Kansas CWD

KSQ2

KSQ2

Well-Known Member
There is quite a bit of hoopla right now in Kansas. The wildlife commissioners recently have begun talking about attempting to combat CWD. Their talks include a possible bait ban beginning in 2023. I don’t know what this means for foodplots, I’m assuming they would remain legal, but who knows? Part of the talks might merely be gaslighting; after all I’m guessing this has to pass in the legislature and the outfitters in the state have a powerful lobby. Personally, I’d like to see baiting done away within the state, but I don’t want to see food plots go, so that could make me hypocritical to some I’m sure. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what happens.
 
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I'd be ok with every state banning hunting over bait, probably because I grew up in a state where it wasn't allowed until 2006, and then only in urban areas. I'm sure that this would upset many other hunters, though banning hunting over bait is very popular with many non-hunters and is probably the wave of the future.
However, if you analyze the many variables and possibilities of a total food plot ban it quickly becomes clear that it would be almost impossible for a state to ban planting food plots for deer, and/or for the state to also ban hunting over said food plots for deer.
How could a government entity ban planting a legal food crop like corn, no matter what the end purpose would be for the grain? Or just ban planting corn if there's a chance that a deer might eat some? Or ban hunting within 500 yards of anything that a deer might eat? Or ban hunting beside a field only if the crop was planted with the intent of attracting deer to shoot them?
As these examples show, it's almost impossible to legally differentiate between a wildlife food plot and a farmers crop field, and also, a very large percentage of hunters hunt within a deer's reasonable travel distance to a crop field.
The main hunting regulation that many states have regarding hunting over food plots is that the crop may not be manipulated in any way to draw wildlife, in other words, here in Pennsylvania if you shell one ear of corn that's growing on the stalk in front of your hunting blind you already broke the law, as many people have had to learn the hard way. And if someone commits this ear corn shelling infraction while goose hunting it becomes a federal offense, which has higher penalties and stricter courts.
So, I don't think that you need to worry about food plots being banned anytime soon.
 
I wonder why they are just now concerned with CWD? Kansas has had deer infected with cwd for years. Is the infection rate increasing? In Arkansas, within the CWD zone, food plots are allowed, no supplemental feeding between Jan 1 and Aug 31. Baiting is allowed from Sep 1 - thru the end of Dec. Our game and fish felt baiting would assist in removing the number of deer they wanted removed.

I do not live in the cwd zone - yet - and baiting is still allowed. If you dont want every 15 acre neighbor killing all the bucks you grew - your only option is to outbait they neighbor and kill your deer early in season. A corn feeder will turn 10 acres of land, barren of deer habitat, into a potential deer mecca. Baiting is part of the deer hunting culture here. While I would like to see it gone, it is expecting a lot to think all these hunters who grew up baiting are actually going to stop. We have a lot of ground that is commercial pine timberland. Maybe not an oak tree on the whole hunting property. Five year old, 300 acre impenetrable growing clearcuts that are impossible to hunt. Food plots not allowed. Shooting lanes not allowed. It can be difficult to keep deer density at an acceptable level in these areas without the aide of bait.
 
I seems funny that you can bait part of the year if they are so worried,Seems to be a big political mess. Then you throw in the snipers killing healthy deer don't they dont die of CWD.Also Several states in the west of had CWD for years and they don't bait.I have feeders out with a camera but the deer on my place depend on browse and crop fields.Warning don't go to kansas on bowsite there are a couple crazies on there.
 
buckdeer1 said:
I seems funny that you can bait part of the year if they are so worried,Seems to be a big political mess. Then you throw in the snipers killing healthy deer don't they dont die of CWD.Also Several states in the west of had CWD for years and they don't bait.I have feeders out with a camera but the deer on my place depend on browse and crop fields.Warning don't go to kansas on bowsite there are a couple crazies on there.
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NC adopted the Arkansas approach to baiting. Illegal outside the hunting season but allowed during the season. I’m not a fan of baiting in general but if they want deer killed this is probably a reasonable approach.


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Native Hunter said:
Who needs bait anyway.....

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I do. A five day fishing trip and when I came back, my two loaded apple trees, and several peach trees, were stripped of fruit and branches broken. Apples were two months from being ripe. Peaches were several weeks from being ripe. I trap/shoot 50 to 75 coons off my 300 acres each year - and it is not enough.
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SwampCat said:
I do. A five day fishing trip and when I came back, my two loaded apple trees, and several peach trees, were stripped of fruit and branches broken. Apples were two months from being ripe. Peaches were several weeks from being ripe. I trap/shoot 50 to 75 coons off my 300 acres each year - and it is not enough.
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Talk about a helpless feeling!!
 
It is all BS,it's like many other biologist have said that it has always been here and will always be here.Kind of like still having anthrax in Texas from buffalo herds 100 years.I'm not saying it's not bad but really do you think deer never lick each others face except at a feeder?Do they really think doing something half a year will make a difference especially since some of the states that don't have hardly any feeders has high number of CWD.And the one I really like lets spends thousands of dollars to kill deer so they don't maybe get CWD and die.Lets instead scatter the herds to other counties.
 
Baiting deer should be banned in all states at all times. It spreads CWD and baiting is a cheezy way hunt. No CWD is found in New Zealand and not a soul baits any game over there.
 
babalina said:
Baiting deer should be banned in all states at all times. It spreads CWD and baiting is a cheezy way hunt. No CWD is found in New Zealand and not a soul baits any game over there.
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I was just yesterday told by a buddy who hunted over there a few years ago, that when he declared he had game meat at customs after arriving back in the states, they asked where it was from. He said New Zealand and they said don't even need to open your coolers, have a nice day.
 
babalina said:
Baiting deer should be banned in all states at all times. It spreads CWD and baiting is a cheezy way hunt. No CWD is found in New Zealand and not a soul baits any game over there.
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That’s your opinion, one that will get you an argument in my state. Corn feeders are embedded in Texas deer hunting from the S Texas brush country to the W Texas plains to the E Texas Pineywoods. We have very few crop fields and in lots of places it is very thick. The S Texas Brush Country is a prime example. It is nearly impenetrable for a human. Some places in E Texas are almost as bad. Ever see a clearcut with a few years growth ? You can’t even see a deer moving through it. Different areas require different methods.
 
babalina said:
Baiting deer should be banned in all states at all times. It spreads CWD and baiting is a cheezy way hunt. No CWD is found in New Zealand and not a soul baits any game over there.
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And yet NZ haS plenty of high fence hunting. Now that’s not cheesy


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KSQ2 said:
There is quite a bit of hoopla right now in Kansas. The wildlife commissioners recently have begun talking about attempting to combat CWD. Their talks include a possible bait ban beginning in 2023. I don’t know what this means for foodplots, I’m assuming they would remain legal, but who knows? Part of the talks might merely be gaslighting; after all I’m guessing this has to pass in the legislature and the outfitters in the state have a powerful lobby. Personally, I’d like to see baiting done away within the state, but I don’t want to see food plots go, so that could make me hypocritical to some I’m sure. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what happens.
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Food plots are generally fine when it comes to disease spread. Deer will naturally distribute when feeding in any field, be it a food plot or ag. The issue with bait is the point source attractant that concentrates deer. Baiting has always been illegal in our state, long before the CWD threat. Our state was pretty proactive. The began cracking down on deer farms prior to CWD being detected in our state. They also tightened regulations on feeding wildlife. Regulations changed to make urine based deer scents illegal. Rules regarding transporting deer parts from other states were tightened.

After CWD hit, they set up CWD hot zones and CWD watch zones in adjoining areas. They increase testing in these areas and further increased intra-state transport of deer carcasses. Harvest limits were liberalized and testing made available.

So far, my county has been outside the watch zones, but they are getting uncomfortably close.
 
Out west where CWD was first found they don't bait either.So if CWD is spread by deer saliva do they not see deer licking each other.I bet more deer die of EHD than CWD.I have not seen one person prove that feeding increases the transmission of CWD.
 
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