What is considered bait for whitetails in TN. We are not allowed to hunt over bait but they are not specific as to what kind of bait is illegal.

if you put it there, it's bait.

Yup, looks pretty non-specific for me. It is general so as to catch everything. Here's what it says on the TN Hunting Guide

"Prohibited Acts: ....7. Hunting is prohibited over a site where bait has been placed to feed or attract wildlife unless all the bait has been removed at least ten (10) days prior to hunting."

You folks have a real crazy prohibition on predator hunting, as #1 states "1. The use or possession of predator calls
while night hunting of any species is prohibited.". I kinda thought that was the whole point of predator hunting!

Lots of states have goofy rules! But you can hunt an apple tree, corn field, farmers other crops or natural feed.
If you take a few ears of corn out of the field and move it 50 yd's, you are in violation but not if you hunt the field itself.
A lot of hunters are against baiting but give them a shotgun to hunt pheasants and where do they head first? Yeah, a cornfield! What about doves? Maybe we should all be limited to blacktop parking lots for hunting!

quote:

Originally posted by 724wd:
if you put it there, it's bait.

While this is 100% accurate, it is not the whole story. Best be careful whom you hunt around as well. If they are baiting and you don't even know it, but hunt near it, you are still in violation.

Here in WV we can bait deer but not bear or turkey. I put out a feeder well in advance of archery season and see strange results around it. Deer clean up the corn at night but during the day I always see the larger deer stay back while the little ones come and eat. The little ones even bump the feeder to drop more corn.
Then turkeys come to it a lot and are fun to watch.
I have never killed a deer near the feeder and even though it is there I hunt somewhere else and have more luck. I do not depend on baiting deer to get one but it has been entertaining.
I put out apples and deer come and inspect them, smell them, then leave. It takes about 3 days before they actually eat them.
The bottom line is that putting out feed has never helped me shoot deer, I don't use it for that reason but it has taught me a lot more about deer by just watching them.
Natural foods are much easier to hunt. At least I am out there with them, close to them and not in an elevated house overlooking a food plot planted with the express purpose of baiting deer to the gun. Funny that it is legal to do that in almost every state, but if you threw out some corn in the field you would be in violation????
Game laws are not made by rational people but are forced on game departments by the public or hunters that are worried about not having a deer behind every tree.
I lived in Ohio and hunted PA for years. Doe tags could not be bought by out of state hunters because only so many were issued. Hunting clubs bought them up and threw them out because they did not want the does killed. Some counties had so many deer and such a poor food supply that a 50# deer was huge! Leg worms and disease was common. They actually did more harm to the herd with stupid laws.
The only way to get a doe if you lived out of state was in archery season.
It seems to me that states with liberal regulations, a long doe season, large numbers killed and a large bag limit, still have the most deer and the healthiest deer.
If there is a lack of natural foods and game in your area, the game department should use the money you pay them to correct the situation. Why buy a license if you can't find a deer?