At this point, I should have followed my first instinct and not posted on this questionÂ… but now that I have, I will make this final post and then, not defend my position any further.
Daddywpb ask us for our “opinions”… and that’s what I gave him. I didn’t want to “step on anyone’s toes” either, but the subject lends itself to controversy and strong feelings.
I started out by saying that this was MY “feeling” about baiting. I’m certainly NOT trying to make others conform to my feelings, but I also certainly have a right to have my own “feelings” about the question. I am giving my “opinion”, as requested.
I have expressed my "VALUES" as concerns "baiting"… I never said anyone or everyone must share those values. However, this subject is a “hot button” with me… and I tend to go further and say more than I should in expressing my feelings about baiting just as I do about my other two "hot buttons"... the sexual molestation of children and wife-beating.
To me, we hunters ALREADY have a big advantage over the deer, bear, elk, moose or whatever game we huntÂ… we have nice, warm, comfortable living quarters in sleep in. We have wonderfully nutritious, hot food to fill our bellies and give us strength. We have rifles that can reach out and kill the animal well beyond our reach. We donÂ’t have to out-run and catch them, then pull them down and use our teeth or hands to kill them. We can simply aim our rifle and even at long ranges when they are not aware we've even "there", we can kill them if we choose to kill them.
On the other hand, the deerÂ’s sense-of-smell and hearing are MUCH better than oursÂ… and their eyesight isnÂ’t all that bad either, but if we donÂ’t move, they donÂ’t see usÂ… a big disadvantage for them because a hunter can sit very quietly in the woods and, unless the wind changes, the deer can and do walk up to within just a few yards of the immobile hunter and never realize the hunter is there.
IÂ’ve had both bucks and doe deer walk or feed within 30 feet of me as I sat, motionless, in the woods leaning up against a tree watching them. IÂ’ve even experimented with sounds and arm or body movements to see how the deer would react once I determined I didnÂ’t wish to shoot the deer standing, feeding or walking nearby.
As careful, successful hunters, we wear clothing that doesn’t make noise in the woods… clothing that tends to make us “blend in”. My own top, outside hunting clothing is bright orange, as required by law, but it has dark “cammo” patterns in the bright orange to break up the outline of my upper body. I wear "cammo", water-resistant "bottoms" that blend in with the natural surroundings.
Regarding the use of "bait", I probably should have said, “How you do it is up to you as long as you obey ALL the game laws, but don’t ask me to approve of how you do it even if it’s legal.”… and left it at that.
ButtttttÂ… I didnÂ’t, so here is a little insight into my feelings that may help you to understand why I feel as I do.
If you own land and pay the taxes on that land, or even if you hunt on public landÂ… you can do anything the game laws allowÂ… and if you wish to use bait or plant crops which are attractive to deer strictly for the PURPOSE of attracting deer to your rifle, then more power to you if thatÂ’s what you WANT to do and you feel it's ethical to do it. Just donÂ’t ask me to agree that doing so constitutes "fair chase".
I hunt with a classic Model 99 Savage lever-action rifle manufactured in 1953 in .300 Savage caliber. The rifle was designed over 100 years ago… the cartridge was designed over 80 years ago. As you can see, it’s not a “whiz-bang, shoot ‘em beyond the horizon magnum”… and it’s certainly not “the newest hot shot rifle” available. The .300 Savage is a little less powerful than a .308 Winchester, but it’s all the “rifle” I need since I limit my shots to 250 yards or less… and on only slowly walking or standing deer.
A hunter has the responsibility to make a quick, clean kill and not allow the animal to suffer. Therefore,. I won’t shoot at a running deer unless I’ve just “jumped” it and it is very close (less than 25 yards) and I have an “open” shot at it… there’s just too much chance of only wounding it otherwise.
I don’t use scents or scent-killers, rattling horns, decoys or anything else on deer to attract them to me. I have never shot a deer that was asleep in his “bed” nor would I, but I would shoot a deer in his bed that was wide awake and watching me if I had the opportunity.
When I hunt deer, I take my rifle and my handloaded ammo and go hunt deer… either by stalking very slowly and quietly (aka “still-hunting”) through the woods, stopping often and using the binoculars to scan ahead and to the side… and by finding a good tree to sit against that overlooks multiple, heavily-traveled deer trails that I might sit at for up to an hour (aka “taking a stand”). Then, if I get bored or cold or if there's no "action"… or if the mood strikes me, I’ll get my fanny up and “still-hunt” some more.
I donÂ’t use tree stands because I'm not as agile as I once was... and, at my age... closer to "70" than to "65", I find tree stands HARD to use & EASY to fall out of. But... I'm not "against" a hunter using a tree stand. I don't feel using a tree stand is "unfair" or not consistent with "fair chase".
After all, if you're in a tree stand, you are NOT "artifically" causing the deer to come to you. You are merely using your intelligence to out-wit your quarry. To me, this falls under the same category as being a good tracker, a quiet stalker and an excellent rifleman.
Have I seen a lot of deer using "still-hunting" and sitting on deer stands? YesÂ… usually I see at least 2 to 4 deer a day where I hunt in the Moshannon State Forest in north/central Pennsylvania.
Will I see as many deer as I would probably see hunting over bait? NoÂ… probably not. But most of us hunt for the pleasure of the hunt and the camaraderie of being with our loved ones & friends.
I’ve found this “system” works for me. I’ve been known to go out before dawn in 6 inches of new snow when the temperatures were hovering around “zero” degrees… and at those temperatures, you have to do some still-hunting to keep your toes from freezing. You’ll also find at those temperatures, the woods is very quiet and still… and, yet, it's also exciting.
Why? Because I ALWAYS expect to see deer, but you have to go VERY slow & know where to look... and WHAT to look FOR! At those temperatures, the deer are staying in their beds as much as they can. Unlike us, theyÂ’re too smart to get up and walk around in the woods at THOSE temperatures! :-)
I’ve found most hunters “still-hunt” FAR too fast and too carelessly. You can’t be in a “hurry” when you still-hunt. You can make SOME “noise” in the woods because deer make noise in the woods... as do all creatures that move in a woods, but they make noises that are DIFFERENT than the noises a human makes… unless the human SLOWS DOWN and stops sounding like a biped (two legged).
Naturally, I wash my hunting clothes, but only in plain waterÂ… no soap or scent-killing agentsÂ… and I try to stay out of the campfire smoke. None of the animals we hunt light firesÂ… and they donÂ’t stand in the smoke, either. I avoid anyone who is smoking as wellÂ… thatÂ’s a dead give-away a human is nearby.
I have participated in a few deer drives because that is one method of hunting deer, but I would not fertilize an oak tree to make the acorns grow.
I agree with Longwinter who wrote (above), “But if a human puts it in the ground and then hunts over it (in any form) it is baiting. Don’t let the politically correct change the facts to fit their purpose. Whether in pile form or food plot . . . it is all baiting.”
To Longwinter’s remark, I would add, “If it was put in the ground as a cash crop to later harvest and sell in the marketplace, then that’s NOT baiting because it wasn’t placed there to draw game to the hunter’s gun”.
Strength & HonorÂ…
Ron T.
