Baiting and Feeding FAQ

For a visual explanation of the Baiting and Feeding regulations, view this document [PDF 654KB].

What exactly is considered bait?
Bait is any material that is placed or used to attract wild animals, including scent materials, salt, minerals, grains, etc. Water is not considered bait.

What is considered a scent material?
Scent is any material, except animal parts or animal by-products, used to attract wild animals solely by its odor.

Can I use an automatic or elevated feeder to bait or feed deer?
No. It is illegal to use a feeder that is designed to deposit or replenish feed automatically, mechanically, or by gravity for baiting deer for hunting or for feeding wild deer for viewing purposes.

Does the one site per 40 acres also apply to public land?
Yes. If a hunter wants to establish more then one bait site on any public hunting land, then the hunter will need to make sure that each bait site is located on a full 40 acre contiguous area of land that is under the same ownership and that each site is more then 100 yards from any other bait site.

What if my neighbor has a bait site on his property that less than 100 yards from my stand where I want to place a bait site?
The 100 yard rule does not apply to bait sites that are located on an adjacent property which has a different owner. Where you place your one bait site is not effected or restricted by where a neighbor places their bait site, on their land.

If there are four members in my hunting party, can we each have a bait site?
Yes, but each site must be at least 100 yards apart and the hunters may not hunt within 100 yards of more then one site at a time. So, if more than one hunter will be placing a bait site on the same property, or 40 acre parcel of land, the hunters may not hunt from any location that allows them to use more than one site or be within 100 yards of more than one bait site. Hunting halfway between 2 bait sites located less than 200 yards apart is not legal. Keeping all bait sites at least 200 yards apart will eliminate the risk of violating the hunting within 100 yards of more than one bait site restriction.

If I own or hunt on a 50 acre or larger parcel, how many bait sites can I have?
Each hunter may place up to 2 gallons of bait for each property under the same ownership regardless of the size of the property. If the property is larger then 40 acres, then each hunter may place an additional 2 gallons of bait for each additional full 40 acres that make up a contiguous area of land under the same ownership if the bait sites are at least 100 yards away from any other bait site. Therefore, only 2 gallons of bait may be placed by each hunter on any property less than 80 acres in size.

Note:

1. Hunters that only plan to place out 2 gallons of bait for hunting purposes do not need to worry about how many acres they own or have permission to hunt on.
2. Hunters that plan to place out more than one bait site for hunting purposes will need to be certain of their acreage. Each hunter is limited to 2 gallons of bait for each full 40 acres of land that make up a contiguous area of land under the same ownership.

What if I have more than one stand on my 40 acres? Can I maintain a bait site at each location, or for other hunters?
No. It is not legal for any one hunter to place out more than one bait site on a single parcel of property or full 40 acre parcel of land. A hunter may not place out bait sites for other hunters, including other family members.

Can I hunt over someone else’s bait site? Can someone else hunt over my bait site without my permission?
Yes. If it is a legally placed bait site, there is not restriction on how many hunter use that one bait site. This applies to both public and private lands. Placing a bait site out on public lands does not reserve that area for the exclusive use of the hunter who places the bait.

If I only hunt deer during the firearm season and do not bow hunt, when can I start baiting for deer?
Placement of bait for deer hunting can be done during any open season for deer hunting and the day before the season opens. So, the day before the archery deer season opens is the 1st day anyone may begin to place out bait for deer, and all baiting for deer must stop when all the deer seasons have closed for that area.

In areas where deer baiting is not allowed, what CAN I USE to attract deer closer to my stand if I can’t use bait?
Use of the following are legal statewide:

• Decoys
• Scents
• Naturally occurring material (such as acorns), deposited by natural vegetation, that is not collected and relocated in any manner.
• Crops planted and left standing as wildlife food plots.
• Material deposited solely as a result of normal agricultural or gardening practices and not collected and relocated for hunting or other purposes.

For a visual explanation of the Baiting and Feeding regulations, view our slide show.

Questions for Wildlife Management