Deer baiting and CWD

In a recent article in bowhunting.com the question was asked, "is hunting deer over bait considered cheating”. In response to that question, an issue they brought up in the article was The Concern of Spreading Disease. Despite the benefits of baiting, there are some legitimate concerns against it. One in particular is the potential for the spread of CWD.

I asked fishing game official ROGER PHILLIPS to address this topic.

State biologists are doing their best to minimize the opportunity for deer to congregate at food or mineral sources. The first thing that tends to go when CWD shows up in a state are the hunter’s right to place bait for deer. 

Interestingly, some of the biggest critics of the use of bait for deer are in states or regions that don’t allow the use of bait. These hunters can’t use bait, and for that reason, they don’t feel like anyone else should get to use it either, regardless of where they live. It’s not so much the bait as it is the opportunity someone else has that they are not privy to. It typically boils down to jealousy.