Geez……..I can't fathom sitting over a bait pile to "shoot" an animal. I'd rather have a colonoscopy. It appears to be more prevalent than I want to accept.
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Got Bait?
- Thread starter Andy S.
- Start date
Very common
Wrangler95
Well-Known Member
I was at Walmart yesterday and they had a big supply of corn on display and they have had since before Turkey season!
Kentucky is a huge baiting state (legal and illegal)
Tennessee and Virginia are the exceptions in the southeast in regards to baiting wildlife but Tennessee is now changing with deer bait in the woods.
At least Tennessee implemented a baiting permit
But aside from Florida, I don't think any southeastern state allows baiting turkey?
Tennessee and Virginia are the exceptions in the southeast in regards to baiting wildlife but Tennessee is now changing with deer bait in the woods.
At least Tennessee implemented a baiting permit
But aside from Florida, I don't think any southeastern state allows baiting turkey?
swampbadger
Well-Known Member
He ratted out his neighbor! Double disgraceful IMO. They don't lessen your charges for squealing!
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
VERY, VERY common both in TN, but esp MS.
Whats crazy this year...both birds i killed in MS had corn in them (one from public). Normal is 50%.
NONE of the 8 birds i killed in TN had bait in them this year. Normal for me in TN is 1 out of 4.
Small sample size for sure, but I always track it.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Illegal baiting for the purpose of killing turkeys over bait piles likely accounts for 10 to 30% of all turkeys killed statewide in TN. My retired TWRA officer friend SCN believed it was higher than this, and he was more in the know than I.
I'm told one of the reasons our spring turkey season got changed to open 2 weeks later (@ 3 yrs ago?) was in part to reduce the effectiveness of poachers' baiting for turkeys. And I believe it has definitely reduced how many turkeys poachers are now killing over bait piles.
IMO, Megalomaniac, your observations are in line with expectations of baiting being less effective with our 2-week season delay. Poachers are still doing it, just finding it's not working as well once things start greening up & insects become more abundant as the primary food source for turkeys.
Prior to the past couple years, roughly half the turkeys we would kill in the season's first few days would have craws full of wheat & corn. Never mind none of us were baiting, but there was obviously lots of baiting going on in the surrounding area.
But this year, despite knowing there's still baiting nearby, none of the 11 birds we killed had any corn or wheat in their craws, which makes me believe the 2-week season delay greatly decreased the turkey poaching.
I can't imagine never learning how to hunt turkeys, never enjoying all that goes with it, just to shoot one over a pile of wheat or corn. Might as well just go shoot a chicken in the chicken coop. What's the difference?
I'm told one of the reasons our spring turkey season got changed to open 2 weeks later (@ 3 yrs ago?) was in part to reduce the effectiveness of poachers' baiting for turkeys. And I believe it has definitely reduced how many turkeys poachers are now killing over bait piles.
IMO, Megalomaniac, your observations are in line with expectations of baiting being less effective with our 2-week season delay. Poachers are still doing it, just finding it's not working as well once things start greening up & insects become more abundant as the primary food source for turkeys.
Prior to the past couple years, roughly half the turkeys we would kill in the season's first few days would have craws full of wheat & corn. Never mind none of us were baiting, but there was obviously lots of baiting going on in the surrounding area.
But this year, despite knowing there's still baiting nearby, none of the 11 birds we killed had any corn or wheat in their craws, which makes me believe the 2-week season delay greatly decreased the turkey poaching.
I can't imagine never learning how to hunt turkeys, never enjoying all that goes with it, just to shoot one over a pile of wheat or corn. Might as well just go shoot a chicken in the chicken coop. What's the difference?
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The article didn't mention the GW's getting any warrants to enter the private property…
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Not necessary in KY.
Flintlocksforme
Well-Known Member
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It would be really interesting to have a physical check in station for the juvenile hunt and opening weekend just to inspect the crawls to get a better idea of how many are influenced by bait. No online checking the first two weekends. Just call it research. Obviously finding bait in the crawl doesn't imply that you killed it illegally. It would be interesting information though.
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
And the landowners would've never allowed the officers onto their property in Tennessee. Basically Tennessee wildlife officers are being reduced to old world "gamekeepers", tasked not with enforcing laws or protecting the resource but instead protecting landowner interests.
Not surprising since our society has gotten so lazy. I'd rather watch grass grow and paint dry as to sit on a corn pile waiting for a turkey.
The saddest part is....if you rewind 10 years ago, the prevalence wasn't anything near 50% in most of the state. I moved to deep south MS in 2013, and quickly realized the prevalence of baiting was enhanced significantly. Both for deer and turkey (it was still illegal to bait deer then). And I somewhat understood why folks did it (for deer) given how crappy the thick, unmanaged pine stands were. After a couple years I became aware of just how prevalent baiting for turkey was in south MS. Blew my mind. Moved back to north MS in time for spring 2018. Joined a club. BAIT EVERYWHERE. Reported it, killed a limit, got kicked out. Wild. Found another club, several years with no bait. The past 3-4 years, 33%+ chance a bird we kill has bait in its crop from the neighbors. Neighbors that used to never turkey hunt. These are the deer hunters turned turkey hunters.
It has actually changed the way I hunt early season. We allow 2 birds a membership on the club, and now I make it a point to take both as quick as possible on certain boundary lines.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
You wouldnt believe how many folks down here sit in shooting houses on a plot with a feeder 50y away and call that 'turkey hunting'
At least there isnt road hunting with .22s down here.
