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Fenn2010 t1_j1zktoj wrote

Reply to comment by Maineguy1299 in Free apples or veggies? by Maineguy1299

If your plan is to eventually hunt where you are feeding deer, be very careful how you go about this. Its very illegal to do that.

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Maineguy1299 OP t1_j1zlhzf wrote

Only illegal if baits being used during the hunting season. Have left the trough all year in the same spot, hunting around it as well. Just never used feed during the season and haven’t had a problem. But I can see where it could be a problem with certain people/game wardens

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Fenn2010 t1_j1zsjna wrote

>But I can see where it could be a problem with certain people/game wardens

Exactly this. This will greatly depend on the warden in your area. Some won't care, others will find a way to make you guilty. Most fall in the middle with the tendancy to consider you guilty until you prove otherwise.

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Maineguy1299 OP t1_j1zus48 wrote

Considering they have no reason to be going into my property, and are not able to see it from public view, they won’t have any reason for bothering me. Not sure why my comments are being downvoted, I assume by someone who doesn’t like hunting but also buys their meat from the grocery stores lol. But where as the baiting isn’t for hunting there’s no laws being broken.

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Fenn2010 t1_j1zvqc8 wrote

I think you are getting downvoted because while you aren't technically breaking any laws, you are in a bit of a grey area. You are certainly attracting them to the same area you intend to hunt. While you may not have any food out during the hunting season, they are still going to go back to your site looking for food since its there the rest of the year. Its not illegal, but its a bit scummy.

That being said, as a fellow and avid hunter, I get where you are coming from. Any advantage, even a tiny one, helps put food in the freezer, and I'd rather eat venison or moose any day than what you get in the stores. But some people don't like thinking about what it takes to do that.

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Maineguy1299 OP t1_j1zxa0q wrote

That’s where you’re wrong though, as a hunter you know deer move around, up to miles at a time during the rut for some mature bucks. Feeding deer during the winter months is just giving them the access to food they otherwise wouldn’t have in the winter months.. where as there were hardly any acorns to begin with this year, and nothing else grows in the winter months to be ate.. and the legal feeding period ends far before we even hunt our property anyway. And where as we only rifle hunt, that pushes the time from feeding and hunting even further apart.. But people will always view it as they please, and they’re welcome to that. Because I frankly I don’t care about anyone else opinions about what I do where as I know I’m within legal rights, and abide by all other game laws. You think as if a bag of grain is going to instantly alert and attract all the deer within a few mile radius to come feed there? Considering it’s the same deer we’ve seen all year on camera, they haven’t quite gotten the word out to all their friends.. when they start lining up I’ll know they got the word out.

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Fenn2010 t1_j1zztd3 wrote

You are completely right, though I will say deer in different parts of the state seem to behave a bit differently. I've hunted in the western mountains where yes, deer absolutely travel for miles almost constantly. Its incredibly rare to see the same deer in the same area because they are always on the move for food.

I also hunt in the north-central part of the state, surrounded by farmlands. Those deer do not travel nearly as much because food is readily available in the numerous corn and potato fields. I've had the same set of deer hanging around my property for about the last year or so. I have a large corn field adjacent to my property and just up the road from that are potato fields. I catch them on my camera all the time, and the doe is very recognizable as she has a certain pattern of white fur above her nose. Maybe its because she also has 2 young ones with her and they haven't detached yet, but their behavior when food is readily available does seem to change when compared to more sparse areas of food in the mountains.

Of course once snow is on the ground, all bets are off and you are right. Providing them with food is actually a good thing to keep them healthy. I don't disagree with you, just making (maybe poor) assumptions on how people (non-hunters) view food plots in general.

Still, we live in a state with some very contrasting views on hunting. Many implants to the state disapprove and would prefer to make our state an untouched wilderneess while failing to understand how much researsearch goes into maintaining the populations of animals like deer and moose throughout the state. If left alone, the populations would get out of hand and cause far more problems than good. If over hunted, we'll lose out on a wonderful tradition here.

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Maineguy1299 OP t1_j201whl wrote

Unfortunately haven’t ventured into the mountains too much for hunting, but will have to at some point, where as I’ve seen some beautiful deer dragged out of some beautiful mountains. Have a camp in central part of the state but don’t frequent it enough to be able to notice feeding patterns and what not. Most of my hunting is in the southern part of the state, not much farm land around my property, and acorn count was way down this year so food is scarce already. Thank you for understanding and being level headed with me. I understand the very many different viewpoints of people we have here and the dangers of over killing and under killing the population, I just wish everyone was able to realize the game wardens and biologist know what they’re implementing.

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ErnieBochII t1_j20cejn wrote

They let you own a gun yet you can't even control your native tongue. Perfect.

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Maineguy1299 OP t1_j20qqkb wrote

Control my native tongue? Concerned people are allowed to have guns? Cry about it.

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ErnieBochII t1_j214xal wrote

Nobody is crying except you, Carhartt. Make with the pic of your weathertek phone holder ASAP to prove your manhood.

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MontEcola t1_j1zzowc wrote

You are being down-voted because ethical hunters do not use food to attract prey. Ethical photographers do not use food to bring in the subjects. They learn the habits of that animal and go 'hunt' them. They find them where they belong and 'capture' them legally.

Ethical neighbors do not put out food to attract unwanted critter. What damage do those animals do getting to and from your property?

Its one thing for a wildlife management program to put out food to support animals during a weather event. Putting out extra food to get more animals in a particular area is called bait. That is unethical and illegal.

I down-voted over the ethics of it.

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Maineguy1299 OP t1_j200u8m wrote

Ah yes the “unethical hunter” comment. Shows how uninformed, or incapable of reading you are. Because giving deer food to survive the winter is so unethical? And no one is preying over the food, as noted already. Feeding deer in the winter months is exactly what you mentioned, the wildlife management department sanctions the dates of when feeding is allowed, and that’s been followed and abided by. Goes to show you’re just incompetent and incapable of reading, and enjoy jumping to conclusions👍🏼

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MontEcola t1_j1zyrvi wrote

Sounds like you are 'grooming' the deer. Don't let the conservatives find out. They will ban my cooking with fruit cookbook!

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Maineguy1299 OP t1_j2003lo wrote

“Grooming”? Lol if grooming is giving deer food to survive the winter on👍🏼

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