Baiting Bill Impact on Bears

ripplerider

Senior Member
I bet you won't see one ounce of difference than it is now. Do you have any idea how much "supplemental feeding" is going on right now? Ask the sporting goods manager at Walmart how much corn they go through in a week.

I'm sure they go through a lot but I also know many folks who feed deer with no intention of ever hunting them. They just like to watch deer. Maybe that creates an opportunity for a hunter on a neighboring tract, maybe not.
 

northgeorgiasportsman

Moderator
Staff member
I'm sure they go through a lot but I also know many folks who feed deer with no intention of ever hunting them. They just like to watch deer. Maybe that creates an opportunity for a hunter on a neighboring tract, maybe not.

But that's already happening. Deer are already coming to those feeders, and enterprising hunters are already taking advantage of "neighbors" feeding deer.
 

ripplerider

Senior Member
I get that, but this bill will make it possible to place bait more strategically and hunt directly over it rather than just taking advantage of other peoples desire to see deer. Lots of that corn is going out in the middle of unhuntable subdivisions. I just have visions of piles of corn all over placed just outside Forest Service land. Theres going to be a lot of people tempted to poach bears and I'm afraid our dwindling deer will get hammered in years with an acorn failure. I personally dont feel that hunting over bait is sporting. I'm not going to condemn anyone else for it if it becomes legal but I wont be doing it. I have concerns about CWD reaching Georgia and I dont think anything that concentrates deer unnaturally is a good idea.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
I get that, but this bill will make it possible to place bait more strategically and hunt directly over it rather than just taking advantage of other peoples desire to see deer. Lots of that corn is going out in the middle of unhuntable subdivisions. I just have visions of piles of corn all over placed just outside Forest Service land. Theres going to be a lot of people tempted to poach bears and I'm afraid our dwindling deer will get hammered in years with an acorn failure. I personally dont feel that hunting over bait is sporting. I'm not going to condemn anyone else for it if it becomes legal but I wont be doing it. I have concerns about CWD reaching Georgia and I dont think anything that concentrates deer unnaturally is a good idea.

You are greatly overestimating the power of corn. It is legal here, we have about the same land and deer situation, and what you are fearing doesn't happen.
 

Buckman18

Senior Member
My thoughts are a little different than most. I hope baiting becomes legal, and I wish it would become legal to bait bears on private land for a couple of years just to see what happens. If we could get rid of about 90% of the hogs and about half of the bears, I think the deer would benefit greatly. As far as baiting for deer, the corn will rot when the acorns start dropping, so as long as the doe days in our upper elevation counties continue to be lower, early bow season and the late gun season will be a heckuva lot of fun with many more sightings?
 

robert carter

Senior Member
I think when white oaks hit the ground it will be close to normal for bears. The bears away from people will eat acorns and your "town" bears will eat corn.
 
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