SHOULD YOU BE ABLE TO DEER HUNT OVER FOOD PLOTS ???

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Crockett&boon
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SHOULD YOU BE ABLE TO DEER HUNT OVER FOOD PLOTS ???

Post by Crockett&boon »

THINKING about hunting today turkey,dove,ducks and a few others hunting here in tennessee you can not hunt over any kind of food plots for these animals REALLY they treat it like you shot something out of season here witch brings me to another question can't hunt other game over food plots....why deer???? it really makes any sence my thing is that it must be big money for the state and gov. to let us hunt over food plots for deer love to hear your 2cents on it
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Grizzly Adam
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Post by Grizzly Adam »

Wow. That's wierd. In NC (and most other states that I know of) you can hunt anything over food plots ... as long as it's a "natural" food growing in the ground and left standing, including domesticated crops. You can't bait most wildlife, as in dumping piles or using feeders ... but food plots aren't a problem.

It is hard to be entirely consistent in forming, passing, and enforcing game laws. After all, the question might well be asked as to whether it's really "natural" to find a stand of clover or mixed greens in a cut-out clearning in the middle of a hardwood forest!

In the end, you just have to live with the laws that are ... but they can be changed. We changed one here in our county (NC has county laws too) ... and I was at the head of it. It takes work and time, but you can make things different than they are, if enough people agree with you. Here, it has to be a county resolution submitted by the commissioners to a representative who must approve it and present it to the general assembly. It must pass in the house and the senate, and subsequently be ratified.

If you're really interested in changing things, I'd suggest starting with petition work ... hammer out a clear statement about what you'd like to see changed and why ... and get signatures of voting age residents with names, addresses, and phone numbers. Just scribbled names won't do. Get proper signatures and count them and copy them and go to whoever's in charge of possible change ... and you're off and running.

Good luck!
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Crockett&boon
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Post by Crockett&boon »

here like dove season a crop must be up 7 days befor you can hunt dove on it crazy
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Esox
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Post by Esox »

Here you can bait for deer but you can't bait for anyother game animal....

But the rules keep changing... For most of the years I've been hunting you couldn't bait at all, but then a few years ago they changed the rules and allowed hunting near a bait pile (no closer than 100 yds). Now if you want to you could sit right in the bait pile.... The rules just keep changing....
Woody Williams
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Post by Woody Williams »

Sure you should be able to.

It then becomes a "shooting plot" instead of a food plot.

Doves? They are migratory and covered under federal regulations. Same with waterfowl..
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Fox
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Post by Fox »

In Ontario the only things you cannot bait are turkeys and migratory birds.
xbowking
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Post by xbowking »

I think it all boils down to if the animal being hunted has a really high population and stable numbers over several years , in Ontario here we can bait for deer , bear , cant hunt over bait for ducks and geese unless it was already in the field , Heres a funny thing a few years ago these guys i guess thought they were smart so they took the small 500ml water bottles and spreayed a whole bunch yellow to look like cobs of corn and spread them out in a field with there decoys , aparently you cant use false bait either because they got charged for baiting , you can use fake ducks but you cant use fake corn .
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Post by Kenton »

your right on the money xbowking, the reason is that most deer populations are too high and the states love to let more deer be harvested without having to change bag limits or seasons. Here in Ohio, doves can't be hunted over bait that wasn't grown at the site for agricultural purposes. This simply limits the total number taken so the situation is much less likely to occur that in one year a monumental harvest happens and the populations could be in trouble.
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Boo
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Post by Boo »

One of the reasons you can hunt over bait is that it really isn't super affective for deer. Deer are not easily patterned. Baiting deer does not guarantee a deer visit on any day. If anything game cams are far more affective in patterning deer. Waterfowl is the opposite. They can easily be conditioned with bait. That yellow plastic bottle is an old poacher's trick that has been around for ever and charges have been laid for it for ever too. Bait for waterfowl practically guarantees shooting. I am amazed that they allow us to use the robo duck, now that works really well for getting ducks into pass shooting range.
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Crockett&boon
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Post by Crockett&boon »

still seems odd i think their are far more dove,and ducks than deer for sure
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Huntinfool

Post by Huntinfool »

I've seen this question a dozen times at least!

It goes without saying you must obey the laws even if they are stupid.

As far as ethics go I see no difference in hunting over bait or a food plot than I do hunting in a stand of white oaks. We all know that deer favor white oak acorns over all other foods!

I've had people say I was unethical for shooting a deer in his bed it wasn't fair chase to shoot a napping deer! LOL!

I know it sounds crazy but it did happen over on RFC. I say as long as it is legal go for it!

The deer already have the advantage on us with superior smell, hearing, sight, and physical ability to run away!

~HF~
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wabi
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Post by wabi »

I try to have 1 - 3 small food plots for deer every year. They usually attract does & fawns all year long, but bucks are seldom seen during daylight after late September or early October. It's a good way to get a doe for the freezer, but if you're hunting for a good buck, very early in the season and perhaps the pre-rut when they're checking does frequently are about the only times the food plot is worth hunting.
I enjoy the weeks just before season opens. I usually get several pictures of does, fawns, and bucks at the food plot.
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crazyfarmer
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Post by crazyfarmer »

I see no issue hunting over food plots as long as the foods somewhat natural and actually grows. Now putting out feed such as apples, corn, and etc in piles is a different type of hunting here in Va. Its not legal to hunt over bait. Any mineral blocks have to be gone before Sept 1st here also.

huntnfool, white oaks are natural and deer have fed on them for years. Its hard to place a stand in a 100 acre white oak forest as to hunting over a 10x10 baited corn pile or apples :lol: The biggest factor that comes to mind is hunting area. Your chances increase greatly with apples and etc since you know they will come directly to that spot. Its hard to pick one white oak tree in the whole woods to hunt over. If you do, its a hotspot no doubt, but its still 100% natural :wink:


I havent ever really had good luck hunting over personally planted food plots. I always have better luck hunting oak flats and soybean fields we plant to thrash 8) I guess im still hunting over foodplots, just 200 acre ones :D
Huntinfool

Yes Sir!

Post by Huntinfool »

My point exactly...

"I guess im still hunting over foodplots, just 200 acre ones."

What if they are eating in natural apple trees or corn fields planted every year by farmers.

We usually don't have 100 acres of white oaks here in West Virginia. They seem to be in smaller sections.

I myself don't hunt over bait of any type but that's not saying that I wouldn't!

It's legal here so I might at some time in the future!

I guess I'm of the belief that whatever is legal is ok by me! I've seen way to much in-fighting over little stuff like this!

~HF~
Last edited by Huntinfool on Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Woody Williams
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Post by Woody Williams »

Bait is a poor man's food plot.

Contrare on killing a good buck off of a food plot/bait. During the rut that buck will be where the does are at..

If that hot doe is hitting the food plot/bait that buck will be close. maybe even clssoe enough to arrow/shoot.
Woody Williams

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