I understand we can’t bait in MN for deer. Looking at the regs, I can see what types of product are considered baiting. What I can’t see is what location of feeder in relation to your hunting location constitutes illegal baiting. My specific question – how close can I hunt to a deer feeder legally in MN. And before someone tells me that deer feeding is illegal in many counties in MN, I’m in an area where it’s legal to feed deer.
Im not sure on the actual distance from a feeder that’s considered legal. Your best bet would be to contact the Conservation Officer in your area and ask them.
Many things are left to their discretion when it comes to citations so the person who would be writing toy that citation would be the best person to ask.
I didn’t think it was legal to feed the deer at all during the deer season. We don’t feed them so I don’t follow along.
We don’t feed deer either, but if i recall correctly, you can feed deer up to 10 days prior to opening day. So basically on day 11 before the season starts you have to remove any and all feed placed on the ground, in a container, from a feeder, etc.
As for feeder location, calling a CO would be best. I’d be very leary about hunting land that has a feeder actively dispensing feed during the season though. A person may not be in shooting range of the feeder, but they could set up on a path or trail the deer take to get to the feeder, which the CO might consider baiting.
My friends and I have had this discussion a few times:
What is the real difference between baiting deer and planting food plots to attract deer? Isn’t the intent of both to draw the deer to an area?
Buffalo Fishhead
My friends and I have had this discussion a few times:
What is the real difference between baiting deer and planting food plots to attract deer? Isn’t the intent of both to draw the deer to an area?
Buffalo Fishhead
Food plots are considered agriculture and specifically mentioned in the regs as legal. Still can’t find an answer on the feeders.
I know that there was a guideline for how far from a deer feeder one must be to legally hunt. I’m thinking something in the 1/2 mile range. Maybe more, maybe less. The same rules are for deer and for bear near feedlots or dumps sites AND mineral/salt blocks. I’m certain not many adhere to the rule but then how many adhere to the no scent rule? Last year at Fleet Farm’s Friday orange sale before the opener you couldn’t see the scents aisle for people buying it.
I just got off the phone with the dnr. It was at one time legal to hunt a property with a feeder as long as the feeder could not be seen from the stand. Fast forward to today….currently it is illegal to hunt ANY property with a deer feeder, 5 acres, 500 acres, makes no difference if the feeder are not removed ten full days prior to any deer season. Not just empty, removed. Any property with a deer feeder during any open deer season is now considered to be baited property. Also, the dnr has really clamped down on deer feeders period in an attempt to help slow the CWD problem, state wide. So, I’m guessing that deer feeders, while fun to watch animals, maybe made in such a fashion that they can be removed easily prior to the opening of even the bow seasons. Apparently deer feeders [also considered baiting] are a real problem for the CO’s and now they ticket, period, if any evidence of baiting or feeding exists after the earliest deer opening date.
My friends and I have had this discussion a few times:
What is the real difference between baiting deer and planting food plots to attract deer? Isn’t the intent of both to draw the deer to an area?
Buffalo Fishhead
The difference is that with food plots the supply is not infinite. Nor can it be replenished at will. There is only as much food available to the deer as you are willing to grow. With baiting you can put down as much food as you want.
Also there is the matter of concentration. With a deer feeder all the food is concentrated in one tiny area.
Grouse
I just got off the phone with the dnr. It was at one time legal to hunt a property with a feeder as long as the feeder could not be seen from the stand. Fast forward to today….currently it is illegal to hunt ANY property with a deer feeder, 5 acres, 500 acres, makes no difference if the feeder
are not removed ten full days prior to any deer season. Not just empty, removed. Any property with a deer feeder during any open deer season is now considered to be baited property. Also, the dnr has really clamped down on deer feeders period in an attempt to help slow the CWD problem, state wide. So, I’m guessing that deer feeders, while fun to watch animals, maybe made in such a fashion that they can be removed easily prior to the opening of even the bow seasons. Apparently deer feeders [also considered baiting] are a real problem for the CO’s and now they ticket, period, if any evidence of baiting or feeding exists after the earliest deer opening date.
Thanks for posting this.
I had an interesting chat with a specialist. I know this is probably not what you were wanting to hear but its better than finding out thru the ticket book.
I didn’t think it was legal to feed the deer at all during the deer season. We don’t feed them so I don’t follow along.
If you have a food/bait plot you are feeding deer before deer season an all thru the deer season. . . rrr
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Buffalo Fishhead wrote:</div>
My friends and I have had this discussion a few times:What is the real difference between baiting deer and planting food plots to attract deer? Isn’t the intent of both to draw the deer to an area?
Buffalo Fishhead
The difference is that with food plots the supply is not infinite. Nor can it be replenished at will. There is only as much food available to the deer as you are willing to grow. With baiting you can put down as much food as you want.
Also there is the matter of concentration. With a deer feeder all the food is concentrated in one tiny area.
Grouse
I’d really to show people who think baiting and food plots are similar, how fast a plot can be emptied out by deer. And how much failure there is with them. As well as the work involved. A plot gets hit hard and mowed down, there’s no going back to the store to buy more. There’s times where they just don’t use plots too. Have never seen a feeder site not getting hit.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Buffalo Fishhead wrote:</div>
My friends and I have had this discussion a few times:What is the real difference between baiting deer and planting food plots to attract deer? Isn’t the intent of both to draw the deer to an area?
Buffalo Fishhead
Food plots are considered agriculture
If food plots are agriculture. When does the farmer harvest them.? . . . rrr
I think food plots are looked at much like crp….there to offer food and shelter for wildlife and not a harvestable crop. Honestly I’m not certain how the dnr differentiates between feeders and plots but the gentleman I spoke with was very specific about feeders and the laws around them. I was under the impression that feeders and stands had to be X number of feet apart, but he was perfectly clear when he said that any property, regardless of total acreage, that had feeders had to have them completely removed by ten days before the earliest opening season for deer [think bow season] or the entire property would be considered baited, which is illegal. He also brought up that salt and mineral licks are a big time no-no now with the cwd running about as rampant as the corona virus.
Its getting to where a guy needs to consult a lawyer to understand the game laws anymore. So far my health is good enough to let me hunt this year unless I get sick or break something. I go up the hill in the morning and come down in the afternoon’s dark. I love being in the woods. For me its not about shooting or killing, its just the love of the woods. A deer or two is simply icing. And a lot of work. But the laws and screwed up seasons they have today sure make not hunting something that I think I’ll consider next year unless the season setters get their heads out of their nether regions.
What is the real difference between baiting deer and planting food plots to attract deer? Isn’t the intent of both to draw the deer to an area?
Buffalo Fishhead
The difference is that with food plots the supply is not infinite. Nor can it be replenished at will. There is only as much food available to the deer as you are willing to grow. With baiting you can put down as much food as you want.
Grouse
On top of what Grouse said, Food plots are natural. No one can stop you from planting anything (I think weed may be illegal though…). plant an oak tree, an apple tree, corn, etc…however, placing out piles (unnatural) of corn, apples, and acorns will land you a ticket. I could very well be missing something here but it sounds pretty black and white?????
Thanks Tom for your post. It is pretty obvious that actual feeders would be illegal during the hunting season. With CWD popping up the way is doing now feeders shouldn’t be allowed any time of year.? . . rrr
Can we talk about banning or at least really regulating “deer farming” in MN before we start trying to address everything except where the real problem lies?
All the CWD outbreaks in MN are around deer farms with long histories of disease and containment issues. And yet these so-called farms are not regulated like every real animal-rearing operation is, by the Department of Agriculture.
No, that would make too much sense for Minnesota. Instead, deer farms are “regulated” by some podunk agency nobody has ever heard of that is staffed by about 3 people in some backwater office in urban St. Paul.
But yet our CWD issues need to be addressed by banning feeder use and salt blocks. Yeah. Typical MN Nice, avoid the real problem by addressing everything else first.
Grouse
If the deer/elk farms were ever to be absolutely proven to be the origin of CWD I’d be all for their closures. A double 10 fencing requirement would be a first good step. Next would be an absolute halt to any transfers between farms….what stock is there now stays there and no other blood can come into a farm. No future farms should be considered for start-up. I think there is likely as much transfer from outside of fenced deer farms as what may be going out.
The SE CWD zone has already proven that more breeding aged bucks carry the crap than any other sex or age group, so this idiot antler point restriction should be banned permanently in this state. All apr’s did was throw a total imbalance in the deer herd between breeding aged bucks and antlerless/spikes. Way too many breeding aged deer in a concentrated area.
I think in general the whole deer season thing and cwd has created a total cluster %#@& and it’ll take a long time to get it ironed out. Until they do these peripheral seasons like the early antlerless should be vacated until some science can show the need for it, other than this cwd crap. Deer/elk farms might be a part of the whole equation but not near so much as those apr’s. No season used as a population control measure should take place prior to the regular A%B seasons followed by the muzzy season. Then look at the numbers for each area and determine if a control hunt is even needed. My guess is would be that very infrequently and such control measure is really.
needed.
I’d be fine with zero seasons until the dnr gets their heads out of the hienies.
I’ve been waiting 15 years for CWD to completely wipe out the MN deer herd. I’m sure this perpetually imminent epidemic is only being averted by the sheer efforts of our own heroic DNR.
P.S. My favorite is when the DNR finds one deer in an area with CWD and they prevent the other deer from dying by CWD by preemptively shooting every surviving deer they can find in a 20 mile radius. Because every student of evolution knows that the organisms which manages to survive an epidemic must be shot in order to ensure that species will never be able to survive the epidemic on their own.
If I ever did suspect a deer I shot had CWD, the last people I would tell would be the DNR.
How do firefighters prevent forest fires? By burning down the forest.
I’m also strongly against deer farms but if we banned everything that did harm, we’d be without a lot of things including guns and alcohol.
A better fight would be to help improve laws and governing agencies to prevent these issues…like suggest above.
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