Doing a disservice?

[EmbryOklahoma]

Do you ever feel that a lot of hunters do more harm than good to their hunting areas by putting up feeders and putting in food plots or both? Also, do you feel that in the process, they educate a lot of mature deer, which in turn lessens the chance at them harvesting certain mature deer? Or do you feel the plus minus isn\'t enough to warrant educating deer and results would be the same regardless of a hunters method of hunting/setup?

My successes have come without using feeders or putting in plots. Simply, hunting them as natural as possible. Now, by saying this, I also want to say... This is not an avenue to put myself or anyone on a pedestal and not trying to make division here. I\'m asking all of you guys/gals your feelings and history on this subject.

Thoughts?

 

[iccyman001]

This subject can definitely press some peoples buttons, so I will give my disclaimer. I do not look down on or think less of people who hunt over feeders, but it is not my cup of tea. I know people who hunt over them simply for the meat. They are hard workers who have no time to put in scouting time or too much stand time. So they throw up feeders and a camera, find when he bucks or hogs are hitting it, sit in there for a day and kill a deer for their freezer.

Hunting to me has become my lifestyle. A lifestyle that I have brought my entire family (wife and dogs) into.
No, they don\'t hunt, but they take part in my scouting, season prepping, trail camera hanging and reviewing, shed hunting, stand/lane trimming, and of course the eating of the \"end result\".
What I am getting at is hunting for me is about every aspect. It\'s not 4 months a year, it\'s 12 months a year for me. I put in countless hours to hunt, pattern, and find them in their natural environment. That to me makes the experience so much better.
On top of that, I also do this all on public land. So even once I think I have them all figured out, now add anywhere from 1-100 extra hunters and your game plan immediately goes to plan B, C or X. I love being flexible and making it all come together.

Hunting over a feeder would not give me this same experience. It\'s more like \"I like this spot, let me have a feeder here and bring them to me.\"


Do I think feeders are educating deer? Absolutely.
You\'ve added a new \"food source\" for them. That is going to get stuck in their brain and they can always have that spot noted. So if they are in great need of food, they could instinctively go there.

To me this throws their whole pattern off. Think about it. They have bedding areas, food sources, water, and travel routes.
If you throw a feeder somewhere in the middle of this then it throw them for a loop.

In the end, the feeder just takes away all of MY fun.

 

[mtnmutt]

I have no experience hunting in a state where baiting is allowed. CO does not allow it and I much prefer it that way.

For my extremely limited knowledge, I believe baiting and feeding is a disservice to the animals. Animals congregating in small areas may lead to the spread of disease more freely than if they all feed in a more natural environment. 20 years ago, were all these deer diseases so prevalent? That is my 2 cents.

The mule deer in my neighborhood look pretty healthy eating our landscaping bushes and plants :shifty:

 

[timberland]

I don\'t hunt over a feeder, that\'s illegal in WI, although limited baiting is allowed in some areas. I do however, put in food plots on my own property, not that I think I kill more or bigger deer because of it. I enjoy the process of plotting and habitat management and I think I am providing some nutritional value to the deer on my property. I hunt over my plots, but not exclusively, and I don\'t think I\'ve ever shot a deer in them. But it does keep deer on or near my property year round, something that wouldn\'t occur without the plot.

As far as educating mature deer, I don\'t think the presence of a food source, bait, plot, field or acorn tree \"educates\" deer. The sloppy presence of man, a threat, educates deer. A deer don\'t see a five gallon pail full of corn hanging from a tree and think \"a man put that here for me, and I am in danger.\" I do believe baiting and plotting and habitat manipulation can make a mature deer more vulnerable by altering habits or concentrating rut activity to a certain area.

 

[EmbryOklahoma]

Timberland, that is exactly my point on educating. I don\'t think I explained it well enough. I think it should go without saying, if you\'re are tending food plots or feeders then your presence will surely educate the animal you\'re hunting.

Like I said above, his not about dividing hunting styles or elevating ones hunting status.. It\'s a discussion about doing a disservice. Maybe I should just shut up. ??

 

[timberland]

It is a slippery slope. The argument goes from feed to treestands to compound bows to tracking dogs....I think the disservice to the wildlife does not come from the stewardship of the land, and that includes baiting, but from hunters attitudes toward the wildlife and the hunt itself. Every person that holds a harvest permit is not a \"hunter\" in my book, and that judgement comes from their attitudes and actions more than the style of hunting they partake in.

Had a guy park outside my archery shop and wait for me to come out to meet him in his truck. Turns out he had emphizema (sp) so bad he couldn\'t take more than a few steps at a time, and that was with an oxygen tank. He wanted to bowhunt dearly and asked if I thought it was possible. I sold him a crossbow, sighted it in for him and had him take a couple shots. Told him that he could set out some bait and park his wheeler a hundred yards or so away. Every day he would put out a little corn and sit on his wheeler, moving it a little closer each day. After about ten days or so I got the \"tracking\" call. He needed help retrieving a doe he had shot.

Now granted he missed out on a lot of what I enjoy about bowhunting, but inside the law I am very cautious about labeling hunters or hunting styles.

My $.02

 

[elky McElkerson]

I read an article saying whitetail herds are bigger than ever recorded in history. I think it sited great management.

One day I\'d love to post up in a tree stand and arrow a big whitetail.

One day.


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

 

[VTHOKEE]

When I was stationed in GA it became legal to hunt over feeders. I put one out on a small parcel that I had permission to bow hunt. It pulled in some deer and a few bucks showed themselves a couple times but that was it. The bucks were very cautious around it. I never killed anything hunting over it. I would hunt near it travel routes to and from but never had luck. The deer knew when to feed and when not to. I think that food plots are a great way to keep the herd healthy and are way better than feeders. Feeders can cause the deer to become dependent on the one food source were as food plots still act as a natural browse for deer just like regular crop fields would. When I was stationed in NC I would drive home to VA and we actually put in a few food plots that were really good and attracted the deer and turkey but once the white oaks started dropping the acorns you might as well forget about the food plots. White oak acorns are like crack to a whitetail.

 

[archery bum]

Timberland, that is exactly my point on educating. I don\'t think I explained it well enough. I think it should go without saying, if you\'re are tending food plots or feeders then your presence will surely educate the animal you\'re hunting.

The same can be said about trail cams, right? You have to be present to check your trail cams in your possible hot spots. We as hunters have enough people against us. No matter what we think about the way others are hunting, (as long as it is legal in the state they are hunting) all hunters need to support all hunters no matter what! If it\'s legal who cares, good for them if they are just hunting meat or take an animal of a lifetime it\'s still hunting. I hear enough crap from nonhunters and the anti gun anti this anti that groups I shouldn\'t have to hear it from a fellow hunter! just my 2 cents

Bum

 

[EmbryOklahoma]

Timberland, that is exactly my point on educating. I don\'t think I explained it well enough. I think it should go without saying, if you\'re are tending food plots or feeders then your presence will surely educate the animal you\'re hunting.

The same can be said about trail cams, right? You have to be present to check your trail cams in your possible hot spots. We as hunters have enough people against us. No matter what we think about the way others are hunting, (as long as it is legal in the state they are hunting) all hunters need to support all hunters no matter what! If it\'s legal who cares, good for them if they are just hunting meat or take an animal of a lifetime it\'s still hunting. I hear enough crap from nonhunters and the anti gun anti this anti that groups I shouldn\'t have to hear it from a fellow hunter! just my 2 cents

Bum

Bum... You are entitled to your opinion and thanks for chiming in. It wasn\'t intended, to divide anyone. I am for what is legal in your state and couldn\'t care less what others do. Again, as long as it\'s legal. My point is, again, to discuss what a disservice a hunter might be doing to himself/herself by educating mature deer. And yes, trailcams would be doing the same thing. This is not an issue about what is legal or not. I am not trying to tell anyone that they are doing it all wrong either. I am, however, saying that hunters could possibly be more successful and quite frankly, simplify things a bit.

 

[cnelk]

There are places where harsh winters would have killed most of the deer if it wasnt for food plots planted by hunters.
Or even where farmers have placed hay or fed corn to deer on their property during severe cold winters.
Legal?
Ethical?
Hmmmmm.....

 

[iccyman001]

To me food plots and hunting over a feeder do not go hand and hand.

 

[mainebrdr]

Rick, to answer your question, yes and no! There, hows that? Feeders and food plots do not educate deer, people do. I know, how do you put in a food plot without spending time in the area. You can\'t. I firmly believe that most hunters have no idea how detrimental time spent in a hunting area is to successfully hunting a LARGE whitetail. 140\'s and 150\'s you can get away with some things. 170 and up, forget it! One blunder on a hunters part and the chances of ever seeing that deer again is slim. To me, every time going to a stand or a feeder incurs the risk of educating a big buck. therefore the fewer times the better. I do not put in food plots where I hunt. My poor stand of clover would be competing with 200 acres of corn, 160 acres of beans, and new wheat in the later season. A food plot in the middle of Texas? Probably golden. I hunt the fringes of areas, try to never hunt an area more than two times in one week, and only check cameras when leaving my stand. Sometimes I will check cameras before a sure rain so that my scent will be washed away. Truly big bucks are a whole different breed. I have seen some strange behavior from big bucks, but that\'s another topic for another time. I think a person can use a feeder without the negatives attached but not like most are currently being used.

 

[EmbryOklahoma]

There are places where harsh winters would have killed most of the deer if it wasnt for food plots planted by hunters.
Or even where farmers have placed hay or fed corn to deer on their property during severe cold winters.
Legal?
Ethical?
Hmmmmm.....

Brad... You are correct. Food plots will sustain animals in certain cases. Also provide them a good source of nutrients too. That is not my point. I am speaking of the disservice done in relation to hunting mature deer. If I had the coin, I\'d probably put a big food plot in the center of my property, but I don\'t. But as quick as I say that, I probably wouldn\'t because the hogs would tear it up before it germinates.

 

[mainebrdr]

Brad, lately I seem to be from the dark ages when it comes to those two words! I\'m getting more confused with every passing week! :crazy:

 

[mainebrdr]

Go ahead Rick and put in that plot. It\'ll give us a place to come and hunt hogs! :lol:

 

[cnelk]

Arent feeders mostly to pattern the deer so they come when the feeder comes on?
That thats the time you want to hunt there?

I havent ever hunted a feeder, but I have hunted the edges of our grain fields, or hay fields and I based that on when they feed and most active, morning and evening.

 

[EmbryOklahoma]

Go ahead Rick and put in that plot. It\'ll give us a place to come and hunt hogs! :lol:

I invite people to come kill them in February and March. Put in your dates...

 

[archery bum]

You don\'t have to worry about educating that 180 class buck with your food plots or feeders. When the rut is on and that doe is coming in with him in tow it doesn\'t matter how many times he has smelled you in there he\'s not leaving that doe for nothing. Every situation is different, if I listened to everybody that said that will never work there would be a few animals that I would not have shot. In fact I believe cnelk posted a video called the fire bull. The guy shot the bull and never recovered it. Everybody said you will never see him in that spot again you educated him. He didn\'t listen and setup in the same exact spot. You can figure out what happen. Yep thats right he shot the same bull in the same spot and after the shot he took the same trail he took the first time. Anything can happen, animals are unpredictable. If anyone can predict every hunting situation they are in, good for you. You are better than me.