DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
Hawk...appreciate the kick in the pants.
Today I contacted both State Representative Barrett and Senator Roberts for my district and expressed my concerns over HB1618/SB1942...Thanks.
Baiting Bill HB1618/SB1942
- Thread starter bjohnson
- Start date
Today I contacted both State Representative Barrett and Senator Roberts for my district and expressed my concerns over HB1618/SB1942...Thanks.
What about those that feed them but don't hunt them ? No different to me but for some reason that's not mentioned . The reasons you and others gave should apply here as well . Even had a very respected member here admitted to running a feeder just to watch them . Absolutely no difference as to the reasons opponent's of baiting mentioned !!!
When I was a boy growing up hunting in Ohio it was impossible to go into the woods without hearing multiple ruft grouse drumming, flushing a covey of quail from a creekside thicket, and/or having a dozen turkeys feed past you. Somewhere around the first few years of the 2000's that all began changing. Not coincidentally that was also when baiting really became a "thing". Pretty abruptly the quail disappeared. In short years the grouse progressively disappeared and are now gone. I've not heard a grouse drumming in 20yrs. And now turkeys are following the same trend. More resilient than the other but still dwindling in population.
I understand there are various factors. West nile virus, drop in fur market value, etc. to name a couple. And I'm not an ecologist so I am careful to not form any hardline opinions about things I don't fully understand. But I know what I've personally seen happen and cannot ignore the parralel between the erradication of those game birds and rise of popularity with baiting for deer.
I agree with Ski and others. I have no interest in killing a deer coming to corn but it's the wildlife that matters the most. I bet there's some younger guys here who've never experienced the sudden flush of a covey of bobwhites. What a dern shame.
Monday I went to TN.gov page and emailed both my senator and representative to ask them to vote no for the baiting bill in the interest of our wildlife and the great pastime of ethical hunting.
Monday I went to TN.gov page and emailed both my senator and representative to ask them to vote no for the baiting bill in the interest of our wildlife and the great pastime of ethical hunting.
I voted no. Aside from what has been mentioned... I really don't want to see TN's largest bucks get killed over corn during the velvet hunt.
killingtime 41
Well-Known Member
Eat corn all week crap in the woods everyday. See now we've reached a happy medium. Lol
You're right. It's the same thing. And my feelings about it are the same. But that's not the proposal. The proposal is specific to hunting over bait on private lands, so that's the lane I've tried to keep my argument in. .
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I'm sure the increased use of corn feeding/baiting is just one of many factors.
But it is a factor, and a factor we have a choice to either increase its detriments,
or reduce those detriments.
It is noteworthy that the decline in bobwhite quail has coincided with the rise in deer feeders doting the landscape.
If a single kernel of aflatoxin corn can kill an adult turkey, would presume even a tiny speck of cracked corn could kill a much smaller bird? Perhaps the increased use of "feeders" everyone is also a contributing factor in the decline of songbirds?
In my youth, not only were quail abundant, but we also had more songbirds, and spring, summer, and fall air was more full of their pleasant sounds. How many people on this site now have never heard the song of a meadowlark? The meadowlark's disappearance has been right along with the bobwhite quail's.
After clicking, scroll down to hear the sounds . . . . . .
Eastern Meadowlark Sounds, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The sweet, lazy whistles of Eastern Meadowlarks waft over summer grasslands and farms in eastern North America. The birds themselves sing from fenceposts and telephone lines or stalk through the grasses, probing the ground for insects with their long, sharp bills. On the ground, their...
www.allaboutbirds.org
Northern Bobwhite Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
An emphatic, whistled bob-white ringing from a grassy field or piney woods has long been a characteristic sound of summers in the Eastern countryside. It’s quite a bit harder to spot a Northern Bobwhite, as the bird’s elegantly dappled plumage offers excellent camouflage. They forage in groups...
www.allaboutbirds.org
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Yes sir but the complaints should be the same because most of the comments were that it's bad for the wildlife ! Oh yeah some said it was lazy but so is setting in a shooting house over a food plot . See my point is the bashing of baiting which is legit now not for the reason of it's bad for wildlife but that it's illegal . I guess for an unfair advantage .
I've wondered to myself if the proposal isn't in correlation with the velvet hunt. The only reason for a velvet hunt is trophy opportunity for landowners and private land hunters. Although as been pointed out in past threads that summer feeding patterns makes hunting a buck easier, imagine how much easier yet it would be to do over a pile of corn & attractant. I've been a proponent of the velvet season but that IMO edges a bit too far over the fair chase line.
Also as is understandable, public land hunters are upset that they don't get opportunity to hunt the velvet season. It's an advantage given to private lands and hard to argue is fair. This baiting proposal falls into the same extra advantage given to private lands that further excludes public hunters. I'm not a judge but I know if you give one kid a candy bar & the other a celery stick, one is going to feel cheated. And rightly so.
Farmers have been spilling corn for ages so your point that feeders has caused this decline solely isn't founded . Coyotes , increased hawk population, other predator birds sure hadn't helped plus loss of habitat . You have people travel to the Midwest states to quail hunt and they've been legal baiting for years. Management could have stopped the decline and that's were it failed because people just kept over shooting quail along with the other predators they didn't have a chance. Some bird hunters tried to increase their habitat and bred quail to restock but tame quail just don't last.I'm sure the increased use of corn feeding/baiting is just one of many factors.
But it is a factor, and a factor we have a choice to either increase its detriments,
or reduce those detriments.
It is noteworthy that the decline in bobwhite quail has coincided with the rise in deer feeders doting the landscape.
If a single kernel of aflatoxin corn can kill an adult turkey, would presume even a tiny speck of cracked corn could kill a much smaller bird? Perhaps the increased use of "feeders" everyone is also a contributing factor in the decline of songbirds?
In my youth, not only were quail abundant, but we also had more songbirds, and spring, summer, and fall air was more full of their pleasant sounds. How many people on this site now have never heard the song of a meadowlark? The meadowlark's disappearance has been right along with the bobwhite quail's.
After clicking, scroll down to hear the sounds . . . . . .
Eastern Meadowlark Sounds, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The sweet, lazy whistles of Eastern Meadowlarks waft over summer grasslands and farms in eastern North America. The birds themselves sing from fenceposts and telephone lines or stalk through the grasses, probing the ground for insects with their long, sharp bills. On the ground, their...Northern Bobwhite Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
An emphatic, whistled bob-white ringing from a grassy field or piney woods has long been a characteristic sound of summers in the Eastern countryside. It’s quite a bit harder to spot a Northern Bobwhite, as the bird’s elegantly dappled plumage offers excellent camouflage. They forage in groups...
I don't disagree. And you won't catch me saying baiting is a good thing regardless of time of year or for what reason. If it's bad for wildlife then it's bad for wildlife.
As I understand it baiting is illegal for hunting not because of it's detriment to wildlife but because it gives unfair advantage to one hunter over another by altering the deer movement. Simply put the guy with the biggest pile of bait has the deer and his neighbors do not. Public land hunters get completely left out. Yet we all pay the same price for a license so we should all have equal opportunity. If fairness is the objective then the proposal should be legal baiting ANYWHERE, not just private land. But the proposal has nothing to do with fairness. It's all about a rich politician allowing his rich buddies to legally hoard the lion's share of deer. Call a spade a spade. It is what it is.
Here is a link to send a letter to your legislators opposing this bill:
Mine has been sent. If you oppose this foolishness, I hope you will respond as well.
Mine has been sent. If you oppose this foolishness, I hope you will respond as well.
I liked your post but .... I've been told it's not an advantage I guess i beg the differ ! Even seen one text that said they have seen deer step over corn to eat acorns . I'm not really for baiting but voted yes for my reasons stated before . We tore at each others throats over something that might not take place although ....I guess it is illegally. This world is not fair , you have the have nots and those that have. Some have hundreds of acres to hunt some only have public ...that's life . Those that hunt with the bare necessities others have the latest gadgets. Some hunt with second hand clothing( I bought TT clothes
) some get expensive new hunting clothes every year. Should I get mad at someone because they have more than I do ....absolutely not ! I'll admit I have been envious at times not of what someone kills but of the opportunity they have but jealousy is not in my heart .
Why can't we all get together to propose them to stop all the feeding of wildlife besides small birds and such . The main focus over the baiting is that it's more of a damage than help , right ?
Buzzard Breath
Well-Known Member
Because the whole focus of this thread is on HB1618/SB1942, which is about hunting over bait.
Because it is not doable. TWRA has had language drafted for at least 15 years to stop the feeding of all wildlife outside of 100 ft (from my memory) of a dwelling. They were repeatably told by key figures in the legislature that it would not pass if introduced. And, if the bill was introduced, it would likely result in the current foolishness.
If TWRA had their wishes (unless something has changed since I retired), there would be no feeding of wildlife.
I liked your post but .... I've been told it's not an advantage I guess i beg the differ ! Even seen one text that said they have seen deer step over corn to eat acorns . I'm not really for baiting but voted yes for my reasons stated before . We tore at each others throats over something that might not take place although ....I guess it is illegally. This world is not fair , you have the have nots and those that have. Some have hundreds of acres to hunt some only have public ...that's life . Those that hunt with the bare necessities others have the latest gadgets. Some hunt with second hand clothing( I bought TT clothes
I agree with you on all those points. I've also heard baiting is no advantage, and to some degree agree with that but I also disagree. Pouring out a bag of corn while white oak acorns are raining down probably isn't going to do much other than waste your money. But maintain a mountain of corn and other attractants inside safe cover and those deer won't leave to eat acorns until after dark. Both things can be true. Not all bait is equal.
As for being envious of others, it's not my style either. But if my rich neighbor hoarded all the deer by maintaining a giant bait site all season long to the point that it effectively nullified my property as a hunting spot, I'd be upset. And if I were not able to find deer on public ground because they were piled in on someone's bait site I'd be upset. A pile of corn here & there might not be much draw. But pallet loads of Big&J and corn every week sure does. If you have the money and live in a bait legal state you can buy deer and ruin your neighbor's hunt.
Mine is sent!
This is where as is now with this bill the state can come in. If I'm wrong please tell me but these disagreements with this bill is not TWRA but the state. So .......
