The blight of feeders

[Eric Krewson]

Alabama passed a law this year allowing hunting over feeders. I suspect they have proliferated in my neighborhood, last year my neighbor put one down in the hollow about 150 yards from my little 4 acres. Before the feeder my place was a natural travel path for the local herd. After he put the feeder out my deer sightings dropped by 90%.

With the new law I suspect there are feeders behind every house that houses hunters in my neck of the woods. So far this year my deer sightings have dropped to very few.

I plant a little food plot about 25 yards square about 75 yards from my house, although it also feeding the deer I have never killed a deer off it or on my property for that matter. I keep an electric fence around the plot until it gets lush with growth. In the past when I take the electric fence down the deer are in it mowing it down that day. I have had the fence down for 2 weeks and have only seen two fawns in it on a regular basis. The wheat still looks almost untouched, in the past it would be down to bare ground in a few weeks.

I guess the deer like corn better. Rest assured, I will never put a feeder up on my place because I don't consider shooting a deer under a feeder fair chase hunting.

Having had 19 years of watching the deer patterns and natural movement on my place, I find this move to baiting and the disruption of everything I held dear as a hunter, scouting, patterning and watching the rut unfold disappear because of piles of corn depressing.

OK I will get off my soap box. I am 72 and came up through the deer hunting ranks actually learning to HUNT deer and am pretty good at it.

[bradsmith2010]

Eric,,they can cause a problem,, I grew up in texas and lots of feeders there,,
I hunted in Alabama too,, and we hunted acorn trees, with success
same in Tenn,, a good white oak could produce some deer for the freezer,,
I hunted a place in texas and put corn out in the middle of the property to keep the deer moving into the place,,
and hunted trails coming into the place,, without havin to hunt the feeder,, I like to shoot at them where they dont think I gonna be,,,, Im sure they gonna come to the food plot at some time,, best to you and your hunting,,

[PEARL DRUMS]

I wonder if your neighbor is on another website griping about your food plot changing his hunting for years and how he finally got the upper hand? 

[WhistlingBadger]

I get it, Eric.  I felt the same way when Wyoming legalized crossbows during archery season...

[Hawkdancer]

Don't know much about whitetail habits, but I think the feeders will have detrimental results on the deer herd as they grow more dependent on the feeder.  Baiting is not allowed in Colorado.  We just had an incident involving a "domesticated" mule deer buck actually attacking people who didn't feed it.  What happens when the feeder is empty?
Hawkdancer

[Azmdted]

My wife has a deer feeder set up in our front yard, i.e., her roses, daises and other greenery.  It drives her crazy as she has yet to learn that you don't fight nature, you adapt and live with it.  But, on the good side, he 'deer conflict' is what is making her happy with me getting back into archery.  Too bad she also doesn't understand why I can't shoot the deer in our front yard of a residential neighborhood.  Baby steps.

I'm sorry the pattern changed for you.  I love watching the deer in our yard, much to the chagrin of my wife.

[Outbackbob48]

Eric, it is illegal to bait in the state of Pa. except in spec reg areas, usually biggest city areas to try and control populations, I also work part time for boundary surveyor and you can't believe how many corn piles I have found on private property while surveying. Most of these places are posted No Trespassing, always wondered what they were hiding, Mystery solved. I don't like baiting and we now have CWD in Pa. and baiting and disease go hand in hand. There is my rant for today. Bob

[PEARL DRUMS]

Food plots will move CWD around as fast as any feeder will. It can spread through anything and everything that comes out of a deer's body. Urine, saliva, feces, sweat, and snot. Short answer, it spreads like wildfire no matter where they feed or how they feed or bed up. The oldest and worst area is out west where most animals never see a crop or bait pile. Its been found in the US, Canada and two other countries since the 1960s.

[Mesophilic]

I personally detest the idea of feeders and I'm glad NM doesn't allow baiting of any kind with a certain exception  to quail on private property.

I knew guys in OH who put in a feeder and game cams.  Then marked off the yardage from their tree stands with flags so there wouldn't be any guesswork with their wheel bow's sights.  They knww exactly what time the deer came in and from what approach.  This isn't hunting.

They'd try to poke fun at my stick bow and wooden arrows,  but I'd poke back at their skills as a real hunters and issue a challenge to give up all their high tech gadgets and come with me to public land to do some real hunting.  That usually shut them up pretty quick.  I'd also throw out the term "harvesting" alot, as I refused to acknowledge them as hunters.  Needless to say I got blacklisted.

I get it, for the more destitute families that need the meat, but I have yet to personally rub shoulders with someone who can afford all this gadgetry and still fall in to the destitute category.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Like many debatable topics, there are always exceptions and things that will make you think. A few scenarios that are true:

My uncle was dying from cancer and had one more season to hunt, barely, he had to drive his car down a fence row and roll his window down. Baiting gave him a chance to actually have a chance. It never happened and he died 2 months later.

My friend had ALS take over his body and he had all he could do to stumble to a tree and sit against it, scouting and tip toeing wasn't happening. I had to dress him. We put bait down for him to have his one more season before he passed. It didn't work out either and he passed 3 months later.

Sometimes we either have to expand our minds naturally, or, have enough crap happen in our life that our mind expands on its own.

Like cross guns, baiting isn't cut and dry and if I hear its for lazy people one more time I will lose my shred of patience I carry from day to day. Either of the MEN I mentioned above would hunt circles around most of us when healthy.

[Deerhunter21]

Maybe you should need to apply for a baiting permit. like a hunting permit except you don't just pay for a permit but you send them the reason why you need to bait, they check it out. if its legit it would allow a person a last hunt, it would give a person disabled in the right way a chance. and it would hopefully take the bad apples out of the bunch so instead of people thinking its for lazy people (and pearly proved this) because not all are, people will think a bit more positively about it because its helping the people that need it.

[PEARL DRUMS]

They handled cross guns in Michigan that way for years, now its open to all during archery season. Personally? I don't care two rips what anybody uses or does within the laws of their state. Good hunters adjust and over come. Simple as that.

[Mesophilic]

Like cross guns, baiting isn't cut and dry and if I hear its for lazy people one more time I will lose my shred of patience I carry from day to day. Either of the MEN I mentioned above would hunt circles around most of us when healthy.

I don't think anyone would gripe against tools and technology assisting in the situations you mentioned and many others who have difficulties.  I would even go so far as extend the these aids to children and new hunters to make their fisrt experiences memorable and help them learn to control their minds and bodies for ethical hunting.

I think the basis of discontent is how these feeders are changing the sporting nature of hunting by people of sound mind and able body who just don't want to actually hunt.  They want the thrill of the kill, meat in the freezer, but at a minimal effort cost and a nonexistent risk of disappointment.

I can respect sportsmen who need the assistance wholeheartedly,  but refuse to acknowledge the indolent as hunters or sportsmen. 

[Deerhunter21]

Like cross guns, baiting isn't cut and dry and if I hear its for lazy people one more time I will lose my shred of patience I carry from day to day. Either of the MEN I mentioned above would hunt circles around most of us when healthy.

I don't think anyone would gripe against tools and technology assisting in the situations you mentioned and many others who have difficulties.  I would even go so far as extend the these aids to children and new hunters to make their fisrt experiences memorable and help them learn to control their minds and bodies for ethical hunting.

I think the basis of discontent is how these feeders are changing the sporting nature of hunting by people of sound mind and able body who just don't want to actually hunt.  They want the thrill of the kill, meat in the freezer, but at a minimal effort cost and a nonexistent risk of disappointment.

I can respect sportsmen who need the assistance wholeheartedly,  but refuse to acknowledge the indolent as hunters or sportsmen. 

I understand where your coming from but also try to keep an open mind. For me hunting is first trying to get food, second to be out in nature and enjoy it with my family, third to be more connected with the animal i eat. Compound an high tech bows aren't bad, I would say their very good. Compared to a traditional bow i would go as far to say (differing for the hunter) they are more ethical. one because if you have a hunter that doesn't want to put the hours upon hours of shooting he probably shouldn't be hunting with a bow but we cant stop him. The compound will be easier to aim for him making it more likely for a clean shot. it also delivers more penetration power which will make a cleaner kill and if the broad head isn't as sharp as probably we as traditional hunters would like (just under shaving sharp) it will still be sure to kill the animal quickly with a good shot.

Now traditional hunters normally put tons of hours into this allowing them to take a shot that they know that they can make and one that will be ethical.

Same with the markers. They probably want to make sure they don't hit high or low. anyone could put markers by their stand, baited or not, to make sure to get a better shot.

Then baiting. This one is more flexible. i dont know their incentives but best case scenario they may depend on that meat. I know they could just buy it but you know how much roasts and steaks and good cuts of meat are. if you didnt spend your money on burgers or steaks (if you normally and got them for gatherings or family) you could do a lot more little things with your family even if its the little things like taking them out for ice cream. This is the best case scenario for me an i want to give those guys the benefit of the doubt.

[bradsmith2010]

I like that quote about never getting it wrong,, nice,,
I grew up deer hunting in Texas,, 50 something years ago,,, I shot my first deer,, with a rifle,,
I think there was corn out,, I didnt have a clue if that was right or wrong,, thats just the way they did it,,

I hunt with a wood bow I made,, and have to say have taken game in states where there is not baiting, and deer hunting was about the same,, and never even worried about it,,

I shot my first deer with a bow in Texas,,sitting in a tree with no stand watching a trail,,

I am  not going to judge anyone for hunting a feeder if thats what they want to do,,a food plot or acorn tree is a much better option most the time, in my opinion,,

I live in New Mexico for 20 years now,, and when I draw a tag,, I enjoy the hunt,,

I guess since I grew up with feeders being the norm,,, I know I have the option to hunt any way that I like,,

I could even hunt with a rifle if I wanted,, I am just having fun shooting my wood bow,,

If feeders are having a negative imact on the environment or game,, then that should be take  into consideration,,