Conservation Officers: Against The Law to Bait Deer

By Matt Popovich

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - With the popular firearms season fast approaching, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is reminding the state's deer hunters it is a crime to use bait while hunting.

Conservation officers say it is legal to hunt deer near a food plot or to hunt from a tree that produces fruit.  However, it is illegal for a hunter to place food items – such as a salt block – in the woods in an attempt to harvest an animal.

According to the IDNR, any food items or attractants must be removed from the hunting area 10 days prior to a hunt.

“Basically, if you place anything that isn't grown in the area and hunt there, it's illegal,” said Lt. Larry Morrison, outdoor education director for IDNR Law Enforcement. “Hunting next to a corn field or from an apple tree is legal, but placing corn or apples under your tree stand would put you in conflict with current Indiana law.”

Morrison said it is legal to use artificial scents and masking agents to prevent deer from catching a hunter’s scent.

Archery season currently is underway in Indiana and continues through Jan. 5, 2014. The urban zone segment in designated areas continues through Jan. 31, 2014. The most popular segment of Indiana’s deer hunting calendar, firearms season, runs November 16-December 1, Muzzleloader season follows December 7-22, and the special antlerless season is December 26-January 5.

For more information about Indiana hunting laws and dates, visit www.in.gov/dnr/.