10 thoughts on “What Kind of Deer Bait Are You Using This Year?”
Tec's Dad
It is illegal to bait deer in CT, with the exception of one or two areas of exception.
Baiting is a management option allowed only in Connecticut’s urban deer management zones, where populations need to be reduced.
This management option is typically introduced when deer have other food sources available to them, and deer are able to slowly acclimate to limited amounts of bait being placed on the landscape.
Detailed Regulations
DEER HUNTING PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
Taking or attempting to take any deer with the aid of real or artificial bait in Zones 1 to 10, or on state lands in Zones 11 and 12. Any food, mineral, or chemical product designed to be eaten by deer is considered bait.
BAITING AND USE OF ATTRACTANTS
Attractants allowed during the statewide deer hunting seasons.
Deer decoys during the early and late archery seasons only.
All types of scent attractants (i.e., doe in heat, buck lure, urine, tarsal glands, food smells, smoke pole) that provide no substance for deer to consume. Hunters are encouraged to minimize the use of natural-based deer lures and avoid placing deer lures on clothes, skin, ground, or vegetation where deer can reach them.
All types of sound attractants (i.e., doe calls, buck calls, antler rattling, electronic calls).
Hunting over planted fields where normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation is used.
In addition to the attractants listed above, the following are allowed ON PRIVATE LANDS ONLY in Deer Management Zones 11 and 12 during the archery, shotgun/rifle, and muzzleloader deer seasons.
Minerals or chemicals that may be safely consumed by deer (i.e., salt lick)
Artificial or natural foods placed, scattered, distributed or deposited (i.e., hay, grains, fruit, nuts–any foods that may be safely consumed by deer)
NOTE: It is strongly recommended that individuals hunting on private lands in Zones 11 and 12 consult with landowners prior to placing bait.
When I was growing up in the 6s and 70s we had 3 apple trees along the end of our timber that were planted by the previous owner many years before my Ol’Man bought the farm. They were the best deer bait in the county and perfectly legal to use.
My buddy, Grumble, has some acreage out in the woods. During deer season, starting early morning, he keeps a grill going all day with burgers, hot dogs, cheap steaks. Hunters are attracted by the delicious, wafting, aromas and often show up on his property. Grumble gladly feeds them and has them pose for pictures. He then explains to them that they smelled the food because they were hunting on his posted property….and he now has the proof in his security cameras and photographs. He advises them to never again hunt on his property or he will file complaints and trespassing charges.
To my knowledge, his trail cams have not caught repeat offenders.
By the way, Grumble does all this while wearing his twin Ruger 1707 chrome barbecue guns.
Grumble says he is a very patient man as long as he gets his way.
People bait deer here all the time by simply living here. Right now as I write this, I have four deer in my back yard. Sometimes when the fawns are born, and when our dogs are out back, the baby beer will come up to the fence and run back and forth along the fence with the dogs playing.
They are a common sight here in peoples yards. Kids walk to the school bus stop in the morning walking right past deer, sometimes a few of them will follow along with the kids.
Similar for me. When my son was very young and saw a nice buck in the back yard, he asked me if he could hunt in the back yard. We live “in town” so I told him our neighbors did not want to hear the noise. As I knew he would, he quickly retorted that he would hunt with his bow. I told him there was probably a town ordinance about not hunting in town. Again, he quickly reported that it would not be enforced-which would again be accurate. I finally convinced him by telling him those are “yard deer” not “eating deer”.
Then there’s the issue of them potentially crossing the property line after you shoot them. What if they went down in front of your neighbor’s house? That could be bad.
In the past I mostly used corn. Back in the day, you could purchase a 50 pound bag of field corn for around $4–then I simply spread it around where I wanted deer to linger. And I would only spread out about 5 pounds at a time. A few times I also used fallen apples from neighbors’ trees. Those worked to some extent as well, although corn was definitely better.
It is illegal to bait deer in CT, with the exception of one or two areas of exception.
Baiting is a management option allowed only in Connecticut’s urban deer management zones, where populations need to be reduced.
This management option is typically introduced when deer have other food sources available to them, and deer are able to slowly acclimate to limited amounts of bait being placed on the landscape.
Detailed Regulations
DEER HUNTING PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
Taking or attempting to take any deer with the aid of real or artificial bait in Zones 1 to 10, or on state lands in Zones 11 and 12. Any food, mineral, or chemical product designed to be eaten by deer is considered bait.
BAITING AND USE OF ATTRACTANTS
Attractants allowed during the statewide deer hunting seasons.
Deer decoys during the early and late archery seasons only.
All types of scent attractants (i.e., doe in heat, buck lure, urine, tarsal glands, food smells, smoke pole) that provide no substance for deer to consume. Hunters are encouraged to minimize the use of natural-based deer lures and avoid placing deer lures on clothes, skin, ground, or vegetation where deer can reach them.
All types of sound attractants (i.e., doe calls, buck calls, antler rattling, electronic calls).
Hunting over planted fields where normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation is used.
In addition to the attractants listed above, the following are allowed ON PRIVATE LANDS ONLY in Deer Management Zones 11 and 12 during the archery, shotgun/rifle, and muzzleloader deer seasons.
Minerals or chemicals that may be safely consumed by deer (i.e., salt lick)
Artificial or natural foods placed, scattered, distributed or deposited (i.e., hay, grains, fruit, nuts–any foods that may be safely consumed by deer)
NOTE: It is strongly recommended that individuals hunting on private lands in Zones 11 and 12 consult with landowners prior to placing bait.
When I was growing up in the 6s and 70s we had 3 apple trees along the end of our timber that were planted by the previous owner many years before my Ol’Man bought the farm. They were the best deer bait in the county and perfectly legal to use.
60s not 6s.
My buddy, Grumble, has some acreage out in the woods. During deer season, starting early morning, he keeps a grill going all day with burgers, hot dogs, cheap steaks. Hunters are attracted by the delicious, wafting, aromas and often show up on his property. Grumble gladly feeds them and has them pose for pictures. He then explains to them that they smelled the food because they were hunting on his posted property….and he now has the proof in his security cameras and photographs. He advises them to never again hunt on his property or he will file complaints and trespassing charges.
To my knowledge, his trail cams have not caught repeat offenders.
By the way, Grumble does all this while wearing his twin Ruger 1707 chrome barbecue guns.
Grumble says he is a very patient man as long as he gets his way.
People bait deer here all the time by simply living here. Right now as I write this, I have four deer in my back yard. Sometimes when the fawns are born, and when our dogs are out back, the baby beer will come up to the fence and run back and forth along the fence with the dogs playing.
They are a common sight here in peoples yards. Kids walk to the school bus stop in the morning walking right past deer, sometimes a few of them will follow along with the kids.
.40,
The fawns and the dogs playing….that must be fun to watch!
It is fun to watch, its endearing.
😁
Similar for me. When my son was very young and saw a nice buck in the back yard, he asked me if he could hunt in the back yard. We live “in town” so I told him our neighbors did not want to hear the noise. As I knew he would, he quickly retorted that he would hunt with his bow. I told him there was probably a town ordinance about not hunting in town. Again, he quickly reported that it would not be enforced-which would again be accurate. I finally convinced him by telling him those are “yard deer” not “eating deer”.
Then there’s the issue of them potentially crossing the property line after you shoot them. What if they went down in front of your neighbor’s house? That could be bad.
In the past I mostly used corn. Back in the day, you could purchase a 50 pound bag of field corn for around $4–then I simply spread it around where I wanted deer to linger. And I would only spread out about 5 pounds at a time. A few times I also used fallen apples from neighbors’ trees. Those worked to some extent as well, although corn was definitely better.