Are food plots the same as baiting?

wturkey01

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Isn't a dumped corn pile free choice 24/7 food?



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GSOHunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
When my food plots look like crap during hunting season in VA I wonder what the difference is. ;) Their reasoning for no baiting is to curb the spread of disease.
 
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nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
When my food plots look like crap during hunting season in VA I wonder what the difference is. ;) Their reasoning for no baiting is to curb the spread of disease.
But, but, but they aren't as educated as he and can't make those informed decisions.
 

duckmauler

Eight Pointer
Imo it's a "rich mans" baiting. I kinda view them a little like I do duck impoundments. You can't throw out corn for ducks but you can plant a 100 acre field and flood?
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
Are decoys not a way to Bait turkey, bear, deer, and ducks in?

Everyone baits in some form or fashion.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Planting certain crops like chufa, soybeans and corn could be considered as baiting. Planting clover in places where clover does not naturally grow could also be considered as baiting.
Dumping out bags of corn should be considered 'commercial baiting' ;)
 
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country

Ten Pointer
Planting food plots is a great thing for wildlife. Those whom are trying to classify it as baiting need to get over it. True hunters give more than they take.

I guess planting oak trees is baiting....

Where does the stupidity stop...
 
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Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
Baiting and food plots have the same primary goal: provide a shooting opportunity. There's really no argument there. Food plots, however, are much healthier for deer and the ecosystem as a whole. Done properly they not only provide food for multiple species, but more importantly they provide cover. They also don't concentrate feeding in such a small area (again, when done properly) as corn piles and/or feeders do. That said I'll make the same statement I always do. If you're trying to "feed" the local deer herd with a 1/4 acre food plot you're participating in an exercise of futility. If you're concerned about deer having enough food year around you need to concentrate on proper forest management. A couple of bags of clover and fertilizer aren't gonna do crap, and the amount of corn to effectively feed that many deer year around will put you in the poor-house.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
We typically distinguish between "food plots" and "kill plots" by a fairly simple test. If the plot is functional to provide food all year, and doesn't get mown to the ground to the point of where it no longer provides any food..then we call it a "food plot". The small plots the typically get planted with annuals, or get destroyed to the point they require replanting yearly are called "kill plots" and are typically smaller and more strategically placed near travel corridors. Deer don't have to change their natural movements to wander in for a bite of greenery.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I view baiting as corn piles. Created to attract animals in hopes of filling the freezer.

I view food plots as a way to waste money and feel good about yourself. Thats my experience anyway. I quit putting in food plots for hopes of attracting deer. Now they are put in because it allows a couple days of tractor work and sometimes they look really good.
 

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
Deer require ~5% (dry weight of food) of their body weight daily year around. They need more during the late summer. For a 100 lb deer that means ~1,800 lbs of feed annually (again, dry weight). That's for 1 deer. A big buck requires more. Are your "food plots" providing that?
 
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sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
It is not the purpose of a food plot to provide 100% of a deer's nutrition. Or even 50%. That's nature's job.

If you created a 100-acre food plot they probably still wouldn't get a majority of their intake from it.
 

badlandbucks

Ten Pointer
Nope...not even close. I could type a super long detailed explanation of why...but I don't think it will matter. They aren't the same.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
A properly planted foodplot that fills a void in the existing habitat can produce the wildlife for you. I have planted foodplots for years in Forsyth, Northampton, Harnett, Scotland and Rockingham counties. You got to know what to plant and know what you are doing. My brother and I have the deer on the wall to prove it. Foodplots also take time to start showing results. My plots here in Harnett county took several years to really make a difference in what we saw while hunting. The plots we put in Rockingham and Northampton was immediate. We got lucky with the right food sources. The foodplot strip we put in Scotland county started producing for us in the 2nd year.
is it baiting...... maybe and then again maybe not. I do like planting them and it is a lot of work and money. I can see where people get disgusted though. There is a lot of experimenting to planting foodplots.
 
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