Is using bait, deer hunting?

Curiousness99

hi there
I am posting this out of curiousness and looking for views of hunters. I don’t hunt, other than shooting a few rabbits when I was a teenager. However I’ve done a good bit of game fishing over the years. Also I’ve no problem with hunting (and would do a small bit if the opportunity arose) and have come across a fair few hunters over the years throughout Wicklow.

I was hoping to get view of those that actually hunt on this though.

Somewhere I was hiking recently i came across a high seat pointing towards a heavily baited area (apples, nuts and sweet potatoes)

Is it actually hunting or just shooting deer for cash? Certainly doesn’t seem like hunting to me.

Thanks in advance for sharing views..

mshayeb

it's illegal to bait deer. and usually done by poachers

Curiousness99 wrote: »

hi there
I am posting this out of curiousness and looking for views of hunters. I don’t hunt, other than shooting a few rabbits when I was a teenager. However I’ve done a good bit of game fishing over the years. Also I’ve no problem with hunting (and would do a small bit if the opportunity arose) and have come across a fair few hunters over the years throughout Wicklow.

I was hoping to get view of those that actually hunt on this though.

Somewhere I was hiking recently i came across a high seat pointing towards a heavily baited area (apples, nuts and sweet potatoes)

Is it actually hunting or just shooting deer for cash? Certainly doesn’t seem like hunting to me.

Thanks in advance for sharing views..

garv123

mshayeb wrote: »

it's illegal to bait deer. and usually done by poachers

You cant blame poachers for every single thing that is wrong with deer shooting :rolleyes:

Bit risky for someone poaching to sit in a high seat and wait for the deer to come to them..

BryanL

garv123 wrote: »

You cant blame poachers for every single thing that is wrong with deer shooting :rolleyes:

Bit risky for someone poaching to sit in a high seat and wait for the deer to come to them..

Poachers took my last ROLO.

They're fairly cheeky poachers setting up a high seat and baiting it as well. Should be easy enough to catch

Grizzly 45

Nope, perfectly legal on all points.
Nothing in the acts about baiting deer into an area. Actually almost SOP EU wide for wild boar.No different than setting up a stand near a wild growing apple tree or orchard.Also, this is a good way in the off season of getting a herd count by feeding an area.

tac foley

BryanL wrote: »

Poachers took my last ROLO.

They're fairly cheeky poachers setting up a high seat and baiting it as well. Should be easy enough to catch

A gamekeeper pal of mine found a high seat on his patch. It was a very posh affiar with a foam cushion. He vigorously applied his handy Leatherman and saturated the sponge with a couple of bottles of 'Spirits of Salts', and set his trail camera pointing onto the location.


He told me that the antics of the poacher trying to get rid of his kecks was worth more than two weeks in the Bahamas.

Curiousness99

Thanks for the replies. where i am talking about is private land and pretty certain any shooters have permission, so the fellas shooting aren’t poachers as such. Doesn’t seem like much sport compared to stalking but each to their own I guess.

Grizzly 45

Two different methods of hunting there.
Stalking,and tree stand hunting. Stand hunting is more European/American and Stalking is more English.Stand hunting can be just as difficult as you are fixed in position and are more subject to wind carrying your scent to where you mightn't want it.Also ,try sitting dead still for four-plus hours on a wooden plank for a seat and see how easy that is,especially if you have a nicotine addiction.:P

Curiousness99

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Two different methods of hunting there.
Stalking,and tree stand hunting. Stand hunting is more European/American and Stalking is more English.Stand hunting can be just as difficult as you are fixed in position and are more subject to wind carrying your scent to where you mightn't want it.Also ,try sitting dead still for four-plus hours on a wooden plank for a seat and see how easy that is,especially if you have a nicotine addiction.:P

I assume you would want to be downwind if you were puffing away 🤣

Curiousness99

Was up there again recently and noticed food left out on an adjoining property where the shooters definitely do not have permission to shoot, might still be hunting but I’d say it’s trespassing too

Law seems to be blurred for a lot of deer hunters, or at least a lot of the ones I seem to come across.

Very different to fishing in my experience where the line between legit and non legit is much clearer

Chiparus

Very nice hide built on my lease by poachers. I walked in on one of them and he took off . He has not been back. Second hide I have found in the last 4 years. Europeans I believe , or Irish with an unnatural fondness for caffiene energy drinks.

madmac187

Curiousness99 wrote: »

Was up there again recently and noticed food left out on an adjoining property where the shooters definitely do not have permission to shoot, might still be hunting but I’d say it’s trespassing too

Law seems to be blurred for a lot of deer hunters, or at least a lot of the ones I seem to come across.

Very different to fishing in my experience where the line between legit and non legit is much clearer

By any chance might this stand be in Laois, out of interest ?

Curiousness99

madmac187 wrote: »

By any chance might this stand be in Laois, out of interest ?

A bit of a delay in replying but actually

Dublin/Wicklow boarder