Baiting Bill HB1618/SB1942

AT Hiker said:

So, I'm sitting in a tree over top a major pinch point. I've got my #16 fly rod tipped with a corn dry fly……

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What the heck is a " corn dry fly" or a wet one for that matter?

DoubleRidge said:

A corn pile does nothing to help wildlife, zero...keep feeding coons and do nothing to improve turkey nesting habitat...that will help turkey numbers...and for those who dont believe aflatoxin is real...ask why does Texas requires certified aflatoxin free corn?
Ten minutes of research will show those who want to learn...the negatives of bait piles far outweigh any positives.

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DoubleRidge, I'm afraid the issue has become more about finding ways to "justify" killing deer over bait piles, than anything about why, in the bigger pictures, the negatives outweigh the positives.
But everything you stated is correct.

IMO, a significant contributing factor to the general decline of bobwhite quail (and turkeys) has been the illegal baiting/feeding of corn. Promoting baiting would just make this worse.

TheLBLman said:

DoubleRidge, I'm afraid the issue has become more about finding ways to "justify" killing deer over bait piles, than anything about why, in the bigger pictures, the negatives outweigh the positives.
But everything you stated is correct.

IMO, a significant contributing factor to the general decline of bobwhite quail (and turkeys) has been the illegal baiting/feeding of corn. Promoting baiting would just make this worse.

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Hensley is seeking to legalize baiting for all species last I read the bill. I foresee this forcing TWRA to reduce the spring gobbler limit.

Rep Hensley has tried to legalize baiting for doves for years as well- if he gets his way on baiting for migratory birds, that could well jeopardize TNs migratory bird seasons

MickThompson said:

Hensley is seeking to legalize baiting for all species last I read the bill. I foresee this forcing TWRA to reduce the spring gobbler limit.

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^^^ This ^^^

As written, it is not species specific.

"Game and Fish Laws - As introduced, authorizes a person to hunt on or over privately owned land where bait is present; specifies that written consent and compliance with other requirements to catch or kill a wild animal on the land of another still apply. - Amends TCA Title 70."

You don't want Tennessee to turn in to South Carolina. Trust me. Fight back against this bill with everything you've got.

Like I said earlier - the only time bait should be dumped is for a pig or predator trap.

Buzzard Breath said:

^^^ This ^^^

As written, it is not species specific.

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So, as written, if it goes thru, we should expect hunting seasons for all species effected to be shortened? Shorter dove & waterfowl seasons? Shorter turkey season?

If killing turkeys over corn piles becomes legal, I can see the turkey season being shortened, and going to a 1-bird annual limit. Maybe Hensley's baiting is tied in with going to a 1-buck limit on deer as well, you know, like Kentucky (where corn baiting for deer is legal)?

Some have mentioned that other states allow legal killing of deer over corn piles, such as Kentucky.
Note that KY's gun deer season is also less than half as many days as TN's, and, KY's annual buck limit is exactly half what we currently have in TN.

Be careful what you wish to happen with legalized baiting.
Everything effects everything.

And as to "controlled" baiting, that's currently what we already have now.

Waterfowl are federal and won't be included I would bet, hoping dove also as they are migratory.

TheLBLman said:

Some have mentioned that other states allow legal killing of deer over corn piles, such as Kentucky.
Note that KY's gun deer season is also less than half as many days as TN's, and, KY's annual buck limit is exactly half what we currently have in TN.

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In my experience when you see radical random proposals from politicians it's pretty much always linked to money. Find the money and you'll find the driving force behind the proposal. I'd really like to know where TWRA stands on all of this. The timing is uncanny as it wasn't long ago we had surveys and open suggestions. I'm no conspiracy theorist but I don't live with my head in the sand either.

tellico4x4 said:

I appreciate what you are trying to accomplish with killing nanny's all over the state, but obviously you don't have a lot of food plot planting experience. In 40 years of doing them I've never done one that was "real easy" . Soil testing, spreading lime to get ph correct, spraying weeds, planting* , fertilizing, praying for rain. Re- doing it all over again if you don't get timely rain. None of that is "easy" or cheap. Of course that doesn't include equipment cost, fuel, equipment maintenance & repair, herbicide, time, etc...,, " Break ground, throw seed & pray for rain" is a recipe for disaster., Good thing that you know folks that will let you take advantage of their hard work & $ to support your endeavor.

* Our seed cost alone exceeded $3k, nothing easy about that.

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I have never taken advantage of anyone.


Spending 3 k is easy. What work is involved ?
Inserting a credit card?

Granted people spend time and effort in large quantities in working plots.

Some don't .

MickThompson said:

Right now the no's are 26- will our legislators even get 26 emails about this issue? Not likely.

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I personally sent emails to 6 Reps and 4 senators urging them to vote against the bill. 1 answer so far indicated they were opposed and they were going to find out why the sponsors of the bill think this bill is a good idea.
Plan on sending more today.

No ones opinion matters. TWRA I mean CWD is going to kill all the deer in west Tennessee and it's going to spread from here to everywhere because Tennessee hunters do not care about any of the wild life here ( as some people would say ) there won't be any deer left for anyone to kill in 2 years because they might let us bait on private land. so hope y'all like eating man made meats from Walmart and Kroger.

mike243 said:

Waterfowl are federal and won't be included I would bet, hoping dove also as they are migratory.

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If they're not specifically excluded, TWRA and the commission cannot go against state law. Can they enforce federal regulations to the contrary? Not likely.

The question is will the feds permit states that allow or even encourage baiting for migratory gamebirds to have a season. With the current administration, I have doubts. Why would they? Harvest models are built around the current frameworks and baiting for ducks and doves isn't part of it.

tntrkkllr said:

there won't be any deer left for anyone to kill in 2 years because they might let us bait on private land. so hope y'all like eating man made meats from Walmart and Kroger.

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I need to go back and read each post more closely...did someone actually say this?
Its no secret I'm against baiting...but I know I've never said deer would be wiped out due to baiting? Lower average birth rates, sure. Toxic to poults, you bet. Terrible for song birds, no doubt....but will it eliminate the deer herd? of course not. I havent read where anyone has said that? But I guess if the only focus is killing a deer who really cares? Right? Get that walmart corn, pile it up, kill that deer, take that pic to post on social media and move on....its all about what we want....not what's best for the wildlife.

tellico4x4 said:

What the heck is a " corn dry fly" or a wet one for that matter?

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Corn dry fly is Alpha toxin free a wet corn fly has Alpha toxin in it.

Personally, I really enjoy being able to deer hunt from Sept to Jan. I like being able to take 2 bucks (I rarely ever do but). I like being able to hunt turkeys for more than a couple weeks a season and like being able to take more than 1 bird (I rarely ever do but). So if baiting shortens the seasons and bag limits, not a fan. It seems a conclusion that if they allow baiting, this will happen. If you are a fan of shortened seasons and lowered bag limits, I'm curious, why?

AT Hiker said:

I'm digging this!

Hear me out.
So, I'm sitting in a tree over top a major pinch point. I've got my #16 fly rod tipped with a corn dry fly……

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Come on man!!! Don't leave me hangin… I'm on the edge of my seat,, what happened next??

AT Hiker said:

Corn dry fly is Alpha toxin free a wet corn fly has Alpha toxin in it.

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Wet fly



Dry fly

Sasquatch Boogie Outdoors said:

Come on man!!! Don't leave me hangin… I'm on the edge of my seat,, what happened next??

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Well, it turned ugly. Wasn't as easy as I thought. Had to stoop to another level.

Do you know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in Europe? Royale with cheese.
Apparently they got the metric system over there and don't know what that is, just like these stupid deer. So I had to coax em…

I am against baiting, i.e. throwing out corn, apples, candy, etc into a pile just to bring deer in.

As far as whether it is legal or not, I don't care, if the powers that be legalize it, great for those that want to bait. It does not bother me.
I have never baited and won't do it. Like I said if asked for my opinion, I am against it, but if legal, I say go for it if you want to.