What's everyone's input on legalizing baiting in Virginia; the pro's an con's of baiting they allow baiting in Maryland and also North Carolina.

Beardbuster84..are you talkin about baiting Bear or Deer here in Va?

Deer or bear.

I'm firmly opposed to it.....it's lazy slob hunting that reflects poorly on all hunters. I hunted in eastern NC swamps and killed plenty deer without baiting or dogs. I heard all the bellyaching about how deer can't be killed in the swamps/pine thickets without bait or dogs, and it's just not true. It takes a little bit of effort, and plenty of guys put that effort forward.

Beardbuster84, what is your stance?

I am not fore baiting either bear or deer here in Va...just my 2 cents worth...

I forgot to add...not baiting Turkeys either...

I'm against baiting as well.

Bear - Virginia does not have enough room to be baiting bears. Baiting would lead to bears coming to houses and cities for a quick meal and some real serious problem bears. On top of that I would much rather go after them with some woodsmanship, knowledge and know how instead of watching a can of sweet cakes or rotting meat.

Deer - We are doing our best to keep disease out of our deer herd. I applaud Virginia for that. Baiting has lead to higher disease in deer herds. See above about woodsmanship, knowledge and know how.

My stance would be absoluty not on all bird game species i don't have the bears to deal with. In the part of the state where i live, I can see where tsott was saying attracting them would bring them into residental areas, as for deer i wouldn't mind seeing it get passed i don't do the whole deer an dog thing deer are pushed so hard here in the county were i stay, there only moving late.

I hope I never see it.

Would be really interesting to know how many deer currently in the trophy books in all the states were taken over bait. I know in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas baiting is legal and many many outfitters employ that technique in order to kill trophy deer for their clients. Ditto for most of the trophy bucks killed in Canada.

Guess in some folks minds it comes down to money and ethics. What is the difference between growing a wildlife foodplot and putting out corn or minerals? Difference is perceived ethics. Not ethical in many states to shoot over bait/minerals, but there is no problem in hunting over a footplot which was put there only to draw in wildlife to kill same.

I think to be truly ethical in every sense of the word, you probably shouldn't be allowed to shoot deer over a footplot grown exclusively for game animals. This of course doesn't apply to corn/alfalfa etc which was grown for agricultural use.

Appreciate thoughts on the above. It is an interesting discussion indeed.

PS. Folks will find this article quite interesting and check out that pile of corn:

http://ahunterstales.com/2010/03/24/the ... ood-plots/

Very well put tut..

They're are many distinctions that can be made between foodplots and baiting. I don't hunt over either but I have no objection to food plots for those that want to put the time, effort and expense into growing them.

-the amount of an attractant that a food plot becomes is directly proportional to their size, not so with baiting. For a food plot to regularly attract deer over any length of time, it has to be large enough to grow the food. That typically means acres. Deer approach foodplots as they would any other natural food source. One feeder can be refilled regularly and attract deer all season. And they come running like a dinner bell. Unlike a foodflot it is not a habitat enhancement. You can pinpoint deer to within bow range by baiting. And studies have shown that baiting degrades natural habitat because there is typically an unatural browse line within the vicinity of feeders.

I don't have any food plots on the property that I hunt but 5 years ago the land that adjoins the land where I hunt was sold. Its 170 acres and the new guys started planting a big food plot the year they bought it. I am all for the food plots for deer and the game cameras tell whats there. I've been hunting this property for 25 years and my permanant tree stand is 80 yards from the fence line. Those guys who have planted the food plot would die if they knew the bucks that I have taken that have crossed their field and jumped the fence onto the property that I hunt. So I guess I'm all for food plots.

Brian

Striker...I would send the new land owners a Christmas card and not tell them why