeared to be garbage grasses with very little for broadleafs or what I would call desired food for NY. So I “was going to outsmart” the deer with corn piles as feeders”. Again- this is all new to me. My neighbors appear to partake in the Golden Hopes Buffet Plot attraction as well. ( I think this matters ).
corn spilled directly on the ground did the most for attraction. Scented also did more than “plain”. I had a 4yo in one location most of the year and vanished during gun. One can only assume. This was one of two open woods bait settings A stump resembling gravity feeder took all the other corn to be gone before the courage to approach it started to show. Maybe one three yo. No known pressure or human presence at any feeders beyond cell cAms (and “yes” I think deer sense them or some chit like that). Mind you the stump still has corn and the quality of the bucks using it has diminished since gun. I don’t think they all died and have only seen one I’d suspect shed.
I am not sure I will have much for corn out next year. Maybe in a doe harvest location or for a any buck that has a yellow tooth… despite all sort of variables and learning ahead; it seemed to be more of a help on burning camera batteries with squirrels, trash pandas and flats tops or young without nice hats.
My 22-23 season trying corn piles trials and consensus
Bighoun52
Active Member
Also first year in Ohio on my own ground. Observations at feeders. First deer don’t just come and stay on a feeder like I was expecting, they move in and out and don’t stay as long. Second, very little daylight activity at the feeders from mature(4+ year old bucks). Get a pic now and then but not too often. The other big take away I have is I planted good size fields of corn and beans that have barely been touched. If those fields were in pa they would be gone. I don’t know if the corn piles and such are enough to satisfy the deer so they don’t need to eat on the plots or what. First year so a lot of leaning yet to do. Enjoy the post! Any little information helps
#1 - If I'm Banks Outdoors, I'm on the phone with my attorney and we're making a claim against slander.
#2 - This is pure comedy. ODOW has decided to lecture people about proper baiting practices rather than actually nip the root cause in the bud and simply ban baiting. For me, it's proof the insurance and farm lobby is keeping baiting legal and this the DOW attempting damage control.
#3 - Don't judge me
Last edited:
Baiting deer good…..baiting turkeys bad! Still cracks me up! PROOF it’s the insurance companies for sure, IMO
Stressless
Active Member
Well said and 100% agree Jesse. At the local AG co-op Sat, everyone I chatted with getting pallets wants it banned. All were baiting WTD.
Last edited:
Deersurgeon
Junior Member
- 145
- 65
I'm confused. They want it banned yet they were buying pallets of it? I kinda get it. I bait on one property very scantily, but its in pure self defense as every single neighbor had corn out year round. Id love to see baiting banned but I still put out corn occasionally due to everyone else baiting. Is this the general consensus of others?
Stressless
Active Member
@LonewolfNopack
I went the Co-Op to get lime and rye... the corn flying thru the door got my attention as well partly based on the info Jesse put on ODNR facebook proper baiting charade they're trying to play.
- exactly the thought I and my neighbor Cliff have, the fella loading the pallet had the same and two other dudes lined up behind him, if you don't bait - keep up with the Jones the concensous is deer and older bucks will be drawn off, so one 'must bait' as many others have made clear across this and other forums. Cliff and I do not want to bait, the hassle, $, the disturbance on the property, etc. We're trying not to bait through the season and see if there's a marked difference in the quality of hunts, primarily mature bucks as we have gotten a solid food plot system in place.
I went the Co-Op to get lime and rye... the corn flying thru the door got my attention as well partly based on the info Jesse put on ODNR facebook proper baiting charade they're trying to play.
Last edited: