Bait or switch? Using feeders to attract deer isn’t sporting, but some have little choice | Dallas Morning News
October 21, 2008 · Print This Article
By Ray Sasser
When the traditional deer season begins Nov. 1, most Texas hunters will go hunting. But they won’t actually hunt the deer.
Instead, they will train deer to come near their blind or vehicle by baiting them, usually with shelled corn.
As sportsmen compete with ethanol production, corn prices have risen. That’s not necessarily bad news. It may persuade a few more deer hunters to become purists, eschewing the use of bait in attracting deer. Some states have made it illegal to bait for deer or other game.
I’m always amused at Texas hunters who claim to have “patterned” a trophy buck’s movements so they could shoot the animal. In the old days of deer hunting, B.C. before corn, patterning meant scouting for trails, rubs, scrapes, tracks and glimpses of a target buck.
Nowadays, patterning means setting the timer on an automatic feeder to dispense bait at a certain time, then placing motion-sensitive cameras to record any animal that passes close enough to trigger the shutter or the video.
Some game cameras can be checked via the Internet so the modern hunter can “pattern” his buck from the comfort of his living room or office. That’s a sad commentary on modern hunting. I don’t care how big he is, I don’t want to kill a trained deer with a name. Full Story
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