Jeez.  I guess I won't post any more backyard buck pics over a salt block.  Didn't think it would take this much of turn.  Wait a sec, yeah I knew it would.

I clean up corn cobs in April so even they are gone and the WCO said "that's okay"... and because of the "container" there is no salt residue ... you guys sure know everything don't you

Please feel free to post picks of your salt blocks in containers and explain how feeding after Christmas is legal if you haven't filled your tags and are still hunting out of your house.

 A bait pile in August.  The world is gonna end.  Never saw this buck during the season, BTW.
 

DPMS QUOTE : "Using bait/mineral is perfectly legal all year long. It is up to those that placed it to know the game laws and abide by them come hunting season. I trust that they do. If not, then they have no excuses. If a hunter is hutning close by it is the decretion of the investigating officer to decide whether the hunter knew of the bait/mineral or took advanatge of its placement."


So "every" hunter that takes to the woods should check first the entire area to see if there is bait or residue before going afield with a weapon, rather it be public, private or on the boundaries of a safety zone?

When a friendly WCO checks a kill site and finds a gut full of Purina Deer Chow I'm sure he will understand that you had no idea of the baited area.

ORIGINAL: Outdoor Adventures

So "every" hunter that takes to the woods should check first the entire area to see if there is bait or residue before going afield with a weapon, rather it be public, private or on the boundaries of a safety zone?

I stated what the game laws are.  If I know there is bait/mineral in the area I will stear clear of it.  If I am not aware of bait/mineral I hunt it as I see fit.

And, no, I do not search an area for the possibility of bait/mineral before I hunt.  Nor do I feel others should.   Just don't take advantage of known bait/mineral and enjoy the hunt. 

Turns out somebody from way over at those houses had cleared out his whole darn garden after the frosts and had walked  it all on the farm woods by the top of the ridge. He had been determined cause it was a long way to those houses.  Everything -corn stalks, tomato plants etc etc. Now if that wasnt taking a buck over bait nothing was. Still mad too and that was 30 years ago.
Bait is bait no matter what state and its illegal where I go too.

Were the deer where you were hunting that hungry that they would eat dead waste from a garden? The deer in our area wouldn't even look at waste from a garden no less be attracted to it. For many years they didn't even bother my garden during the growing season, but now that we have a lot less deer they are starting to become a problem. I guess I should apply for a few DMAP tags or shoot them for crop damage.

Didn't Doc take his first X-Bow deer after Christmas? He is a Master Baiter lol in more ways than one. Poor Doc you just keep getting in deeper dew dew. Loose lips sink ships Doc and your going down.

He also clearly stated he does nothing to draw deer into his yard after April and then posts pictures of them being drawn to his bait in in June.

He also clearly busted Dardys for hunting near food plots when he has clearly admitted in the past to setting up right on food plots to hunt.

He also clearly stated he hunts the small hemlock grove located 400-500 yards behing his house except sometimes he clearly hunts the same small hemlock grove located 200 yards behind his house.

He clearly states many things but they clearly tend to change as times goes by or the situation needs a different clear statement.

Perhaps it's due to the age thing, Of that we are not so clear.

HEY--pleeeease- careful with 'the age thing'. Or whatever that was that you said.

HEY--pleeeease- careful with 'the age thing'. Or whatever that was that you said.

Do you remember what it was I said? I seem to have forgotten.

And all of this because I stated that last year I gained permission and hunted a property that following the hunt I learned that the owner of the property had food plots in order to keep the deer on the property all year long -- the closest of which was a 15 foot by 15 foot beet plot, yep about the size of a standard livingroom, that was approzimately 1,000 yards away, which is over half a mile by the way, from where I was hunting, and Doc felt it necessary to call me out for hunting "over" food plots that baited deer in, not hunting free range deer, ambushing deer on their way to a plot site, etc., just about anything except killing puppies.
 
I suppose I should have also mentioned that the food plot is tucked into a corner of the woods, so any deer that actually used it could have used the cover of the woods and not had to venture across the open switch grass fields, in the open essentially, for not only that more than half a mile, but for as great or greater of a distance from the property's edge to where I was posted (there are even more fields on the neighbor's) as well, meaning that they would cross the open for a mile or more, something they probably do -- well after dark -- and that because of the terrain of the land, the area where the food plot was located and at least a few hundred yards surrounding that area are completely hidden from view by being up and over a crest.
 
But if I mentioned that, how could Doc take shots at my ethics by making guess and assumptions?

Guy,

You're trying to have an actual discussion about bait/food plots, and the legality/ethics of hunting over them. These other guys are only interested in having something "over" on someone.

Spoon,
   Agree completly -have said so in a number of anti 'wars' posts too.
But every now and again some real nice banter over hunting subjects does get through and I choose to enjoy it. Perhaps no where near as often as some would like but I like to key in on the positive as much as I can.
 Like your saying bout somebody doing something -just key on the positive and muddle through.
  Or just go nuts.

bout Why I am even bothering replying I have no idea == but here goes...


#1 I own 7 acres here... it is actually 4 different properties (deeds) as an adjoining property (camp) comes up for sale I buy it.. plain and simple... one property, 2 acres that's where I live.. the next one over (south)is 1.5 acre and has a trailer on it... another (1.5 acres)is on the the north border and has a small camp on it. the last is a two acres piece across the "lane" and is only an open field (pasture) for the horses.. Much of all four is fenced for the horses and has salt blocks and water tubs in them somewhere..

#2.. There are two hemlock groves within about 600 yards of my properties. one about 400 yards away to the West the other about 200 yards to the South...on SGL .. since all the properties but the big pasture are adjoining I call them my home (house)... why not ?? would you not consider them that ???

The corn feeder is behind the main house and is only about 60 feet from the bedroom window... there are 4 salt blocks out for the horses year round .. and one I started putting out last year for trail camera picture and it is about 300 yards South from where I feed the corn,... ALL ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.....

and as I have stated I control them all legally except for the pasture blocks ... and they are surrounded by electric fencing...

so == say what you want.. I'm 100% legal and have no problem dealing (hunting) the way I do.. maybe some are just jealous ??



and I have ALWAYS stated I thank GOD I started planning for this type of retirement years when I started coming to our family "deer camp" here in 1960 ...


all the properties together make the exact shape of an "L" with SGL on all out side edges, and my 2 acre pasture on the inside edges...

so fire away guys.. after 10 years of it from you same guys I am use to it and will not just stop posting no matter how hard you try

ORIGINAL: deerfly

Is a planted field that goes unharvested a baited area ? Or is it just a specific planted food plot thats illegal in and of itself ?

Based on what I have read neither an unharvested fields or a food plot is considered to be a baited area in PA. The baiting regs only apply when food or minerals are artificially introduced in an area. For example , a harvested corn field or an unharvested corn field would not be considered to be baiting, but if a hunter placed corn in a harvested corn field and hunted over it , it would be classified as baiting.

IMHO the PGC realizes that the number of deer that are harvested over food plots is insignificant and has no effect on how the PGC manages the herd. Furthermore, since the vast majority of food plots are on private ground the PGC realizes the land owner has the ultimate control over how many deer are harvested .

Good Post Deerfly. One thing to add, The PGC puts in food plots so hunting them has to be legal right?