Hunting Over Baiting

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Hunting over bait is a debated issue across the country. Baiting deer has a negative effect on deer populations as well as other non-target species and habitats. The potential for disease transmission between species is far more prevalent in areas where baiting practices are administered than those that are not. These diseases are not only harmful to deer and other species, they can be fatal. Not only is there potential to spread disease, there are certain behavioral, social, and ecological impacts as well.
According to Robert Inslerman, the chairman of the Wildlife Society, baiting is the act of intentionally placing food attractants to manipulate the behavior of wild species for the purpose of: Attracting wildlife to a specific location to enhance hunter harvest; Capturing and treating animals for control of infectious and noninfectious diseases; Reducing or controlling overabundant native or exotic wildlife populations, invasive species, or problem wildlife that pose a threat to human health or safety, domestic animals, or private property; Capturing wildlife for relocation or population augmentation and restoration and; Capturing wildlife for execution of research and management programs (Inslerman 3).
Baiting escalates the threat of disease transmission by increasing the extent of direct contact deer have between each other. Bait sites entice deer to a specific area and hold them to that area. As more deer visit the site, the more interaction there is between them. The transmission of infectious diseases is not only caused by direct physical contact, but also from the bodily excretions the deer produce.
Biologists believe that the maintenance of bovine tuberculosis (TB) is directly related to supplemental feeding/baiting a...

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...he deers natural activity patterns. According to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natrual Resources, Alabama deer hunters have a higher success rate per hunter than in the adjoining states where baiting is not prohibited. In South Carolina, baiting is legal in the lower part of the state and prohibited in the northern part. The hunters success rate in the lower part of the state is less successful than those in the northern part where no bait is used. In multiple studies conducted, 90% of mature bucks use the bait sights during nighttime hours, when it is illegal to hunt them. Deer that use bait sights became more and more nocturnal as the season progressed (Alabama Department of Conservation and Natrual Resources 5-6). A Republican Primary poll conducted in Alabama showed that 89% of people supported no baiting while only 19% supported hunting over bait.

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