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Its 200 yards
- Thread starter lampern
- Start date
across the river
Senior Member
It is up to their discretion because you could still use the 200 yards to influence the animal. For instance, say there was a strip of woods that ran several hundred yards into a field from a large chunk of timber the turkeys lived in, you could corn up the end of that strip of woods and sit 200 yards from it down the way, and likely kill a bird going to the corn. You put the bait on the other side of a big pond from the roost and sit on the edge where they have to go around the pond 201yards away from the pile, same deal. You are still using the bait to hunt the animal, so it is illegal even if over 200 yards away. It used to be the same way with deer before baiting was legal for them.
MesquiteHeat
Senior Member
If you have to worry about this, its a problem already
Not for me. All feed stops weeks before the season.
I always thought that if you have a feeder running and you are turkey hunting the property knowing there is a feeder, you are hunting turkeys over bait no matter how far away from the feeder you are. Having a feeder to me takes away the sport and fun of hunting turkeys, because you know that if there are turkeys around they are going to that feeder at some point in the day, you sit 5 hundred yards away and call a few times and guess what you are going to have a gobbler come to investigate. Legally I always thought the intent of the law was not to be sitting up and hunting turkeys coming to or from a bait station, no matter how far away it is. Turkeys have a brain about the size of a walnut, it does not take much hunting skills to ambush one and no ability other than pulling a trigger to kill one over bait.
Kev
Senior Member
I still don’t know the correct answer.
across the river
Senior Member
I have had a game warden tell me inaccurate things on more than one occasion. I go by the actual law, and if you are really concerned, you are better off contacting a lawyer. The hunting within sight or within 200 yards “law” was the old deer hunting law before baiting was legalized. The current law does not say say that. It says if you kill a big game animal, other than a deer, (.i.e. turkey), within 200yards you are, if convicted, guiltly of a misdemeanor of high nature or something to that degree. That part of the law says nothing about “hunting” only taking or harvesting or however it is worded. The part that actually refers to hunting say you can’t place it as an attractant or entice birds to an area that people will be hunting. No distance is mentioned in this section, and no charge is mentioned either. If you bait a pond up with corn for ducks, and sit out in the field 200+ yards away and shoot birds flying to the pond, you can be charged with hunting over bait. Same with turkeys in a similar situation. It also says you can’t place bait, even on your own property, if it will cause someone else to violate the law on their property beside you. So if you put corn on the line beside my property, within 200 yards of my chufa field that I turkey hunt in, you are in violation of the law. The law is referenced in your first post that the guy quoted, he just is confusing the harvest part of the law that specifically prohibits the taking of a turkey within a certain distance with the hunting part of the law that doesn’t specify a distance. The agent who said it is at the warden’s discretion is correct according to the actual law. I paraphrased it, but here it is if you are interesting in reading the whole thing.
https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2020/title-27/chapter-3/article-1/part-1/section-27-3-9/
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cowhornedspike
Senior Member
1. Ducks aren't big game so apples and oranges.
2. Yes it is confusing and needs to be cleared up so that NOTHING is at the discression of the GW.
3. Just don't bait turkeys...period.
Its not about baiting turkeys.
Its about hunting turkeys on properties baited for hogs and/or deer
Or hunting on properties adjacent to properties baited for hogs and deer
It costs the chairman of the wildlife committee his chairmanship because he had issues with baiting deer/hogs and hunting other species.
You can bait and hunt hogs year around on private lands
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Mars
Senior Member
Genuine question looking for a genuine answer:
If there is already a bag limit, why is there a need for baiting laws? I understand size and sex laws are to protect the species ability to reproduce. Baiting laws kind of seem like gun laws to me in that its already illegal to murder someone then why do we need additional restrictions.
Again, this is a genuine question with no hidden agenda or anything of the sort.
If there is already a bag limit, why is there a need for baiting laws? I understand size and sex laws are to protect the species ability to reproduce. Baiting laws kind of seem like gun laws to me in that its already illegal to murder someone then why do we need additional restrictions.
Again, this is a genuine question with no hidden agenda or anything of the sort.
Simple solution:
Make it illegal to Turkey hunt on property with active feeding.
Bait stations on private property must be 200 yards from property line.
You will always have unethical people trying to game the system If rules are not crystal clear and equally enforced.
The state doesn’t want to lose any licensed hunters and realize that todays hunters want it easy and want it now.
Make it illegal to Turkey hunt on property with active feeding.
Bait stations on private property must be 200 yards from property line.
You will always have unethical people trying to game the system If rules are not crystal clear and equally enforced.
The state doesn’t want to lose any licensed hunters and realize that todays hunters want it easy and want it now.
GLS
Classic Southern Gentleman
It is not the aim of game management to increase the kill numbers by making it easier to do so but to increase and protect a healthy population of the game species. If every turkey hunter in Georgia bagged a limit we wouldn't have many birds left to procreate. Baiting turkeys was part of the reason turkeys were wiped out of areas of the south decades ago. That and the indiscriminate killing of them year round without regard to sex. Gil
across the river
Senior Member
For #1, if you would have actually read the link prior to posting, the baiting portion says any game bird, which would be applicable to ducks, dove, turkeys, or any other game bird. The only place big game is mentioned is in the portion in reference to killing a big game animal that is not a deer ( so a turkey) within 200 yards of bait. This law would not be applicable to doves, or ducks. The other part would be.
For#2, it’s not that difficult to understand if you take the time to actually read the law yourself rather than relying on the GON forum to get you information.
For#3, it is worth understanding the laws regardless of whether or not you bait yourself or even hunt turkeys. If you don’t turkey hunt but put a feeder on the property line, the law addresses this. If someone on you club puts out corn for a trail camera in a section you do not hunt, it could still impact you legally. It’s worth actually understanding the law regardless of whether you bait or not.
sea trout
2021 Turkey Challenge Winner 2022 biggest turkey ?
Thank you!
This is what I wanted to say.
I don't know about everybody, but all the ones I do know who have wondered and discussed the legal truth to this law in question has no intrist at all in baiting a turkey.
buckpasser
Senior Member
Simple answer to a genuine question: Sportsmanship. Anyone can kill a wild turkey over bait. They are dumb (even without baiting). To anyone that chooses to hunt them over bait, you are a low life piece of scum and I hope a bone wedges broadside in your throat. If someone is wanting to collect meat, and not there to enjoy the wild turkey (which is fun to hunt fairly), they should just hit Publix.
buckpasser
Senior Member
I’d prefer the outlawing of all baiting, feeding, etc. at all times, but that’s just me.
