Bait Piles in National Forest

cjdewese

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For you guys that have been doing this a lot longer than me, how often are you finding bait piles in public land on National Forest?

I've found two so far this year just piles of corn without really trying to hide it much either. It seems that people are just lazy or aren't willing to put in the work necessary to kill a deer on public land.

This is in Southern California where it's very clear that you can't be anywhere within 400 yards of a bait pile or you are breaking the law. One of the piles had the entire corn bag left behind less than 10 feet from the pile.

The thing that really gets me is that if I hadn't seen these and taken a deer within 400 yards of here I could be sighted for hunting over bait.

Don't ruin hunting areas for OTHER people because you are lazy and don't want to play by the rules.

Edited to remove photos just in case whoever did it might see them here. :)
 
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Laramie

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For you guys that have been doing this a lot longer than me, how often are you finding bait piles in public land on National Forest?

I've found two so far this year just piles of corn without really trying to hide it much either. It seems that people are just lazy or aren't willing to put in the work necessary to kill a deer on public land.

This is in Southern California where it's very clear that you can't be anywhere within 400 yards of a bait pile or you are breaking the law. One of the piles had the entire corn bag left behind less than 10 feet from the pile.

The thing that really gets me is that if I hadn't seen these and taken a deer within 400 yards of here I could be sighted for hunting over bait.

Don't ruin hunting areas for OTHER people because you are lazy and don't want to play by the rules.
Did you report them?
 
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Easy nowdays. GPS coords and photo texted to the GW or NF ranger. And done.

Same with stands. I do it every time and I usually text it to more than one so they have to hold each other accountable for the information.

Believe it or not, the wardens and rangers actually want this information. Gives them something to do when they are in slow shift.
 
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Back when I hunted in a state that didn't allow baiting, I would occasionally run into folks who would intentionally put out bait on State or National land that they liked to hike in for the express reason of preventing hunters from using the area.
It may be one of those situations.
 

Rich M

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You just drew 400-yard (1,600-foot) circles around the corn piles where you cannot hunt - or even cross thru while hunting. LEO will be looking for folks in those areas. Be careful.

Calling the cops is always a double edged sword. If I wanted to hunt anywhere near those areas, no way I'd call.
 
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You just drew 400-yard (1,600-foot) circles around the corn piles where you cannot hunt - or even cross thru while hunting. LEO will be looking for folks in those areas. Be careful.

Calling the cops is always a double edged sword. If I wanted to hunt anywhere near those areas, no way I'd call.
That's why I text. Easy to show them you're the one who texted the information. But your caution is wise to know the legal distance and avoid it.
 
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cjdewese

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You just drew 400-yard (1,600-foot) circles around the corn piles where you cannot hunt - or even cross thru while hunting. LEO will be looking for folks in those areas. Be careful.

Calling the cops is always a double edged sword. If I wanted to hunt anywhere near those areas, no way I'd call.
This is the issue, it's an area I've lived in for 38 years and just started hunting late in life. The area I was going to hunt is outside the 400 yards but not by much. I have other areas for sure but I didn't want someone else to call it in and somehow get in trouble by being within the 400 somehow.

No way I'm hunting that area at all this year which is a bummer. I just wish people would play by the rules and not put others people in this type of situation.
 
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cjdewese

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Just another thing to add as well, its only 250 yards from the parking lot at the end of a dirt road where I know several people are going to park to walk to wherever they are hunting. As soon as they get out of their car, they are in violation without even knowing it.

Just a selfish shitty decision.
 
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I've found two corn piles on NF land here in SC. One was 200 yds from a gravel road, with the blind set up 100 yds from the road. Nothing but hog tracks all around it. Sent the GW a text and OnX pin and he caught the guy. He told me he was in his early 20's and had no idea you couldn't bait on public.

Found another spot while hog/squirrel hunting back in February when deer season was out. Gravity feeder with corn in it and all over the ground on edge of swamp with brand spanking new hang on 20 yds from it. Lots of pigs in that area. Sent in that OnX pin and GW called me. Not sure if they caught the guy.

I don't think I'd worry about being caught near it if I called it in. I always give them my name so that they know I'm on the same team as them. Better off in the long run.

Here in SC you can put mineral blocks/salt on National Forest land for wildlife and hunt over it.
 

WCB

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I don't think the Game and Fish officer is going to be staking out the parking lot waiting for guys to step out of their vehicles. They are either going to put game cameras up or maybe walk in and do a couple checks within the immediate vicinity of the corn to see if anyone is knowingly hunting over it.
 

FLATHEAD

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Found a feeder on state land last year.
Walked straight back to the truck and never went back.
 

Rich M

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That's why I text. Easy to show them you're the one who texted the information. But your caution is wise to know the legal distance and avoid it.
We get a lot of stuff like this down here. Most guys look the other way cause said baiter will often bait where the deer are and can mess up our smaller sized wmas.

It really sucks that someone did this. Then you wonder if he did it (valid for 10 days i think) to mess up a hunt and he has a permit for the next hunt? Strategy?
 

TomJoad

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Absolutely good call reporting. I find more salt blocks than bait in the CO mtns but I always call them in and the rangers seem to appreciate it and respond quickly.
 

JNDEER

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Unless things have changed in the last decade- hunting over bait is very hard to prove and even with all that work and man hours proving it - the penalty doesn’t fit the bill.

Hell- the way the regs read even if you “knowingly fed big game animals” it’s a warning letter first. So put your apples and corn and C’’mere deer out all season - clean it up in advance of the opener (think they even have the number of days it has to be cleaned up writing out) and worse they can do is write you a warning letter to stop feeding the big game animals. It’s sad.

CA doesn’t have good penalties for those who don’t want to follow title 14.
 

MattB

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You just drew 400-yard (1,600-foot) circles around the corn piles where you cannot hunt - or even cross thru while hunting. LEO will be looking for folks in those areas. Be careful.

Calling the cops is always a double edged sword. If I wanted to hunt anywhere near those areas, no way I'd call.
Snitches get stiches. That philosophy is working wonders in Oakland, CA from what I read.
 

MattB

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Unless things have changed in the last decade- hunting over bait is very hard to prove and even with all that work and man hours proving it - the penalty doesn’t fit the bill.

Hell- the way the regs read even if you “knowingly fed big game animals” it’s a warning letter first. So put your apples and corn and C’’mere deer out all season - clean it up in advance of the opener (think they even have the number of days it has to be cleaned up writing out) and worse they can do is write you a warning letter to stop feeding the big game animals. It’s sad.

CA doesn’t have good penalties for those who don’t want to follow title 14.
This might change your opinion.

 
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