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Post by Decatur on Oct 20, 2008 12:19:09 GMT -5
Remember: Baiting deer is still illegal
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With deer firearm hunting season just around the corner (Nov. 15-30), the DNR Division of Law Enforcement's conservation officers remind hunters that they will be watching for violators of the fair chase law, specifically as it applies to baiting.
Despite heavy commercial promotion on some hunting television shows, extensive sales of such products at some sporting goods stores, and evidence of the use of some of these products on some DNR properties, baiting for the purposes of hunting deer remains illegal. "Bait" is best described as anything a deer (or other wildlife) might ingest or lick.
"It has been a long standing practice for our officers to enforce the hunting over bait rule," said Lt. Mark Farmer, public information officer for DNR Law Enforcement. "Gaining an advantage over your quarry by the use of a food or mineral product is illegal."
It is legal to place food products or mineral blocks in the wild, but hunting near them is illegal.
"If a person had put out a feeder or other bait during the summer months to attract wildlife to his property, it must be totally removed 10 days prior to the opening of the hunting season before a hunter could legally hunt in that area," Farmer said.
Odor differs from bait. Deer lures in the form of scents are legal to use when hunting.
"Basically, if you place corn, apples, salt or mineral blocks or anything that isn't grown in the area and hunt there, it's illegal," Farmer said. "Hunting from an apple tree is legal, but placing apples under your tree stand would place you in conflict with current Indiana Law."
Violators apprehended while hunting over bait will face a Class C Misdemeanor charge, and upon conviction could face criminal penalties of up to $500 fine, 60 days incarceration and possible loss of hunting equipment upon conviction.
More information:
Lt. Mark Farmer (317) 232-0658; cell (317) 518-3161
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Post by drs on Oct 20, 2008 13:28:43 GMT -5
Almost every other product, for Deer Hunting, they sell in Ky would be illegal in Indiana. Saw lots of 50 LB bags of "Deer Corn" in Wal-Mart the other day as well as other products that would be illegal in Indiana. Personally, I still hunt by the "fair chase" laws that Indiana has, here in Ky. NO BAIT on my property allowed!
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Post by whitetaildave24 on Oct 20, 2008 15:17:43 GMT -5
What if...
I were to eat an apple while in my treestand and I throw the core onto the forest floor, is that considered baiting???
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Post by Decatur on Oct 20, 2008 18:55:06 GMT -5
I'm sure if a CO was in a bad mood, it could be!
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Post by powderfinger on Oct 20, 2008 19:02:49 GMT -5
I keep acorns in my pockets...is that baiting?  |
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Post by lugnutz on Oct 20, 2008 21:39:05 GMT -5
Actually, if you have a automatic feeder, it does not have to be removed from your hunting area. It just cant throw any corn(bait), for 10 days before you hunt the area. If you auto. feeder is very loud when it runs, it would be in a hunters favor to run it without food, cause the deer will hear, and think its throwing out the food again.
It kills me to see someone trying to bait deer during the rut, its pointless and a waste of time. Baiting deer only works before and after the rut. Works wonderfully during the last half of Dec. and all of Jan. The mature bucks that are wore down from the rut will not go out of there way for a hearty lunch like they did before the rut, basically they are lazy that time of year. Does on the other hand will travel great distances for easy food access, since the habitat usually doesn't provide any high protein or high fat foods.
just my .02 cents
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Post by bigballer on Oct 21, 2008 5:20:39 GMT -5
I got this email yesterday as well. But I don't think it is correct. It say's that you can't have any bait out at all during the season. It has to be gone 10 day's before hunting season starts. I don't think that's right. I believe that regs say as long as it is gone 10 day's before you hunt the property. I think I'm correct on this if not please someone let me know. Because I can only hunt one property with a bow and when gun season comes in I was planning on putting some more bait/corn out where I had it all summer to kind of get some more activity in the area while I gun hunt. Then in late bow season I would come back but I would make sure there was no bait put out and that it was gone for more than 10 day's just to be on the safe side. I also read on here somewhere that someone put some apples out a week before they left on a hunt somewhere else. But they did it after season started I don't think they were in the wrong. But I just wanted to make sure I am reading this right. I usually only put corn out in the winter and late summer to get pics and see what's in the area before and after seasons. But also want to stay on the right side of the law. What say you guy's?  ?? BB |
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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 21, 2008 9:45:35 GMT -5
I am being the devil's advocate here....
There is a difference in "baiting" and "feeding".
As the email says..
Where it gets sticky is how each county CO enforces that rule of " the hunting over bait rule". To some it is if you have bait/feed anywhere on the property. To some it is if you are hunting within sight of the bait/feed. To some it is if you are hunting in an area that the deer are influenced by the bait/feed.
A lot of this rule's interpretaion is left up to the descretion of each county CO.
Two things you can do -
1) Don't bait/feed at all.
2) If you do bait/feed contact you county CO and bring him out ahead of hunting and have him give you his opinion if you are in the right or wrong.
It is better to be safe than sorry..
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Post by Old Ironsights on Oct 21, 2008 9:54:29 GMT -5
Why risk it throwing beans, corn & apples around? Forget the "baits"... just plant a food plot.  |
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Oct 21, 2008 12:23:48 GMT -5
Why risk it throwing beans, corn & apples around? Forget the "baits"... just plant a food plot. The Indiana baiting laws are a joke! Like the "food plots" are not bait... |
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Post by Old Ironsights on Oct 21, 2008 15:11:10 GMT -5
Why risk it throwing beans, corn & apples around? Forget the "baits"... just plant a food plot. The Indiana baiting laws are a joke! Like the "food plots" are not bait... One reason I'm kind of hesitant to work out of a Stand. I largely become a vegitarian leading up to and throughout Deer Season. (changes your scent to be more "non-predator") *I* eat as much mast as the deer. Apples are a big part of my field diet. While walking/stalking that's not a problem, but in a Tree I not only have to have a Pee Bottle, but an apple-core bag since chucking the cores within shooting distance of my tree could lead to a "baiting" charge... |
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Post by whitetaildave24 on Oct 21, 2008 15:14:37 GMT -5
[The Indiana baiting laws are a joke! Like the "food plots" are not bait... My thoughts exactly!! |
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Post by deerpreacher on Oct 21, 2008 16:10:32 GMT -5
One other thing to remember is that if you put out a salt or mineral block, you must remove the dirt that contains the residue of that product. One thing to remember is that it could have leached into the soil as much as 2 feet deep or more. The CO will test the soil if it is evident that the deer are digging and leaving a hole where the product was. Lesson well learned on my part, sorry to say.
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Post by mbogo on Oct 21, 2008 16:41:35 GMT -5
I recently read an article concerning a survey about baiting in West Virginia, apparently baiting is legal in part of the state but not the entire state. Responses from the survey indicated that hunters killed one deer on average for every 3.1 days hunted in the part of the state where baiting was allowed and one deer on average every 1.5 days where baiting was not allowed. I'm not sure what other differences there are between the two areas but the survey result was pretty interesting to me.
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Post by hoosieroutdoorsman on Oct 21, 2008 18:20:58 GMT -5
[The Indiana baiting laws are a joke! Like the "food plots" are not bait... My thoughts exactly!! I third that,,wonder if they ever actually looked up bait in the dictionary? |
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Post by tenring on Oct 21, 2008 19:50:48 GMT -5
I asked our local CO several years ago about putting in a ground salt lick on my cousins farm. After him making jokes about me being a pizz poor hunter wanting to use bait, I told him that it was mainly to enhance the health of the farms doe population in the spring and early summer during the last few weeks of their pregnacy which results in a more healthy fawn. Told him I read about it in McCready's book on the salt study at Attebury. His reaction was "I don't give a chit, they won't use it during November anyway." Visits to the lick during the gun season confirmed this. But boy do they tear it up starting in March and during the hot July and August. Alternate one bag of salt, with one bag of salt and pepper on a yearly basis. Must have put about 1/2 ton in it by now, usually leeches out as the ground is poor in it's location. Started out as a small hole, now is about 5 feet across and a foot deep. It's all in how you go about it.
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Post by jackryan on Oct 21, 2008 21:34:50 GMT -5
Why risk it throwing beans, corn & apples around? Forget the "baits"... just plant a food plot. The Indiana baiting laws are a joke! Like the "food plots" are not bait... The joke is how people will sit around trying to figure out a loop hole in the rules when if they put half that effort in to actually hunting it wouldn't be an issue. I'd bet that not even half the people who hunted bow season last year have even been in the woods yet this year but they are sitting around at home trying to figure out a way to cheat. |
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Post by lugnutz on Oct 21, 2008 22:21:38 GMT -5
hey jack, i can cheat all day long in ky ;D,,,,i won't feel bad shooting a buck with his head in a 55gal drum suckin' down some corn, while i take my .270wsm and blow a pumpkin size hole in him. Cheaters in one state, Sportsman in another.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Oct 22, 2008 6:23:58 GMT -5
hey jack, i can cheat all day long in ky ;D,,,,i won't feel bad shooting a buck with his head in a 55gal drum suckin' down some corn, while i take my .270wsm and blow a pumpkin size hole in him. Cheaters in one state, Sportsman in another. Excellent post lug! |
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Post by duff on Oct 22, 2008 19:33:52 GMT -5
I recently read an article concerning a survey about baiting in West Virginia, apparently baiting is legal in part of the state but not the entire state. Responses from the survey indicated that hunters killed one deer on average for every 3.1 days hunted in the part of the state where baiting was allowed and one deer on average every 1.5 days where baiting was not allowed. I'm not sure what other differences there are between the two areas but the survey result was pretty interesting to me. An uncle of mine owned part of a property in Michigan in and around the Manistee National Forrest years ago. I visited the camp a few times before season and they would buy truck loads of sugar beets others would buy apples, corn, carrotts, or special blends of choice by the truck load and dump it in the center of the property in attempt to draw and hold the deer on the property. When everyone does it and then relys heavily on the "bait" to get the deer the success goes down IMO. If they would have worked on the hunting part of it a bit more the success would increase. |
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