Nice spin.
I've never put in for LE deer. I hunt the Manti.
Those 2 sentences prove your spin asinine.
You did post reasons.
One made sense. Selfish reasons.
Saving highway deaths, supplying trace minerals, is bullshit. If that's a by product then so be it. But excuse me if I don't by that's your primary reason.
Do you set out "salt" in places you don't hunt nor plan too?
I shoot a cva accurra with a 3x9, shooting sabots and pellets.
I shoot a 4x12 scope on my deer rifle.
My bow is pretty basic.
I use 2 way radios.
I have 2 cams. Both watching some private property, I hope. They got left this winter because the owner was curious about cats. Hopefully they survived winter.
So my "selfishness" from the list I threw out means I give a little too.
But ya. I'm selfish. I got into hunting to hunt. Hard to do so with tags. I can hunt without gadgets/bait. So can you.
We've tried "do what you want" management. It ain't working
I think you need to work on your comprehension skills! You asked for some reasons and I gave you some. I didn't say which one was my primary reason. You just assumed it! You also missed some other stuff! And, you probably could use some wildlife biology lessons while you're at it!
1) In fact, my primary reason for baiting is to get a close, clean, clear, standing, level, broadside bowshot at a relaxed animal in order to reduce the chance of wounding or losing it. I told you that. If you consider that selfish, I guess my definition differs from yours.
2) Since I decided to use salt, I thought it ought to have some residual positive benefits specific to ANY deer, elk or wildlife that used it. So I checked around to see where I could get some and found it at CalRanch. CalRanch sells all kinds of salt and feed for farm animals and they happened to carry wildlife salt products prior to archery season. That's also where I found the wildlife feed blocks which I decided to try, but they were too big to carry and would last too long beyond the season, so I had CalRanch saw them into quarters which gave me 4 for the price of one. I now have enough for several years. And those items do indeed provide some positive benefits. I also told you that! If that is also considered selfish, I'm guilty.
3) You also assumed I'm selfish and haven't already given up something. You listed your deer weapons and some gear, but you know NOTHING about me or my situation or my deer weapons or gear.
- I own 1 trailcam which I use every 3 or 4 years when I have a pronghorn tag, just to make sure there's a legal buck using the waterhole.
- cell phone that I use to call home and take some pictures.
- 2 bows. Both of them Mathews Solocams.
- A Tradewinds Husky model H-5000 bolt action in .308 which I've never yet used on a big game hunt. I bought it a few years ago from a pawn shop to eventually replace my bows.
- A Remington Woodmaster 740 semi in .308 that I inherited from my father. It was last used on a deer a couple of years ago by my grandson whom I mentored on my Quichapa doe tag.
- A Mossberg 12 ga pump slug gun with a 1X scope that I plan on using this year if I get another Quichapa doe tag or a depredation tag from a friend. It's getting harder for me to pull my bow and I need a short range weapon.
That's it! In fact, the last time I shot a buck deer with a gun was about 1970 when I shot a small coastal mule deer in Ventura County California and that was with a sportsorized British 303 that I later sold in order to help pay for the birth of my premature son. Keep your guns, but don't assume you're the only one who has given something up.
4) This whole thread and discussion is not about the ethics of shooting "deer" over bait. It's about your view of the increased success of shooting BIG BUCKS over bait. Don't pretend it's anything else.
5) And don't assume I approve of the behavior of some of the others who bait in some kind of "do what you want" management. I definitely do not! They not only give baiting a bad name, they are foolish for using so much in order to get the job done. It turns into feeding, not baiting and that's not good for the deer. They're also foolish for trying to bring deer away from their normal routes and routines especially so close to the rut and winter fat build-up. The bucks have a harder time dealing with those changes. And I have a hard time accepting that type of "baiting".
6) Yes, you're right. I COULD hunt without bait, but I WON'T!!! I've already been hauled off the mountain twice for A-fib because I "hunted" like you think we all should and it's not something I want to do again. A calm, quiet sit in a ground blind is just fine, but a long hike or stalk into a canyon ain't my idea of fun!
I think I'm done with this thread and this subject. If we end up totally banning baiting, I'll accept that decision and move on.