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How to Bait Deer: Best Methods!

How to Bait Deer
Written by Marc Niad
Last Update: January 4, 2023

Humans are prone to searching for the best or simplest way to accomplish a task. It will be popular if something works to ease the task process or make it more likely to succeed.

You can see why deer baiting is so popular among hunters.

Food is strategically placed near a hunting blind or clearing in order to lure deer within range. It is essential for ensuring accuracy and precision.

How to Bait Deer

How to Bait Deer

Things you need

  • Grain feeder
  • Deer urine
  • Monitoring equipment and cameras

The right location

Your feeding area’s effectiveness can be affected by a number of factors, including:

  • The traffic

If you know deer travel frequently, a route with high traffic is an excellent place to place your feeder.

  • The seclusion

Feeders should be placed near cover so deer can access them during daylight hours.

Use grain feeders

deer grain feeder

Self-grain feeders allow deer to eat pellets when they are hungry. Due to the frequent eating habits of deer, free-choice feeders are ideal for maximizing the deer’s intake and antler growth.

Use food plots

Feeding is usually bigger than the average hunting plot, and their primary purpose is to allow deer to feed and feel protected. It is important to hunt feeding plots sparingly in order for the deer to feel safe using them.

Use deer lures such as deer urine

buck urine

Deer can be lured using a variety of methods, including pheromones, food, and urine.

The scent of urination is a great way to attract large bucks into your property. As soon as they detect another deer’s scent, they will want to find out who else is nearby.

You can purchase deer urine from mos hunting stores. To maximize the effectiveness of urine, spread it over a large area.

Avoid bait in a pile

bait piles for deer

Bait piles are rarely successful and are sometimes even counterproductive, especially if you’re targeting mature bucks.

They might occasionally work in some places where deer are not spooked out or over-pressured easily. I have found that a larger spread of bait is more effective.

Refill in the rain

During rainy weather, you should refill your feeder. It is less likely that you will bump into deer and other animals while you are baiting, but the wind and rain will also prevent your scent from spreading too far

Use monitoring equipment and cameras

Trail Camera

To make the most out of your time in the woods, you’ll want to monitor how many animals and the species frequent your bait spot. You can use monitoring equipment to track surveys or you can install a cellular camera that can send you real-time pictures.

Hunt the trails

As a means of killing mature animals through bait sites, such as mature buck deer, follow the trails they use to enter and leave the feeder.

Unless you’re in a food-scarce area, most mature bucks won’t attack your bait directly. Move away from the bait site a couple of hundred yards away and set up an area leading directly to the bait site.

Other Things You Can Use to Bait Deer

Vegetables

Deer eat Vegetables

Some vegetables are as good as fruits. Vegetables that may serve as good attractants are cabbage and carrots. Fruits are more expensive, so vegetables are a good cheaper alternative.

Sugar beets

Sugar Beets

Sugary and sweet fruits are attractive to most animals, including deer. Sugar beets are used similarly to apples when baiting deer. This means you can either spread them out or use a container for baiting.

Peanut butter

Peanut butter bait

The nutrient-rich peanut butter is a favorite among deer but it’s not readily available in the forest. This is perhaps the reason peanut butter seems so appealing to these animals.

Healthy mineral and attractant options

Molasses Stuffed Protein blocks from Primos are probably the best I have ever used as a deer attractant. With 18% crude protein, sugar and minerals, the molasses-filled protein block is packed with nutrients that deer need for proper growth.

Shelled corn

Shelled corn bait

Corn is highly effective as a deer attractant for a number of reasons. Deer love whole grain corn because it is tasty and packed with nutritional value. You can take down a much bigger buck if you use corn as an attractant.

Apples

deer feed Apples

Herbivores in the forest, like deer, enjoy eating fruits. Fruits are great for deer baiting since they attract deer. The most commonly used fruits are apples.

Apples are a favorite food of deer, especially white-tailed deer. These can be cut up or placed whole.

Salt and mineral salt

When used as a deer bait, salt works wonders. Unfortunately, deer cannot readily access salt in the forest due to its lack of availability.

Minerals and nutrients found in salt are essential to all living things, including human beings and deer. Use of salt will ensure a healthy population of deer.

Acorns

Acorns for deer feed

Deer also prefer acorns that are low in tannic acid. You should use ripe, mild-flavored acorns.

Deer, especially white-tailed deer, love apples and cannot get enough of them

Salt and mineral salt

Salt works miracles when used to bait deer. The reason is that salt is not something that is readily available to deer in the forest.

Salt contains important nutrients and minerals used by all animals, humans, and deer included. Therefore using salt will help maintain a healthy deer population.

Soybeans

soybeans for deer feed

Deer love soybeans because they are an excellent attractant, especially during hunting season. Although deer enjoy eating soybeans, their preference is for toasted soybeans, which are more aromatic due to their roasting and toasting.

Tips to bait deer

Keep feeding as many ambush sites as possible

The most important thing is to feed as many ambush areas as you can to encourage deer to become established in areas where we don’t hunt regularly. That way, when we do hit it, it is in surprise.

Don’t use corn in the winter

Deer are able to absorb more nutrients during winter due to their slower digestion. However, they may have difficulty absorbing other foods after eating corn because it upsets their digestive system. The deer may then become dehydrated and die.

About the author

Marc Niad

It’s been several years that Marc, a retired teacher and a proud dad, has silently been piling up mature bucks down the South. This humble hunter began his hunting journey at quite an early age and since then, he spent countless hours in the woods and learned good lessons in terms of woodsmanship. Along the way, he also made money sharing his skill with his followers and well-wishers.

The Ranger Expert is the brainchild of this veteran hunter who loves hunting the swamps and the hills around the Mississippi and Homochitto rivers. His most favorite hunting technique is taking his climbing gear and going to the top of pines with a 25.06 – the old-fashioned way!

He gets most of his games during late December through mid-January – his favorite hunting time. Marc strongly believes that hard work, passion, and a bit of luck can bring you success in the wild.

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