Bait ?

[bvette]

I started with corn. I was covered up with squirrels and turkeys. I switched to sweet potatoes they worked great went through about 2,000 lbs. in about 5 weeks. I could not get them anymore and switched to sugar beets they worked as good they loved them. I shot a nice spike buck about 2 weeks ago and the deer stopped coming. I was wondering if the beets froze and they don't like them now or what. They seem to eat the leaves and leave the beet but they are not coming like they were and they just aren't eating. Any thoughts?

[onthehunt]

That's the tricky part with bait. Some stands you can shoot a deer a night, and others if they even think your there it will shut them off. My best advice is to keep bait there and wait till they start to eat again. Then sit it only when conditions are good for that particular location. Time cures most locations.

[doublelung1]

Your wind may be wrong, the deer may see you in your stand, or the deer have gone nocturnal. The deer may also be making a big circle around the bait before comeing in and ive seen this happen this year. In this case you have to clear some big shooting lanes around you and catch them trying to circle you. You have to make sure of your wind for every sit or you will be messing up your next couple of sits.

You also have to make sure your stand provides plenty of back cover. Its going to be hard this time of year but there are defiantly spots you can find you just have to look hard. The deer will sit behind thick cover where you cant see them and peek into your tree, believe me ive seen it. If this is happening but up a ground blind about 50 yds. off to the side and go in when the wind is perfect. The deer will have no idea your there.

If the deer arent eating the bait it may have spoiled due to rain. Its better to put a couple of small piles and bring new bait maybe once a week. If they still do not eat the bait you may need to figure out what they are eating and find out where that food source is and hunt the trails going into that instead.

[Bird Boy]

get a 5 gallon bucket (a 55 gallon drum is better) and get one of those attachments that go on feeders at the bottom. (they cost somethin like 35 bucks at walmart. none at dicks:() cut a hole on the bottom of the bucket and screw the feeder attachment on. fill it with corn and hang it with a rope or build legs for it. with the squirrels they have the feeder attachments at cabelas that have zappers on it so the sqirrels can't get it. or you can put bottles on the legs. or you can make a cage around it out of chicken wire. or you can blast those tree rats.:D

[bvette]

Thanks guys. I still don't know how they could eat like pigs and stop. The bait doesn't seem to be bad. The sugar beets may have froze and they don't like it or they are to hard to eat. The past week was not so cold and I am sure the beets have thawed. I guess need to wait it out.

[rich yip]

Stake berlap over your bait when your not hunting and at night ,remove it when you hunt. the deer can smell it but can't to it, this will teach them to show up when your in your stand.

[bowhunter71]

the same thing happened to me just as shotgun season started i had deer at my pile every day as soon as shotgun started they just shut off. i think there was too much action i the woods and they went nocturnal i hope they return for the end of bow season . ill just keep waiting it out

[hunter]

that happened to me before then i found that some jerky put a pile 75 yards away and cut me off

[Liv2hunt]

I asked the owner of Martorano Farms which root crop would fare the best in a freeze, his answer was suger beets, so I don't think that is your problem.

I think you have a problem with your set up, like doublelung mentioned. Sounds like something is spooking the deer off the bait if they stopped eating it at night also. Either scent, preditors, local loose dogs.

[SEMIAUTO]

I use a molases block in a milk crate tided to a tree , it lasts a long time .

[MEAT-WAGON]

i use sugar beats any theyr gettin tore up only problem im having is gettin tore up while im there :D

[Ole 20 Point]

Smart critters ain't they? :razz:

[Get Some]

throw some corn out spread it around,see if it starts them back up