Taking the bait away

When Minnesota's regular firearms deer hunting season opens Saturday, some of the 500,000 or so hunters heading to the woods will illegally place corn and other bait near their stands in hopes of attracting whitetails for an easy kill.

But some will discover the bait also attracts conservation officers. Officers all over the state are investigating baiting reports and plan surprise visits to many deer camps this weekend.

And this year, those caught baiting deer not only will face fines and restitution that could approach $1,000, but they also could lose their guns and hunting privileges. Because despite attempts to curb baiting over the years -- and heavy publicity about those efforts -- it persists.

So the Department of Natural Resources is cracking down.

"We're finding bait all across the state," said Ken Soring, acting DNR enforcement chief. "It's behavior that won't be allowed. Hunters will be subject to losing their firearms."

Lloyd Steen, a conservation officer who patrols northern Koochiching and St. Louis counties, hopes to surprise at least a half-dozen hunters this season on lands where he already has found bait. And he expects more cases. He said baiting this year seems to be up from last year.

"It's mind-boggling," he said. "It just doesn't seem to quit. This year, we're trying to send a message: Firearms are going to go. We're serious about it. Apparently a fine isn't enough."

Why bait deer?

The reasons people bait deer remains puzzling. The state's deer population remains at more than 1 million. Minnesota hunters harvested slightly more than 260,000 deer last year, the fourth-highest total ever and the fifth consecutive year the kill exceeded a quarter-million deer. Still, some elect to use bait to improve their odds. Officials say baiting deer violates the hunters' code of "fair chase" and is unethical. Baiting also can concentrate deer, which can help spread diseases in a herd. And baiting can affect others hunting legally.

Baiting deer has been illegal in Minnesota since 1991. Last year, the Legislature clarified the baiting law.

A baiting citation costs about $380. If a hunter has killed a deer over bait, there's an additional $500 restitution. People with two violations within three years also face possible loss of their hunting privileges. Officers always have had the ability to seize weapons for such violations, but this fall that option is being encouraged.

But baiting is legal in some states, such as Texas, and some outdoor TV programs show hunters successfully bagging deer over bait.

Steen noted that a small fraction of deer hunters are baiting, and many hunters are appalled by it.

Fines aren't enough

Officer Paul Kuske patrols the Pierz area in central Minnesota. He's investigating one baiting case involving several deer stands. At other areas that he has checked, bait was removed 10 days before hunting will occur, as required by law.

"I'm seeing more of that, where people are baiting earlier in the fall, and then cleaning it up before the season starts," he said.

He said he intends to start seizing guns of baiting violators.

Kuske would like to see the baiting penalties toughened so that violators would lose their hunting privileges after only one baiting violation.

"If you're really serious about deterring people from baiting, make baiting a one-violation license revocation, and you'll see baiting drop right off the charts," he said.

Mark Johnson, executive director of the 20,000-member Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, said he supports the baiting crackdown.

"It's really sad," he said. "We have to have some standard of ethics. People want instant gratification. They're really missing out on the joy of actually hunting. That's the saddest thing of all."