Question:
The "hunter" was in a tree stand about50yds or less from a clearing that had
been baited with alfalfa.
He may have taken a big deer with a nice rack, but, in my opinion that
animal was not taken in "fair chase" and is no trophy to be proud of!
Answer:
Please, don't denigrate a method of hunting that's different than yours. Just because you don't
like the particular method, doesn't mean that it isn't fair chase. We, as hunters, have enough
problems with the anti-hunters, anti-gun groups, loss of hunting land to development (and other
reasons) to be throwing rocks at each other. How do you hunt that is superior to the method that
this hunter used? In my estimation, the only MURDER of a deer is if it was taken by illegal methods
(i.e. poached).
There are many areas within the whitetail range that are VERY difficult (some near impossible) to
hunt by spot & stalk, still hunting, stalking, etc., whereby baiting is a viable option. As long as
it was legal, that hunter has a trophy to be proud of.
Please explain the difference to me between sitting on the edge of a crop field, hunting a food plot
or hunting over a bale of alfalfa? All three methods are man-made and attract deer. Food plots are
nothing more than a bait pile, on a larger scale. Hunting over a bait pile is not a slam dunk,
sure-fire, guaranteed method of hunting, just ask any hunter that has done so. Done properly,
baiting still involves scouting, locating feeding and bedding areas, finding natural movement
funnels, main trails, secondary trails, escape routes, stand location, scent control, marksmanship,
etc., all the same things that are done with other methods of hunting. That is, if it's done
properly. There's more to it than dumping a pile of feed in the woods, climbing a tree and shooting
a monster buck.
I've hunted over bait in the past, and have taken some nice deer. I've also shot good bucks
stalking, hunting natural food sources, during deer drives and still hunting. I haven't had the
chance to hunt deer with dogs, but I intend to do that as well. I think that as long as a method is
legal, that it is a fair chase animal.
