And the debate continues.
To hunt or not to hunt over corn still remains the ultimate question in the minds of many deer hunters. Some say it is just ethically wrong to shoot a deer while it plummets its face into a pile of edible gold. Others seem to have no problem with pulling the trigger during mealtime.
Baiting is, and will always be, a touchy subject. And the fire is sure to rage when the state House of Representatives votes on legalizing baiting.
Although the state Senate has yet to propose or act on any baiting laws, the House has introduced four bills:
House Bill 359
“The use of deer feeders is authorized in any deer season. Any person desiring to use a deer feeder shall pay a permit fee of $10 to the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks for each deer feeder. The unlawful use of a deer feeder without a permit is a Class II violation and a person convicted of the unlawful use of a deer feeder shall be punished as provided in Section 49-7-143. For the purposes of this subparagraph, “deer feeder” means any device which dispenses grain for deer and which is constructed in such fashion to keep such grain dry.”
House Bill 1044
“The commission, by rule or regulation, shall authorize the hunting of deer over corn during any deer hunting season whether the corn is scattered on the ground or is on the ear.”
House Bill 500
“The hunting of deer over grain during any deer hunting season shall be lawful.”
House Bill 1019
“It shall not be unlawful for a person to hunt or kill deer near or in close proximity to a location where corn, grain or other supplemental feed has been placed if such location is not within such person’s sight.”
To sum up the proposed bills:
* A hunter can pay 10 bucks and kill a deer while the deer is feeding on the corn
* A hunter can throw out corn and shoot him as he eats
* A hunter can only shoot a deer while it is on the way to or from the corn.
* A hunter can scatter corn that is on or off the ear of corn and harvest a deer.
Now that is what I call a variety of laws.
As many notables are predicting, it is only a matter of time before laws are passed that legalize hunting over bait. And that is something that many hunters are going to have to deal with.
Personally, I don’t know why people want to legalize baiting. It’s obvious that politicians aren’t listening to the biologists because biologists say baiting will only cause more problems.
What happens if CWD hits the state? What happens when the deer adjust to regular shooting around corn and change their patters? Surveys by Michigan and Wisconsin hunters proved that hunters who didn’t hunt over bait were more successful than those who chose to hunt over bait. That shows that deer will change their pattern and become even more nocturnal when baited.
Baiting is a matter of opinion and ethical standards. Whether your in favor of it or against it, the truth is that hunters don’t need corn to kill deer, so why chance the deer population by legalizing baiting?
I guess that’s why we have politicians-they’ll always find a way to make something good go bad.
Send your opinion of baiting to Jake Fagan at [email protected]