Gizzmo asked:
I would like some new fresh ideas on what to use to bait deer, Yes I’m well aware that hunting over baited ground is illegal in some states and I know its unethical so before anyone starts to lecture me on cheating, let me make this clear. I’m a wild life photographer and I never hunt over baited ground.
I would like some new fresh ideas on what to use to bait deer, Yes I’m well aware that hunting over baited ground is illegal in some states and I know its unethical so before anyone starts to lecture me on cheating, let me make this clear. I’m a wild life photographer and I never hunt over baited ground.
I always hunt over bait and it is legal here in Oregon. I use 50# bags of sheep salt with selenium. One bag per tree stand spread out like chicken feed. I love bowhunting usually when people ask what to feed deer I say ” I feed them, to my family.”
Deer pretty much will eat anything and everything.
You want to attract wildlife? Buy expensive shrubs and flowers and plant them in front of your house. I swear the bunnies and deer will come running.
Seriously…
You have to keep in mind what deer eat in the area. If you live in Iowa surrounded by corn fields, a big pile of corn in the woods may not draw in a lot of animals.
I’m not a professional photographer by any means, but my guess is that you want something that won’t stand out like a sore thumb in the picture.
Here are some ideas:
1. There is a product I believe is called Trophy-Rock. It is a salt/mineral lick. It looks like a beige rock. I imagine that it would not look entirely natural to someone familiar with the outdoors, but even if the rock got in the picture, most people wouldn’t realize you put it there.
2. Apples: Deer love apples. Sweet fruits to deer is like candy to kids. Buy a bag of apples from the grocery store and toss them at your shooting site. Once the deer realize they are around, they’ll be looking for them.
3. Grapes: I’ve read deer like grapes. I’ve never seen a deer eat a grape personally. This maybe something worth a try if vineyards or wild grapes are native to your area.
4. Potatoes: I’ve heard some people swear by baiting deer with potatoes. I’ve tried this and couldn’t get them to touch them. The people that told me this were from the northern part of WI (a potato growing region). I tried this in Northern Illinois. The deer around here just may not know what a potato is.
5. Corn: The universal deer bait. It is pretty cheap, and it is usually part of a deers natural diet. Long-term feeding of corn to deer during the winter isn’t recommended, just an FYI. It can lead to health issues in the deer. I believe the problem it leads to is called acidosis. If you feed deer corn over the long-term in the winter, it is advised that the corn be mixed with oats. From personal observations, deer don’t like oats a whole lot.
6. Rabbit Pellets: I’ve met a few people who baited deer for hunting with rabbit pellets with great success.
7. Beets/turnips: I used to grow beets when I was a kid. If I left them in the ground, after the cold weather hit, the deer would try and dig them out of the ground to eat them. I have heard similar reports about turnips. Again, I have never seen a deer eat a turnip personally.
8. Sunflower seeds: I have no idea if deer eat sunflower seeds out of desperation in winter or because they like them, but when I lived behind a forest preserve, every time I filled my bird feeder with sunflower seeds, it was like a darn dinner bell. They would easily eat 10 pounds of seed in a sitting. I started feeding the deer a mix of corn/oats to keep them out of my feeders. That winter, I went through about 500 pounds of corn and oats to keep a heard of about 6 deer our of my bird feeders.
If your photography is a profession rather than a hobby, i’d plant a food plot if you have the means. You’d provide nutrition to the heard for bigger deer and bigger antlers, plus the photos would be very natural looking in that environment.
There are also a number of specialized deer feeds and supplements you can buy from sporting good stores or mail order. These feeds are pretty spendy compared to something like corn. Unless you are rich or really plan on making a serious living off of deer pictures, I’d skip these.
i feed deer also but to just bring deer around my area and then i go out to hunt him. i built my feeder but you can buy your own if you want. i mainly use corn but apples work also. sometimes i buy a 50 pound salt block and set on the ground deer will come lick off of it until theres nothin left of it. if you go to walmart or a hunting store or even a website to the wildlife management section. go to gandermountain.com and go to hunting then wildlife management. youll find all kind of feeds liquids lick blocks and powder that will gtet ya a nice buck on photo.
Try deer meat
I heard that they really like giant salt licks. Try that.