My honest, non-sarcastic answer:
I prefer avoiding anything that a 'hunter' does that disrupts the NATURAL life of native game to the hunter's advantage. That goes for both gun & archery.
And no, I've never did the bait & kill bit on my own, given what I typed above. It wouldn't change my opinion one iota.
Way back in 2003 or so, I ventured to South Africa because a friend wanted company after someone else had bailed on him. The price of $4,500 was for 1-on-1 guiding, room/board & included a gemsbok, impala, kudu, warthog, blesbok & springbok. I added blue & black wildebeests, nyala & bushbuck. By the time I was done with my plane fare, trophy prep/shipping, importing fees & taxidermy that little trip to please a buddy set me back about $25K.
The point: all of the hunting was done within closed fences. Granted, some of the properties we hunted were huge, but it was always a matter of when, not if, we would locate a decent shooter of any species. I added the extra critters because I had already decided I wouldn't ever return to hunt in SA for that very reason.
The first bear I killed was in AZ in the 1960s. I called it in accidentally during a spring turkey hunt on the White Mt. Apache Res. In the 70s, I went on a hound hunt on that same res. We rode mules but never treed a bear.
In the early 1980s, I ventured to Sphene Lake in southern Ontario where I was dropped off to overlook a stinkin' barrel of dead suckers. I had two small 200 lb. bears visit during the week. I passed on both. The ticks were ferocious but the smallmouth fishing was super. I swore I would never hunt bears over bait again -- whether it be suckers or donuts.
Later, I discovered that a guy could actually hunt bears in BC using spot & stalk. Over the next two decades, I killed six bears that way. After the last one in 2002, I told myself that I have killed all the bears I needed.
Now here's a somewhat amusing aside about the MI bow hunt in my other reply. I drove from AZ to the lodge, which was right on the shore of Lake Huron near Rogers City. That meant I drove many miles in MI. All along the way, there were oodles of places selling sugar beets and/or corn. Big signs, such as 'Beets by the PU Load,' 'Get Your Deer Bait Here,' etc. were prominent along the roads. At the time, I got a big chuckle out of it all. That was before I found out I would be hunting over bait. So I guess last laugh on me.
