Baiting/Feeding/Planting in Ponds

Hello fellow hunters,

I'm sure this has been posted in the past, but I have heard many people over the years discuss options for baiting ponds. First, let me say that I DO NOT bait, nor have I baited. I am merely interested in hearing what Louisiana hunters have to say about it (PROs & CONs, GOOD & BAD). I have talked to many folks who have baited. I have been told of old recipes (example, sweet potatoes buried in jars, molasses buried in jars, rabbit food, etc). Other than the obvious (corn, milo, rice) that work well to attracts ducks, what's legal & what things have you guys either used or heard of being used and what's your thoughts.

I would like to hear some facts about what is allowed or not and what really works. Including types of vegetation that can be planted in brackish marsh, etc...

Post if you's like to, but let's not make this into a fueding fest...

Good hunting to all,
Hit Man

Are you serious? If you are hunting brackish marsh, then get out there and find the natural food that the ducks want to eat. Find out where they want to rest. Watch their flight patterns. Spend some time scouting.

If you persist on this topic then check the site below for regs and even pick up the phone and call them.

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/

OBVIOUSLY.... you would want to do this on your own property...am i right....Because if you put it out...they gonna come....Along with the Birds..Come the Hunters..Then the LDWF.. OK...
A trick i was givin years ago by an old hunter....I took a 4 x 4 sheet of plywood, and painted it bright white. Nailed a rim around it, so the feed would stay on it without spilling off.I put 4 boat seat cushions on the bottom to float it.Load it with feed ( millet, or milo) and float it out into the water.And boy would they get on it. Law says ya gotta have it ALL OUT a week or so,cant remeber exactly..(read the book).. But they would still come to that pallet when i would float it out. Mostly wood ducks i was hunting then.But an occasional mallard and grey would spill in there.I was doing this in Timber.Not out in a marsh.Try it, ya might like it. But sure beats the hell out of Laboriously planting feed around ya ponds...And if done legaly, whats the problem. After the food is off it. No different than having a docoy or a mojo out in the water...

Hey guys, thanks for the quick replies.

First off, I am & always will be a law abiding hunter.
Secondly, The reason for the post is because I recently had a conversation with a guy who practices such things, and I was curious to see what kind of experiences, feedback, etc other hunters would like to give on the subjuect, and maybe even learn a thing or two in the proccess.

I don't agree with "baiting" in any illegal fashion.

As COOT said, I do conduct all sorts of scouting to FIND the birds, and that's the way I like it.

I don't even use "motion decoys"--just pure scouting, calling & decoy spread techniqwues, with an occasional jerk chord on feeder dekes, etc...

I do find it interesting though, to hear what other hunters have to say... That's why you post, isn't it??? So say what ya gotta say.

Safe & Successful hunting to all,
hit man

I know very little about deer hunting, but why do the rules on baiting for deer appear to be so different from the rules on baiting for ducks? Deer feeders appear to be perfectly legal, but baiting for ducks is so tightly regulated. Does a deer feeder have to be removed so many days prior to the deer season? If so, that would make sense, as any bait for ducks is supposed to be gone so many days prior to duck season. Again, not trying to be funny, it just seems like the regulations seem to be different between deer and ducks, at least on the surface.

2 Notes:
1. Ducks and dove etc. are migratory birds which the regs are set by the feds 1st. Deer regs are set by the states. You can bait deer in LA, but not in MS.

2. For some reason when you bait birds such as ducks and doves they tend to forget all of their senses going straight to the bait making it a very unfair harvest giving the hunter too much of an advantage. Kinda like putting crack cocaine in the middle of Interstate 10 during rush hour while crack addicts are standing on the shoulder. The addicts will kill themselves by getting hit by a car trying to get to the crack. Deer do not act like this over bait.

That is Precisely how they react....And Believe Me, Swarms like that can be seen>>> MILES AWAY !!!

honestly as long as you only kill your limit i dont see what the harm would be. It cant be any worse than shooting doves at a grain elevator.

I had a guy tell me up on Chesapeak Bay the go out and dump truck load of corn next to a big orange float. Then when the season starts and when they want to hunt they just move the orange float away from the feed. The ducks will still come to the marker think the feed is there. Not sure if this is true or not.

All these techniques with floating the grain and then placing feed next to a float and then moving the float etc. is called conditioning and is illegal.

I think if you bait deer you aren't going to pull them from miles away, so you will only affect the deer in the immediate area. Because ducks move around a bit more with changes in weather, hunting pressure etc, I just think baiting birds would have much more of an effect.

I personally just don't see what is so fun about dumping out feed and then shooting ducks as they pile in for lunch. Same reason I don't believe in flipping a switch and then watching the ducks pile in. Its called hunting, not shooting, and although more people are getting into hunting, I find less and less are actually hunting. They just toss out the latest gadgets or do whatever it takes to pull the trigger, for many this includes baiting as well. Just don't see the fun in that.

Obviously no one against baiting has hunted an entire season in saltwater marsh. Yes its called hunting, but gas,shells, and everything else starts to get expensive when you cannot even kill a single ducks. Here in the saltwater, there is no natural vegetation, so sometimes we have to resort to baiting. Also, there is no continual flock after flock of ducks when baiting here in the saltwater marshes of louisiana. Believe me, it's still hard hunting and very challenging.

Coot, not all saltwater marshes have natural feed anymore. Especially with all the storms lately and the fact that the marsh has eroded beyond repair, ducks just don't go to certain saltwater areas. Especially from Grand Isle westward, until you get to the freshwater of the Atchafalaya.

If there are NO ducks in the salt water marsh, why hunt there? I hunt brackish which has some fresh water. Grande Isle and Fouchoun just don't get much fresh water these days. Doubt if the duck hunting will ever come back in that area.

Shoot you want to kill some ducks you need to go where the freshest water is. Freshwater lakes and diversions are where the best hunting is. Just look at caernarvon diversion they are hammering the teal butits all private land there.

In the midwest and north they hunt in flooded corn fields, flooded bean fields, flooded millet fields. How can this be fair.They manipulate those fieds for duck hunting for big money.How can you allow them to pump water in too a grain field and call that fair.

I personally dont see how its ok to plant a field with milot,corn, rice, or whatever then flood it but you cant throw out anything to feed them. When you allow people to plant acres upon acres of feed then flood it then run a device that keeps the water from freezing then it makes it alot harder for the regular joe. The guy who is down here sitting in the marsh or a pond with nothing but some decoys and some calls to kill some ducks really has to work harder to get a limit!

Hit Man,

I will comment on the "Facts" part of your post. The federal regulation on Migratory Bird Hunting is 50 CFR Part 20. You can find this information at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_02/50cfr20_02.html

First, let me say that most regulations come from old laws and do not fit current conditions. There are many really stupid rules in migratory bird hunting restrictions. Too many to discuss here.

The rule on hunting over bait can be found under "What hunting methods are illegal". It's simple, you cannot scatter grain planted solely for the purpose of attracting migratory waterfowl. You can however hunt over grain that has been planted to attract waterfowl as long as you do not purposely scatter it or knock it down to attract them by means other than retrieving downed game.

The regulation uses the words "depositing, distributing and exposing and scattering" to clarify.

This means that you can hunt over agricultural crops any kind of way you want as long as it is part of normal agricultural practices...but you have to be careful if you are planting food just to attract ducks. If you do, you can hunt over it but you can't knock it down.

I would recommend natural vegetation over planted grain. I have found in years where we didn't get to plant, the ducks like the natural vegetation like coffee weed, indigo, and other grasses way better than rice.

Hope this was not too long...I'm a regulatory guy, sorry

Duckaholic

To all responders...
I like the feedback and enjoy hearing what all you guys have to say about the issues. Thanks for the information & feedback.

To all the saltwater & brackish hunters, I too have hunted only brackish/saltwater areas (Dulac area) my entire life and I have had very diminished success over the past decade or so, mainly due to a total absense of natural vegetation in these areas, and also an obvious change in flyways and flight & feeding patterns by the ducks (the two are probably highly related)--Not due to a lack of scouting or trying--just no ducks!!!

It is so frustrating to enjoy something so much (was very successful--many ducks--years ago in my hunting areas), but having to settle for very slow hunting & often returning home with either few birds or even hunts w/o firing a shot (too often to admit).

Having tried to acquire a FRESHWATER lease for 16+ years in the Houma area has proven near impossible (but hey, I'm at the top of the so-called "waiting lists").

Anyway, I am happy for all of you who are fortunate enough to enjoy good hunting in areas that have good numbers of birds and lots of feed to KEEP the birds coming. I have considered hunting the Atchaf. I will continue to look for opportunities in freshwater areas. Until then, I'll keep doing my thing in Dulac and take what nature offers.

Let the "Thunder" Roar & Feathers Fall,
Hit Man

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