Baiting Bill HB1618/SB1942

[Doecrusher]

I wouldn't hunt over bait but it it's legal to do during the off season then you should be able to do it during the season...

 

[TboneD]

NO. In our great state we recognize that land owners don't own the deer. These wild critters we love to hunt can roam for miles. And just because your neighbor does it doesn't change the fact that waiting for deer to come to a feeder or corn pile simply isn't deer hunting. Also, although I'm no biologist I highly doubt it's good for the deer or other wildlife.

 

[TheLBLman]

NO. In our great state we recognize that land owners don't own the deer. These wild critters we love to hunt can roam for miles.

THIS is what many baiting proponents seem to be missing!

The deer are considered property of the general public, i.e. the "People" of the State of Tennessee.

On a statewide basis, there are only enough deer to sustain an annual harvest of somewhere in the ballpark of 1 deer per 100 acres. Yet, many who own 5 to 15 acres seem to think they are somehow "entitled" to kill multiple deer annually on their private property simply because it's their property and they will ignore the rights of everyone else.

Just because you own 15 acres, you are free to hunt your own land.
But that should not "entitle" you to cheat others from their fair share of the public resource known as free-roaming wildlife.

This is why we have "game laws" and certain standards of what's considered ethical and/or "fair chase".

A few years ago, I found out a guy & his son killed 8 turkeys (over an illegal corn feeder behind their house) on their 5 acres. This was done during turkey season, and all were "checked in" as "legal" kills (under our statewide 4-bird limit per person). That same year, the adjoining 3,000 acres, where more than a dozen "fair-chase" avid turkey hunters were afield, if my memory serves correct, they only killed 7, with no one person killing more than 2.

Was it "ethical" that 2 guys killed 8 turkeys that same year on their 5 acres, when a sustainable harvest for the same 5-mile square area was only about 15 (human-hunter-killed) longbeard annually?

Making baiting "legal" does more harm than good to ethical hunters, and a heck of a lot more harm to OUR wildlife.

 

[TheLBLman]

Rep. Richey is the sponsor of the bill. Currently he is running for state senator district 2.
Sen. Joey Hensley Hohenwald is his co-sponsor.
One way or the other talking about on here won't matter. Contact them or your Rep./Sen.

I am particularly disappointed in these two.
Are they really that ignorant of wildlife issues, or just like most other politicians, in to line their own pockets, and own self-serving interests?

Again, this is not a private property issue so much as it's a wildlife issue.

 

[deerhunter10]

I bet over half the people on here who take the elitist attitude about baiting use live scope when they go fishing. Same difference.

I bet the vast majority of people don't have a live scope. I can't name even one that's not a pro.

Some of yal are wild. Grown men that fluffy kitten and complain about government and politics turn everything political.

At the end of the day if you really want to get into the weeds of it those or these so called "elitist" that everyone gets butt hurt over are doing way more for the wildlife and the landscape then the vast majority of the other people combined.

How many that want to bait are trapping?
How many doing habitat improvements?
And the million other things that need to happen and the million things that need to be done.

I know some legitimately can't and never will be able to have the equipment or all the other things needed to do foodplots. But there's a lot out there that are just to lazy to make the sacrifices to own and manage land.

At the end of the day I'm not that worried about deer. But the turkeys there is no reason to temp anyone else to bait for them.

At the end of the day a lot of people wanting to bait are already doing it..it is what it is.

 

[Acorn]

I have hunted around big ag fields all my life that have a lot of left over corn laying on the ground after harvest and big piles on the ground where they loaded trucks. We were walking a big corn field a couple weeks ago and it was still corn all over the ground. Does this hurt the deer and turkey? Absolutely not they have been thriving in these corn fields for years. There are two different kinds of hunting over bait legally and illegally. Hunting over big ag fields with leftover corn on the ground, growing a field of corn and just bush hogging it down a little at a time, feeding cows corn to poop it back out for the turkeys and spilling corn all over the ground while feeding cows. These are all legal ways to bait. But a man buys corn off the farmer and puts it out on his own property next to these big ag fields with corn all over the ground is illegal. Do I hunt over illegally baited corn? Absolutely not! My kids and I learned to hunt the right way! Do we hunt these ag fields with legal corn scattered all over the ground from natural farming practice. We absolutely do!

 

[Snake]

Oh me, I wouldn't take a million dollars for the time spent in a shooting house with my kids, grandkids and other new hunters (young & old). The youngsters started tagging along when 3-4 years old. They took books, crayons, lots of snacks, iPads, etc , whatever it took to appease them.

It gave me untold hours to witness to them, to listen to them, to give advise to them, to share my hunting experiences with them and to talk about everything under the sun, and maybe kill a deer or two. We got to enjoy GOD's great outdoors, shared numerous sunrises and sunsets together and built lifelong meaningful loving relationships. We had uninterrupted time to share life victories, defeats, we laughed, cried and discussed why great grandma died. They learned family history, relived hunts that I had with their great & great great grandfather's following a pack of beagles or bird dogs.

They learned that the luscious food plot and nice shooting house was the result of hard work, planning, managing finances, working with others, and didn't happen at snap of fingers. They learned about wildlife management, why not to shoot the first lone little deer that stepped into plot, they learned why we may need to kill does, how to age bucks, why we take out predators, why we let one deer walk but shoot the next one. They learned why we chose to hunt one stand over another. They learned patience, respect, why we need to be quite, talk less and listen more.

They learned that in order to enjoy the hunting time, the also had to put forth effort. They learned that they had to show up for work days, pick up rocks out of new plots, clear shooting lanes, put up stands and eventually run chainsaws and drive tractor.

They learned that the only constant in life was change, and that they not only had to adapt to be successful, they also had to know where to draw the line, that not everything is for sale. They learned that lots of sweat equity was required for most everything that is meaningful in life. They learned how to be productive citizens.

All the above taught them not to take the easy way out like stopping by Walmart for a sack of corn and dumping it out on the ground.

Now have a 6 month old great grandson and Lord willing, one day in near future I'll get to spend time with him in a nice shooting house overlooking a luscious food plot, teaching and sharing with him the same things I did his father. Perhaps even at the same food plot.

Naw, I was wrong about the million dollars, I wouldn't take ten million for the experiences shared!

These are memories you make weather or not in a shooting house and are a treasure I agree . My comment was about the aspect of how to read deer sigh , trails , bedding areas, food sources etc . Nothing can compare with the memories you make with young hunters and I wasn't question that part brother. Even setting over bait teaches young hunters nothing about the basics of hunting and how you ambush deer . I merely mentioned alot of this is not taught much anymore . We have young kids killing bucks I'd dream of killing that know nothing of trying to set up in a surrounding not known to them . I used to be like a kid in a candy store when I got to scout property I wasn't familiar with trying to find that awesome setup.

 

[Popcorn]

I hunt in KY and TN, my best deer are taken on saddles and pinch points between food and bedding. There is one exception, during the rut when I hunt where the doe are irregardless.

I voted I dont care

I would support legislation that requires all feed corn to be cleaned, tested and labeled in regards to aflatoxins

 

[Rockhound]

THIS is what many baiting proponents seem to be missing!

The deer are considered property of the general public, i.e. the "People" of the State of Tennessee.

On a statewide basis, there are only enough deer to sustain an annual harvest of somewhere in the ballpark of 1 deer per 100 acres. Yet, many who own 5 to 15 acres seem to think they are somehow "entitled" to kill multiple deer annually on their private property simply because it's their property and they will ignore the rights of everyone else.

Just because you own 15 acres, you are free to hunt your own land.
But that should not "entitle" you to cheat others from their fair share of the public resource known as free-roaming wildlife.

This is why we have "game laws" and certain standards of what's considered ethical and/or "fair chase".

Until they quit writing depredation permits, this argument doesn't hold water either. They have allowed neighboring farmers to kill over 800 deer in the last 2 summers.... and that's just what's recorded.

The public that supposedly owns those deer don't get a say in it, they just die. As long as that is allowed to happen, there is no such thing as the publics deer, or fairness. If those 800 deer can die and be left to rot, there is absolutely no good reason for landowners to not be able to shoot them over a feeder, at least they will eat them.

I may be a loner, but I think it's absolutely ridiculous that any county that writes depredation permits to the extent that they do here has regulations to the extent that they do. Why a bow season when the neighbors have been shooting them with a rifle in bean fields for 3 months prior? Why is it illegal to pour out corn when they bend over backwards to keep them from eating beans?

Turkeys don't go nocturnal with pressure, nor do they grow weary of bait and pressure associated with it so that shouldn't be allowed but deer, he'll it don't matter anymore.

 

[deerdills]

Wild animals don't know the difference between the dinner table and the restroom. Corn attracts every critter in the woods, not just deer. I'd vote no to a 10 ft circle of urine and feces where the animals I plan to eat are eating. There is no comparison to an oak flat, crop field, or food plot that spreads the waste and makes for healthier deer. I guess if someone wanted to spread some bags of corn across 8-10 acres of their woods or fields, there would be less of a health argument.

 

[Deer Assassin]

Hate it.

Learn to hunt.

Same could be said for those hunting over food plots in 3 grand shooting houses

 

[Swampster]

I'm in a CWD county so glad I don't have to worry about it ever being legal.

Then you are in West Tennessee like me where few seem to follow the game laws anyway. Or property lines.

 

[Flintlocksforme]

Then you are in West Tennessee like me where few seem to follow the game laws anyway. Or property lines.

Plenty of deer being fed now in West Tennessee or Walmart, Coop,TSC, etc wouldn't have piles of deer food, blocks, powders, and feeders for sale every fall. I stopped feeding them in my yard because we are under CWD restrictions in Benton. I hate the fact that I am no longer able to put out salt. Who knows? Has it ruined hunting in the surrounding states. Concentrating raccoons on your place isn't good for turkeys apparently. On a good acorn year it's a moot point anyway.

 

[redblood]

Would not want to see baiting legalized.

Seems like it would make cwd spread faster

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I am particularly disappointed in these two.
Are they really that ignorant of wildlife issues, or just like most other politicians, in to line their own pockets, and own self-serving interests?

Again, this is not a private property issue so much as it's a wildlife issue.

Hensley was involved in the bill to remove Yanahli as a WMA and give it back to the county. It doesn't suprise me that he's involved in this too.

About to lose 12,000 acres of WMA land....

State representative Scott Cepicky has tried to transfer part of the Yanahli WMA property to Maury County to develop fairgrounds in the past. Now he has introduced HR 1674 which would transfer the entire WMA from TWRA to Maury County. Please take a minute to email, or call, and respectfully...

www.tndeer.com

 

[CrossVolle]

90% of the hunters out there are doing it anyway so you might as well legalize it.

Hyperbole

 

[timberjack86]

There's some money behind this if politicians are pushing for it. Gotta pay someone back. Or possibly someone wealthy got a ticket for hunting over bait.

 

[Rockhound]

Hyperbole

Get your head out of the sand and open your eyes....

 

[CrossVolle]

Get your head out of the sand and open your eyes....

Stop being dramatic as means to get what you want. 90% of tennessee hunters are not baiting illegally.

Just say you support. Don't throw in there 90% of hunters are doing it to attempt to justify your stance.

 

[Biggun4214]

Seems like deer hunting is headed toward being a participation trophy sport.