How to bait Deer

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Bratwurst

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Hi all.

I reside in BC and on checking the regulations have confirmed that baiting ungulates is legal.

I need the meat, plain and simple to feed my family who are going through a tough time. I appreciate not everyone likes baiting and I respect those opinions but ask that you keep them to yourself in this specific thread.

I have not baited prior to now but upon gaining an abundance of various apples in varying conditions it has become an option.

My intention is to to scatter some apples in an area I know to contain Mule deer stags on a weekly basis leading up to the hunting season and during the season itself.

Is there anything I should consider? are there other ways than the way I have suggested?

Can those experienced in baiting please share some information with me?

Bratwurst
 
Apples are good, as are corn, carrots, and some stores even sell mixed deer feed. My buddy used to use cattle salt licks. He'd put the first one out in Sept. just to see what kind of action it drew in and then keep replacing it until the end of deer season. With the advent of trail cams, he had the ability to pattern the deer movements and keep an eye on bait piles. I know more than a few hunters who rely on the local game population for sustenance. Having known my share of tough times, my heart goes out to you and your family. I hope this helps and I wish you success come hunting season.
 
LawrenceN said:
Apples are good, as are corn, carrots, and some stores even sell mixed deer feed. My buddy used to use cattle salt licks. He'd put the first one out in Sept. just to see what kind of action it drew in and then keep replacing it until the end of deer season. With the advent of trail cams, he had the ability to pattern the deer movements and keep an eye on bait piles. I know more than a few hunters who rely on the local game population for sustenance. Having known my share of tough times, my heart goes out to you and your family. I hope this helps and I wish you success come hunting season.
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That is my intention, I have a trail camera for just this reason and I hope to see some good action from it. We aren't in nearly as bad a situation as some, in many ways we are comfortable but the hunting season makes the difference between how much red meat we get each year.

I'm hoping that a weekly visit doesn't pressure the area too much
 
We use a combination of apples and livestock salt licks.

Start early to habituate.

Kudos to you sir for being proactive.

Ryan
 
When I lived on the Bruce Peninsula a hunting buddy would pick up bags of ground fall apples from orchards and spread them sround in the Junipers and other scrub. Be careful though as once he was spreading apples and spooked a bear that I think was getting more apples than the deer. And our bears are only Black Bears that usually don't get ugly.
Salt licks work as well but attract other hunters as well.
 
PVC pipe corn feeder. Cost about $15 to make. They work. Start baiting a couple weeks before the season. Dont tie it too tight to the tree, so when a bear decide it wants it it wont destroy it removing it from said tree. In my case the friendly sow just tipped it over to spill the corn and didnt even put a scratch on it.

https://knowpreparesurvive.com/survival/prep/make-homemade-diy-deer-feeder/
 
Have had success in the past over ground apples and alfalfa flakes late in the season to keep interest up in specific areas, started with a salt hole and then as the fall progressed I introduced the apples and alfalfa. Works well from my experience, I haven’t bothered baiting the last couple years as I’ve not been hunting that specific piece of family property.

The last year I actively hinted it a black bear started hitting the apple pile hard and that was a write off, not only are we not allowed to bait bears in bc the bear was always on the pile and the deer got nothing. I had a trail cam over the spot.
 
billbmcleod said:
When I lived on the Bruce Peninsula a hunting buddy would pick up bags of ground fall apples from orchards and spread them sround in the Junipers and other scrub. Be careful though as once he was spreading apples and spooked a bear that I think was getting more apples than the deer. And our bears are only Black Bears that usually don't get ugly.
Salt licks work as well but attract other hunters as well.
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TBH that is a concern for me, I don't want to have Mr Bear sneaking up behind me while I am waiting for Mr Deer to return
 
I find the deer in my are couldn't care less about live stock licks but seem to love the apple flavored ones from tsc, etc. They especially love the Primos ones of you can find them. Whatever you use, put the block on a stump. Deer (along with other animals) will paw away at that stump long after the actual block is gone.
 
Oats peas and other grains as well as alfalfa works for me. I have used apples in the early season just so they didn’t drop in my yards but my main bait source is oats. I look to buy from a local farmer and fill my bags my self.

I’ve never had muck luck baiting mule deer but you might have some luck with that.
 
I have used a mineral block in my spot .I have not seen any deer on it during the day .they are using it at night .last time I was in there someone has cut the trail open with a ATV .they just wrecked a good spot.
 
I hunt thick bush in Ontario. I've always used licks and sometimes corn. One year I thought I'd give apples a try since I had access to an unlimited supply of ground apples. I was skeptical, since these bush deer would have never seen apples before (I know corn either). I put out a couple of bushels and came back with more apples two weeks later and changed the SD card in my trail camera. All the apples were gone, but not much deer sign. I read my card when I got back to camp and a decent size black bear was coming in. It was only a week until the first week of rifle and I'd already put more apples out so I grabbed a bear tag. First day in my treestand was quiet. The apples were all gone and I changed SD cards on my way out. When I got back to camp and read the card, I had multiple pics of two coyotes with apples in their mouths. Never saw a deer that fall from that treestand! Maybe just my luck, but I'm done with apples for bush deer!
 
Bratwurst said:
That is my intention, I have a trail camera for just this reason and I hope to see some good action from it. We aren't in nearly as bad a situation as some, in many ways we are comfortable but the hunting season makes the difference between how much red meat we get each year.

I'm hoping that a weekly visit doesn't pressure the area too much
Click to expand...

Last year I got tons of trail cam action of feeding deer, and all about 3 am or so. It didn't take very long for the deer to adjust their pattern to pattern me, lol. Keeping the deer from just coming in the dead of night, is going to be the trick to it I think.
 
CoonT said:
Last year I got tons of trail cam action of feeding deer, and all about 3 am or so. It didn't take very long for the deer to adjust their pattern to pattern me, lol. Keeping the deer from just coming in the dead of night, is going to be the trick to it I think.
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Have experienced that too. For the OP, buy COB (corn, oats, barley) at your local ag supply. Some guys will dump a whole bag but that gets expensive. Couple of scoops every couple of days and they will be on it and through it in no time.
 
Had one of the PVC ones last year. Made it from scraps laying around. Budy took it up the mountain. Had some great shots of momma and Cubs tearing it down. Spilling the feed everywhere. Then momma looking into the end of the pipe. Looks as if to say where did all the food go? As she is standing on the pile lol. If you use the pvc with a y on the bottom make sure you put a couple drain holes. We didn’t get much for water in it. Until one big rain fall with lots of wind. Half inch of water in the bottom
 
I feed deer for 8 months of the year. Mine like kernel corn the best, and if it's a sweet mix with molasses thats even better. Apples are good only if you have apple trees around naturally. If the deer are not used to apples they don't know what they are. If you dump corn on top of the apples it helps teach them. We planted a acre or so of sunflowers a few years back and the deer loved those, ate all the seeds, flowers and just left the stalks. I never have any luck with salt or mineral licks. The deer around here just don't go for them, waste of time and money. The commercial deer mix I get has corn, sunflower and oats in it with a hint of molasses. They don't like the oats and leave the majority of it on the ground. The ravens clean them up. My wife tried putting out kale from our garden one time and they gave her dirty looks and left a nasty note not to put that stuff out again. Can't blame them I won't eat kale either. My deer will consume eight 45 gal drums of feed a season. Plus I use up another barrel of whole kernel corn and a 5 gal pail of molasses on bear.

I put out a couple soup cans full of feed on the ground and set up a camera on it, and check the sight daily or at least every second day. When you get them coming they will came regularly. If you set several feed sites out in an area you will find your just feeding the same deer in different places. These folks get around. I try to look for distinguishing marks on the deer to tell who is who and how many as not often you will get them all on camera at once. They have a very strong hierarchy and pecking order amongst themselves. Some will not associate with others let alone feed together. I have spent countless hours sitting in my hides watching their social interactions and behavior's. If you want bucks, then attract does and keep them coming in with bait. Those does each will eventually come into estrous, and when they do the bucks will come into your bait site with the does.
 
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Apples during September to October. After that the deer dont seem interested. I do sprinkle cheap dollar store mollases and that seems to bring the deer in (bear too I suppose). I also sprinkle grape Kool aid on my corn and apples, an old trick I picked up on CGN
 
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