Despite penalities and ethical arguements, hunters continue to bait for deer
Posted by Jesse White on Monday, October 15, 2012 Under: Grouse hunting
Last year more Minnesota deer hunters were cited for illegal deer baiting than in any other year since the practice was made illegal in 1991 and officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are hoping new penalties will deter similar behavior this year.
By the end of 2011 Minnesota Conservation Officers had issued 144 baiting citations and had seized 134 guns and bows and most - including myself - believe that number represents only a fraction of how many hunters feel the need to cheat the system and hunt over bait piles.
State law says hunters are not allowed to take deer with the aid or use of bait yet year-in and year-out hunters try and take the easy route to a deer by dumping piles of apples, or pumpkins or sunflower seeds or dozens of others foods and grains, in big piles near their favorite deer stands.
Hell, a lot of stores that sell outdoors related items stock their shelves with buckets of gook that can be used to bait deer. Concoctions made of sugar and spice and everything nice that bucks and does just can't resist.
It's a problem and there seems to be little anyone can do about it.
I mean think about it: There are 500,000 hunters annually in Minnesota and conservation officers caught a hundred-and-a-half last year.
So what is baiting and when can or can't it be used.
In a nutshell, you can't use any "bait" within 10 days of when you plan to hunt or "take" Minnesota deer.
“Taking,” according to the Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations book, includes attempting to take.
Baits include grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, hay, or other food that is capable of attracting or enticing deer and has been placed by a person.
Baiting is defined as placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering bait that is capable of attracting or enticing deer.
While some would argue that baiting isn't a big deal, I think it's unethical and unfair to the animal. This is a sport, after-all, where the hunter has a pretty good advantage if he is diligent about his craft, especially if he or she is hunting with a rifle.
In my opinion, with proper scouting and preparation nearly one in two hunters has a fair shot at killing a whitetail during one of Minnesota's three seasons - archery, firearms and muzzleloader - considering that annual harvests over the last 10 to 15 years have ranged from lows of about 200,000 to highs nearing 300,000.
But ethics isn't the only reason for the law. Baiting not only increases the risk of disease transmission the process also has the potential to create an unfair playing field between neighboring hunters as bait attracts and holds large numbers of deer on private parcels, which is unfair to other hunters in the area.
I've talked to DNR officials in the past who have told me that from the sky bait piles are easily identified in part because of the number of trails that converge on the area where the bait is located.
It looks like a freeway system around a large city.
Interestingly enough, this seems to be the biggest negative associated with the practice as a high percentage of the citations issued last year were the result of baiters being turned in by neighboring hunters tired of seeing all the deer unnaturally coaxed away from their hunting lands.
And that's the way it should be. If I knew hunters around me were baiting, I'd be the first to place a call to my local conservation officer.
So what happens if you get caught?
The fine for illegal baiting is $300, plus $80 or so in court costs. Another $500 can be tagged on for restitution if a deer is seized. Guns may be confiscated as well.
And this year there are two new penalties:
And I believe the number of hunters taking the easy way out will continue to grow.
Why? Because in this age of instant gratification it's tough for people to sit still long enough to earn a nice deer.
So many look at deer season - or any hunting season for that matter (yeah, I'm talking to you ruffed grouse road hunters who can't be bothered with stepping into the woods) as something that they NEED TO GET DONE instead of a time to sit back, relax and enjoy nature.
People also seem to have this strange need for the instant attention social media sites like Facebook and Twitter afford them. They wanna be the first to post the picture of their buck on Facebook or be the first to brag about how they ended their season at five minutes past sunrise on day one.
And what better way to increase your odds of doing that then to train the deer to be standing at the end of your shooting lane every morning?
By the end of 2011 Minnesota Conservation Officers had issued 144 baiting citations and had seized 134 guns and bows and most - including myself - believe that number represents only a fraction of how many hunters feel the need to cheat the system and hunt over bait piles.
State law says hunters are not allowed to take deer with the aid or use of bait yet year-in and year-out hunters try and take the easy route to a deer by dumping piles of apples, or pumpkins or sunflower seeds or dozens of others foods and grains, in big piles near their favorite deer stands.
Hell, a lot of stores that sell outdoors related items stock their shelves with buckets of gook that can be used to bait deer. Concoctions made of sugar and spice and everything nice that bucks and does just can't resist.
It's a problem and there seems to be little anyone can do about it.
I mean think about it: There are 500,000 hunters annually in Minnesota and conservation officers caught a hundred-and-a-half last year.
So what is baiting and when can or can't it be used.
In a nutshell, you can't use any "bait" within 10 days of when you plan to hunt or "take" Minnesota deer.
“Taking,” according to the Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations book, includes attempting to take.
Baits include grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, hay, or other food that is capable of attracting or enticing deer and has been placed by a person.
Baiting is defined as placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering bait that is capable of attracting or enticing deer.
While some would argue that baiting isn't a big deal, I think it's unethical and unfair to the animal. This is a sport, after-all, where the hunter has a pretty good advantage if he is diligent about his craft, especially if he or she is hunting with a rifle.
In my opinion, with proper scouting and preparation nearly one in two hunters has a fair shot at killing a whitetail during one of Minnesota's three seasons - archery, firearms and muzzleloader - considering that annual harvests over the last 10 to 15 years have ranged from lows of about 200,000 to highs nearing 300,000.
But ethics isn't the only reason for the law. Baiting not only increases the risk of disease transmission the process also has the potential to create an unfair playing field between neighboring hunters as bait attracts and holds large numbers of deer on private parcels, which is unfair to other hunters in the area.
I've talked to DNR officials in the past who have told me that from the sky bait piles are easily identified in part because of the number of trails that converge on the area where the bait is located.
It looks like a freeway system around a large city.
Interestingly enough, this seems to be the biggest negative associated with the practice as a high percentage of the citations issued last year were the result of baiters being turned in by neighboring hunters tired of seeing all the deer unnaturally coaxed away from their hunting lands.
And that's the way it should be. If I knew hunters around me were baiting, I'd be the first to place a call to my local conservation officer.
So what happens if you get caught?
The fine for illegal baiting is $300, plus $80 or so in court costs. Another $500 can be tagged on for restitution if a deer is seized. Guns may be confiscated as well.
And this year there are two new penalties:
- A person may not obtain any deer license or take deer under a lifetime license for one year after the person is convicted of hunting deer with the aid or use of bait. The DNR’s Electronic Licensing System (ELS) will also block a person’s ability to purchase a license. A second conviction within three years would result in a three-year revocation.
- The revocation period doubles if the conviction is for a deer that is a trophy deer scoring higher than 170 inches.
And I believe the number of hunters taking the easy way out will continue to grow.
Why? Because in this age of instant gratification it's tough for people to sit still long enough to earn a nice deer.
So many look at deer season - or any hunting season for that matter (yeah, I'm talking to you ruffed grouse road hunters who can't be bothered with stepping into the woods) as something that they NEED TO GET DONE instead of a time to sit back, relax and enjoy nature.
People also seem to have this strange need for the instant attention social media sites like Facebook and Twitter afford them. They wanna be the first to post the picture of their buck on Facebook or be the first to brag about how they ended their season at five minutes past sunrise on day one.
And what better way to increase your odds of doing that then to train the deer to be standing at the end of your shooting lane every morning?
In : Grouse hunting
Tags: "minnesota ruffed grouse" hunting northern birds partridge "minnesota department of natural resources" dnr september fall habitat population shotgun "20 gauge" mossberg
A former outdoors writer and reporter for the Mesabi Daily News in Virginia, MN, and the Daily Tribune in Hibbing, MN, Jesse has been in the newspaper business for nearly 20 years. His numerous awards over the past two decades include five first-place awards from the Associated Press; two first-place National Newspaper awards; and a first-place Minnesota Newspaper Association award. He is an avid hunter and angler and enjoys guns and archery.
