I love to hunt whitetail deer. I just can not say that or emphasize that enough. Here is the dilema that I see for our sport of hunting monster bucks and even for hunting the doe that we all love to eat so well. For the bucks I think it clouds and muddy’s the water on how a trophy was killed from state to state or even in a different country. What is perfectly legal and accepted in one state is against the law in the neighboring state. The record book does not show hey this buck was killed over a corn feeder or on a 50lb mineral lick that he had becoming to since he was a fawn. This is what Indiana DNR says about Fair Chase Hunting.

It is illegal to use bait, salt or minerals, snares, dogs or other domesticated animals to take deer. Bait is considered any product that is transported into an area for the consumption of that animal. This includes baits in the following forms, corn, salt, minerals, prepared solid or liquid that is intended for the animal to eat. An area is considered to be baited for up to 10 days after the bait is removed and ALL affected soil from the bait.

Dogs may be used on a leash for the purpose of trailing a wounded anmal only.

Artificial deer decoys are allowed for hunting.

The use of electronic calls, or infrared sensor’s for calling or finding deer is illegal.

This is not the case in most states. What gets me though is Indiana allows for deer feeder’s to be bought and sold in Indiana. All of the different baiting products can be purchased at a variety of stores day or night all year long and even ordered and shipped in to us. So if it is against the law why allow for the sale of the products? Kind of like the fireworks laws isn’t? Strictly forbidden to use but they sell them on every block or exit? An advanced search on google finds 82,900 items for deer feeder alone. Must be some money in feeder’s huh?

What do you think? Should trophy bucks harvested using bait be looked at differently than a free ranging whitetail that is killed in white oaks rather than over a salt lick or under a feeder? Why can’t the DNR’s country wide decide on what the law should be in each state rather than differ so much from state to state. What is legal on federal land in one state is not in the next state so it makes it confusing and the harvesting of deer even more diverse.