It seems that the state of Michigan isn’t the only state that is having trouble with illegal baiting of deer. Here in Michigan it use to only be a problem in DMU 452 which is the TB hot zone, now it is going to be a real issue in the entire lower peninsula with the CWD baiting ban. Not to be outdone by the state of Michigan, the state of Minnesota has it’s own set of problems tied to illegal baiting. 

     In an article released in the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer by John Myers, the issue was whether hunters in the state will take a risk and bait for deer this season. A Minnesota CO talked of how he apprehended hunters that were illegally baiting for deer last season. The reason given most of the time was that everyone does it. That state issues fines of $300 plus court related costs which total almost $400 for each infraction plus the possible confiscation of deer if one is involved. Minnesota CO Tim Collette said that illegal baiting was the fourth most common hunting violation where tickets were issued in the state.

     Baiting in Minnesota was banned back in 1991 with little fanfare. At that time baiting wasn’t a problem or a widely used tool to hunt deer in Minnesota. Officials from Wisconsin and Michigan told the Minnesota DNR officals that if they didn’t act quickly that baiting would soon take over their state like it did in both Wisconsin and Michigan. So Minnesota took action with little opposition.

     Minnesota officials claim that baiting does little to help boost hunter success rates pointing to the fact that last year’s harvest was the fourth highest on record with baiting being illegal. Officials claim the reason a lot of hunters choose to break the law is due to a mind set or social values where we are in a state of instant gratification. People do not want to wait to see deer or put the time in to scout like the hunters of days gone by. This skill is being lost, and now hunters want a microwave style hunt. Put the bait out and the deer come in, time to shoot them and go home in a day or two. It used to take a week or more of deer camp work to successfully bag a buck. Not any more, according to Mark Johnson of the Minnesota Deer Hunter’s Association. He states that it is also due to today’s quick paced society which limits our time in the woods, so we have to resort to using lures and baits to take the place of old fashioned hunting skills and pre season scouting.

     Now the state is considering a feeding ban in the entire state from beginning of September to the end of December. This would end any controversy over why food was placed in the field or woods. It would also help preserve the winter feeding habits of the deer, which they are starting to loose since they don’t have to travel for winter feed. This was observed in a Wisconsin study where deer were not moving to traditional winter feeding grounds since there was so much feed available, thus altering natural winter movements of deer. Minnesota officials agree this feeding ban will not be an easy task to pass. They expect to face fierce opposition from farmers and retailers who traditionally sell feed to animal watchers. This sounds a lot like the state of Michigan right now! We are facing some of the same criticisms in this state now due to the CWD baiting ban.

     This topic of deer baiting doesn’t end with Michigan and it probably won’t end with Wisconsin or Minnesota either. It is a hot topic for debate and there are opinions and emotions on both sides of the debate. One thing for sure is that this will not end any time soon. The sad thing is that there are a good number of hunters who are willing to break the law to bag their deer. I for one will NOT be one of them.