Bears have destroyed 2 of my feeders in Tennessee. Spin corn during the day and the turkeys eat it. Spin it at night and the raccoons hammer it. Between the bears, raccoons and turkeys, feeders just aren’t worth it for the few off-season buck pics I get.
Georgia Baiting
- Thread starter THE LLC
- Start date
Bears have destroyed 2 of my feeders in Tennessee. Spin corn during the day and the turkeys eat it. Spin it at night and the raccoons hammer it. Between the bears, raccoons and turkeys, feeders just aren’t worth it for the few off-season buck pics I get.
Charleston Treeman
Well-Known Member
We have run about 8 feeders on 450 acres for the past 5 years on our lease. Food plots don't do so well in the sandy soil and we don't have the monetary resources to do them properly. That being said we have killed exactly 2 deer off of those feeders in 5 years. Both were shot by young hunters. IMO feeders are no different than plots. They are a tool we use to supplement the nutrition of the herd and attract them to our property.
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THE LLC
Well-Known Member
I was running the numbers, and at $5/bag for corn (I know it's even more), I don't see how you can justify feeding enough to do the deer any good---and just feeding corn ain't gonna do them a whole lot of good. And, if you do it year round enough to make a difference, good lord.
Charleston Treeman
Well-Known Member
So because you can't justify it no one should do It?
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THE LLC
Well-Known Member
No. Showing that I won't do it because I can't justify it. For less than $4k/year I can kill a monster in Kansas and let the outfitter worry about all the plots, feed, etc. He'll even set the stands, scout, etc. and all I have to do is pull the trigger----kinda like sitting over a bait pile.
Charleston Treeman
Well-Known Member
Not all of us have the monetary resources that you do to be able to afford thousands of dollars to fly across the country and hunt 1 deer. I can assure you we do a hell of a lot more then just dump out a pile of corn and shoot anything that is brown on our lease. I have spent many weekends with a push mower in food plots cause its all we havr to use. Your attitude towards your fellow hunters is insulting. I hate dog hunting, but I don't go around calling them lazy and horrible hunters cause they use dogs to push deer. I just don't participate. If you don't want to use feeders that's fine. You don't have too, but being rude to those who don't follow your idea of what a perfect hunter should be is wrong. We all want the same thing. To enjoy ourselves in the outdoors. Shame on you for denigrating your fellow outdoorsman......End of rant.
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We have been able to bait in Oklahoma forever. I have killed exactly 1 mature buck off of a feeder BUT I have many trail cam photos of mature bucks during shooting hours when I am not there. I rarely hunt near a feeder as you can burn them out quickly and turn the visits to completely nocturnal. The feeders will still attract deer but it will be at night. The best way to hunt a feeder is as has been said before...100-200 yards away from it...
THE LLC
Well-Known Member
I'm with you, that's why I think we should have year-round deer hunting also. Let people hunt how they want to. If you want to shoot bucks with hard antlers, wait til November, velvet racks, August, or if, like me, you want the meat, early summer when you can get a 20 lb fawn. I mean if hard-antlered bucks are your goal, nobody says you HAVE to hunt the other times of year. The government shouldn't be controlling how we hunt. It's a basic right.
THE LLC
Well-Known Member
Or set it for day-only.
THE LLC
Well-Known Member
Yeah, but we made sure this outfit had non-baited areas to hunt. But, hey, if I'm not seeing anything, move me to the pile!!!
You could also substitute the word “hogs” for “bears”.
Elkaddict
Well-Known Member
I get a lot of satisfaction seeing my plots grow and attract all kinds of wildlife. I’d miss it...a lot. I hunt TX most years which means supplental feed plays into the equation. I hunt western states most years which is strictly spot and stalk....and enjoy it. Even hunted over dogs once in SC—-it was riot. I’ve enjoyed it all and see no reason to criticize others methods or traditions, and for some, tradition is a big part of it.
I don’t bait in NY because it’s illegal. Not sure I would if I could.... in any event, the bears would destroy any spin feeder I’ve ever seen. I bet even some of the big gravity protein feeders would get tipped over.....
I don’t bait in NY because it’s illegal. Not sure I would if I could.... in any event, the bears would destroy any spin feeder I’ve ever seen. I bet even some of the big gravity protein feeders would get tipped over.....
Doesn’t matter. Feeder I get most action at is an on demand feeder which means it’s available any time. Deer don’t come to the feeders by the timer. They show up when they feel safe.
Been able to bait in SC my whole life. Most of my friends put out corn piles, but most of my friends aren’t serious deer hunters.
It’s definitely an easier way to hunt. I’m not sure how that’s debatable. It’s not the same as growing a food plot for the simple reason that it’s much easier. People here literally go drop a 5 gallon bucket of corn in a firebreak and shoot the first 4 pointer that comes out. Doesn’t bother me one bit, but also not something I’m interested in.
It’s definitely an easier way to hunt. I’m not sure how that’s debatable. It’s not the same as growing a food plot for the simple reason that it’s much easier. People here literally go drop a 5 gallon bucket of corn in a firebreak and shoot the first 4 pointer that comes out. Doesn’t bother me one bit, but also not something I’m interested in.
Semisane
Active Member
I have three small plots with two box stands (one of the stands overlooks two plots in a "V" formation). I have a spin feeders on each plot that throw 1.5 pounds or corn every morning and evening. The stands are about 125 yards from the feeders. They are screened by natural vegetation and are approached by a path such that I can not be seen entering or exiting the stands. I hunt those stands every weekend during out three-month long season and it's a rare occasion that I sit in the stand without enjoying watching deer come to the feeder, graze on the plot and interact with each other and other animals like turkeys, coons and an occasional bobcat. OH, and I generally shoot two or three of those deer each year.
Am I a lazy hunter? Well, it depends on your view. The actual hunt is laid back and lazy. The work and time spent on those plots is anything but lazy. In the end it's all about what you enjoy. When I was younger I enjoyed creeping the public wildlife management areas and swamps and dragging deer out a half mile or more. These days, I enjoy a different approach.
Am I a lazy hunter? Well, it depends on your view. The actual hunt is laid back and lazy. The work and time spent on those plots is anything but lazy. In the end it's all about what you enjoy. When I was younger I enjoyed creeping the public wildlife management areas and swamps and dragging deer out a half mile or more. These days, I enjoy a different approach.
THE LLC
Well-Known Member
Hogs are worse.
Didn't mean to cause a lot of drama. I just thought in my opinion a food plot is baiting deer also. I do food plots and have feeders. I killed my bigger bucks out of food plots and AG fields. I have never killed a buck over a feeder.But with that said I would in a heartbeat if it was a shooter and I would be fine with it
I do think folks get too concerned about what other people are doing. A lot of states allow baiting so hunters can kill more deer and keep the population in check. If ease of killing a deer is a consideration for what method should be legal or not - I mainly bowhunted with a little ML hunting the past 15 years. I picked up a centerfire rifle to deer hunt with the first time in fifteen years. The centerfire rifle makes it infinitely easier. There is much greater disparity between bow and rifle than food plot and feeder.
