deer baits,what you using?

I plan to use the southern bubba method of peanut butter.. .. there was a sale on smooth hopefully the deer like it smooth... failing that maybe well get a bear lol
 
I prefer to use wild apples. I pick them myself and move them to my blinds elsewhere. I typically set up next to a wild apple tree to give the illusion that the apples are there naturally ... but once the free apple supply runs out, I give up on that idea, and go to grains. They tend to last longer.

I've also tried cider mash and pumpkins in the past, and have had lots of success with a single jar of peanut butter screwed to a tree. This is great for archery, as they'll focus on licking the PB out of the jar, making them an easy target to aim at.
 
shaner72 said:
Molasses is all you need they love it or you can drizzle it over a pile of corn. I also pour it over a blue salt lick an they love it. I don't use it while hunting but I use it about a month before bow season begins so I can see what's out there on my trail cams.
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I wonder sometimes about local tastes in deer populations. We were playing around with a cattle sized tub of molasses, first thinking it would be interesting for bears because they wouldn't be able to get it out of the barrel but could scratch away at it. Nothing. After that we pulled it out, set it out where the deer could get to it and put a camera on it. This was beside a oat bait so it wasn't a matter of them not finding it. Nothing. After 1 1/2 years we used it for a target, since we could see it from a friend's shooting benches. Not bad as a reactive target, stuff would fly out the top. Then in your area they love it? I'm not doubting you have success but deer sure seem to like different things from place to place.
 
Dogleg said:
I wonder sometimes about local tastes in deer populations. We were playing around with a cattle sized tub of molasses, first thinking it would be interesting for bears because they wouldn't be able to get it out of the barrel but could scratch away at it. Nothing. After that we pulled it out, set it out where the deer could get to it and put a camera on it. This was beside a oat bait so it wasn't a matter of them not finding it. Nothing. After 1 1/2 years we used it for a target, since we could see it from a friend's shooting benches. Not bad as a reactive target, stuff would fly out the top. Then in your area they love it? I'm not doubting you have success but deer sure seem to like different things from place to place.
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I had a bear bait this spring and I would load molasses into my barrel along some other stuff . A few bears wandered in for a sniff but it was the deer that really went nuts at the barrel, they would spend hours there licking at the small holes i had drilled at the bottom of the barrel. They even knocked it around to shake stuff out !! But further down south at my father's farm they won't touch the stuff, matter of fact they won't touch much of anything. I've seen piles of rotting carrots and apples and piles of corn that get eaten by birds without a single pic of deer on the camera. Grape jello though....magic!!
 
Dogleg said:
I wonder sometimes about local tastes in deer populations. We were playing around with a cattle sized tub of molasses, first thinking it would be interesting for bears because they wouldn't be able to get it out of the barrel but could scratch away at it. Nothing. After that we pulled it out, set it out where the deer could get to it and put a camera on it. This was beside a oat bait so it wasn't a matter of them not finding it. Nothing. After 1 1/2 years we used it for a target, since we could see it from a friend's shooting benches. Not bad as a reactive target, stuff would fly out the top. Then in your area they love it? I'm not doubting you have success but deer sure seem to like different things from place to place.
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I think your right different areas and deer are different I seen in Michigan how the deer eat carrots I tried it up here an they wouldn't touch it. Got to try different things to see what they like for sure an yes apples are one thing that I think works anywhere.
 
My Grandmother feeds the deer that come to her back door saltine crackers, they'll take them out of her hand. She says they eat anything, even meat.
 
I really miss using apples on private land as it really attracted the deer. I've been hunting public land for a while now and bait of any kind just draws attention to your spot so it's a no go. Pumpkins worked pretty good too.

For anyone getting free apples, many of the freebies are usually great for making cider.
 
Dogleg said:
I wonder sometimes about local tastes in deer populations. We were playing around with a cattle sized tub of molasses, first thinking it would be interesting for bears because they wouldn't be able to get it out of the barrel but could scratch away at it. Nothing. After that we pulled it out, set it out where the deer could get to it and put a camera on it. This was beside a oat bait so it wasn't a matter of them not finding it. Nothing. After 1 1/2 years we used it for a target, since we could see it from a friend's shooting benches. Not bad as a reactive target, stuff would fly out the top. Then in your area they love it? I'm not doubting you have success but deer sure seem to like different things from place to place.
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I had bought a 5 gallon pail of molasses, and the deer would not touch it. I also tried the powdered molasses, same results.
 
I hunt farmland...corn, beans, oats, hay, apples etc. Many years ago I tried baiting with corn and the only thing I was attracting were raccoons, squirrels mice etc. I have some areas where I put out apples, but only where there are no orchards around. When I put out different varieties of apples they always eat the sweeter varieties first and when there are pears they will eat the pears first. I don't think I've ever seen a mature buck come to apples during legal hunting hours.
 
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