B&C Position Statement - Baiting

Effective Date: August 1, 2019                         Revised: October 15, 2024

Situational Overview

Baiting is a broad term that refers to the use of natural or unnatural food attractants intentionally placed by hunters to attract wildlife for harvest¹.  Though considered a longstanding and traditional hunting method in some states and provinces, baiting remains misunderstood and controversial. 

Hunting occurs across a broad spectrum of terrain and conditions and requires different public hunting regulations for wildlife agencies to achieve appropriate harvest levels and other management goals across varying localities. As a result, baiting regulations differ from state to state, or even within a state or province, and change as wildlife agencies evaluate and refine conservation objectives for a species.

To determine what hunting methods are legal in a jurisdiction, wildlife agencies consider a variety of factors, including habitat, hunting traditions, opportunity, ethical considerations, and species behavior, balanced against science-based objectives for wildlife population management. For example, baiting helps achieve harvest rates for black bear in habitats where individual animals are very difficult to find and can also aid hunters in discerning the age and sex of an individual prior to harvest to comply with regulations that protect females and cubs. 

A frequent criticism of baiting is that congregation of animals can further the spread of disease. This is a particular concern for white-tailed deer in areas with Chronic Wasting Disease. Another criticism is that baiting violates the principles of Fair Chase® because it gives hunters an unfair advantage over the animal.  

Fair Chase, the code of hunting conduct popularized by the Boone and Crockett Club over a century ago, is defined as “the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the game animals.”  The Club, as an authority on Fair Chase as well as wildlife disease issues, specifically Chronic Wasting Disease, can shed light on these varying perspectives.  

Position

The Boone and Crockett Club supports the authority of wildlife agencies to determine if baiting is legal in their jurisdictions. The Club contends federal and state, provincial, territorial, and tribal agencies are in the best position to assess disease risks, management objectives, and other highly complex factors relevant to baiting to ensure the best outcomes for wildlife and people in their regions.  

Fair Chase is based on a broad conservation ethic that requires hunting to be conducted under appropriate conditions—animals should be taken for legitimate purposes such as food, to attain wildlife agency management goals, and to mitigate property damage. This relies on a definition of “fair” meaning legitimate or appropriate given the circumstances. Where an increased harvest of a particular species needs to occur, or where positive identification of size or sex is a legal requirement, the Club maintains baiting does not violate Fair Chase given the important conservation purposes involved.  

Agency-driven, legal requirements create a clear line to view baiting in the Fair Chase context of serving conservation. The Club’s Records policies follow this clear line, providing that big game trophies taken with the aid of bait are eligible for entry and listing in the Boone and Crockett Club’s Records of North American Big Game program so long as the practice is legal in the state or province where the trophy was taken.

Beyond compliance with legal requirements, Fair Chase also requires a hunter to recognize the advantage of human capabilities and to constrain themselves as necessary to ensure an animal has a reasonable chance of escape. Knowing what improper advantage over an animal means comes from experience, but can also be influenced by local customs, personal ethics, and other factors. For some people, baiting is a local tradition, a part of how they were taught to hunt, or the most efficient way to achieve harvest goals. Others feel baiting will not provide the hunting experience they seek, or does not align with their personal value system for one reason or another. If a person decides baiting is not for them, the Club believes they should still respect another person’s right to legally hunt that way. 

¹ The Club maintains that hunting over or near agricultural fields does not constitute baiting even though wildlife may be easier to find in those locations. Crops that provide food for people, livestock, or to produce other goods, tend to have an ancillary effect of providing food and cover for wildlife. Whether providing mineral licks or planting crops to attract a certain species for hunting purposes (known as food plots) constitutes baiting shall be determined by wildlife agencies.