issues on baiting

[Cody Gruchow]

ok this is what i understand from the DNR hunting regulations booklet. mineral blocks and salt blocks arent considered bait and there for from what i understand you dont have to remove them. to me thats the same thing as baiting...i use them in the off season but remove them 11 days prior to the season(1 extra day on the 10 day drying period) and so does everyone else that i hunt with.

i know its not the same as corn, or beans or whatever else, but to me its still bait. what does everyone else think? is it considered bait in anyone elses book? am i reading the regulation wrong?

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/hunting/2010/full_regs.pdf

page 70

[thunderpout]

Legality wise, salt/mineral licks are legal if they are just that... if there is added flavor and or food mixed in, ie: corn, acorns, grain, apples. molasis etc its not legal.  we use the straight mineral blocks.  They get hit bigtime over the summer, but not much in the fall... I personally think it is on the borderline as far as baiting goes, but its not the same really.... the trace minerals do benefit the deer.  I am pretty much against baiting in general.... its not hunting anymore when you go that route in my opinion... more like shooting fish in a barrel.

[Go Big Red!]

We don't pull our salt blocks at all.  We leave them.

[dakids]

We don't use blocks so it would be pretty hard to pull the dirt.

[beeker]

we leave the blocks out. but this is a tinder box of a question. people get furious over this issue. it's kinda like the size restriction questions for bucks. moderators get ready

[deadeye]

We use a combination of block and loose minerals.  Like thounderpout said, lots of activity spring and summer but by fall they get little action.  I think I've only seen one deer go to a mineral lick while I was in stand.  A doe and two fawns passed about 50 yards from my stand.  One fawn came to the mineral lick, looked around and left.  Note: The mineral lick is behind trees and even if a deer was there, I would have no shot.

[Cody Gruchow]

  um 4-5 people that answered are Mods 

i dont hate on anyone for using anything like minerals or what not because i use them, i have had deer come to the sites were i "had" them and watched them dig that spot for a short while. so what does everyone consider bait then??? because people plant corn,beans and etc strictly for the deer, with no intention of harvesting the corn and they hunt over that...wouldnt that not fall under the term bait?

[Cody Gruchow]

what about Cmere deer? that comes in a powder form but it doesnt have anything considered bait in it i dont think? but its un-natural for that area to have this big pile of powder  right 30 yards from your stand

[BiggA]

I have no problem with using blocks and no i do not pick them up. If using mineral is baiting so is planting food in my opinion. In both cases you are introducing something that is not naturally there to increase your odds. People will always say it is to benefit the deer which I suppose it may partially be but truthfully if they did not hunt i really doubt they would still plant the food or put out minerals.

[beeker]

some states it's legal and other states it's not. people are always looking for an edge.. in the end they can only shoot one buck deer.

[HUNTER2]

I have never shot a deer over a mineral block. I have seen a few lick them when I am bow hunting. During slug season the bucks only have one thing on there mind. They are not looking for mineral blocks.