no more baiting deer in michigan , not that it bothers me i dont do it any way but it has become a huge industry with those that grow it and them that sell it . and now some people will not know how to hunt .

 

No bait is better than having TB spread thoughout the whole state. That's why there was already no baiting in some counties and limits everywhere else.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: jumbofrank

No bait is better than having TB spread thoughout the whole state. That's why there was already no baiting in some counties and limits everywhere else.</end quote></div>

We can bait here in florida and there has never been a case of TB!

 

Haven't been hunting in over 20 years, but when we did, we tracked.

I can see where baiting has it's purpose, but just hard for me to call it hunting.

Waiting with a gun or bow sounds more like it.

 

Just plant a bunch of apple trees. If it grows you are not baiting. Never baited per se but have sat under a lot of apple trees or by corn fields.

 

looks like its CW this time ,found on a game farm

 

The issue is Bovine TB...not much for Bovine(cattle farms) in FL compared to midwest states. States where we have large deer and cattle populations it's a real issue that needs to be addressed both for the deer herd and cattle....ultimately humans! MI is one of those states that has a TB issue recently. All states need to do all they can to prevent cross contamination.

CWD is another issue, but certainly weighs in some on the bait ban.

Florida may not have a "documented" case of TB in the deer herd, but you have had TB in the cattle herd, so yes, you have had TB...when it comes back, and it will sooner or later, you can bet that you'll see a bait law as well...more than likey your state will see a ban before there is a documented case.

The deer herd isn't the real concern here, it's the cattle herd, once they get infected it's easily passed on to the deer herd...once passed to the deer herd it becomes much tougher to irradicate and becomes a vicious cycle.

Every state should have a bait ban...bait deer and they get used to the bait, when it's gone they go in search of feed which leads them straight to cattle farms...from there it steam rolls IF TB is present in the cattle herd.

I don't believe in baiting. Not only do I see it as an unfair advantage, I also see a bait pile as a place where deer congregate. Congregate and disease is much more prevelant, be it TB, CWD or other.

Quite a few states that can say..."we don't have TB in our deer herd"...but, have you had it in your cattle herd?? Ultimatly that's what the bait law is trying to prevent. Even states that have never had a case of TB in the deer herd are going to no bait laws...it's not about the deer.

Most states are moving to ban baiting, if they havn't done so already....For obvious reasons.

 

While baiting deer just doesn't quite "feel" right to me I don't have a problem with people doing it. Personally having a bucket of deer chow standing out in the middle of a pristine field of deer just sorta ruins it for me. If that's your thing though, more power to you.

I don't exactly see how hunting over a food plot, farm field full of soybeans, alfalfa or corn is some how ok yet baiting those same deer with a barrel of apples or drum of deer chow is somehow unsporting. same goes for mineral and salt. In my state you may hunt over mineral or salt blocks but if you pour molasses on them that is forbidden. If you dump corn out in a field it's baiting yet if you hunt a freshly combined field of corn it's legal. It seems we're really splitting some extremely fine hairs with what is baiting and what isn't and what is ethical and what isn't.

If there is sound management and biological reasons for doing things then I'm fine with it. On the other hand if they're writing regs to satisfy one groups idea of "sporting" or just to increase ticket revenue then I have a problem with it.

 

Wenty is right about the deer congregating and passing diseases like TB and CWD. Elk too but I haven't heard of a problem with moose yet. The MI DNR said years ago that the problem is with bait piles because the deer are standing nose to nose blowing their germs all over each other. If you take the same amount of food and the same number of deer and spread them across a whole farm field it's not a problem. But when you go from acres down to square feet you have them close enough to spread diseases through the whole herd.

 

I'm on the fence when it comes to hunting over food plots. But I lean to them not being bait. They better the herd health wise....I don't know, on the fence.

Farm fields aren't planted to attract deer. They're there to feed us or livestock.
Baiting is exactly that, baiting. Putting something out for the sole purpose to attract and harvest a animal. We're talking about attracting something to a EXACT spot.

Why are they outlawing baiting, a few reasons, one of which is many feel it's not sporting...but in the end it comes down to the threat of TB.

Hunter loads corn up from farmers silo. Little does he know that the farmer used a shovel that came in contact with TB from one of his cattle when he was filling the feed bin, now that TB has infected the silo. Hunter is now unknowingly passing it on to the deer.

Hunter baits deer with grain, good clean TB free grain. The season ends and said hunter quits baiting deer. Now deer has become accustomed to grain piles and likes it. Deers nose leads him right to the feed bin at the farm...said deer eats out of the same bin a TB infected bull ate out of. It's now passed to the deer which will go back and pass it to the rest of the herd....

Man keeps baiting and feeding deer in this manner, the deer become used to piles of free food. Instead of having to forage their natural environment for food, it's given to them, free and easy, wastes no energy searching for food. They go to where the food is free...and piles of it...it's easy and tastes good...straight to the farm where man leaves food out for livestock. Now deer and livestock inhabit the same area, the chances of them passing TB back and fourth are high, be it through feed, airborne, saliva, etc.

TB can be controled at the farm, once it's detected they'll just eradicate the herd, simple! But, if those deer that have become accustomed to free food get TB, now it's not so easy to control....actually nearly impossible to control and it gets passed from farm to farm by those deer in the search of the free food.

This is how Bovine TB is spread, this is how deer get it and pass it back to bovine.

This isn't about being "nonsporting", thats not the issue here...It's about our well being.