Baiting/using feed before season starts

[Philippe]

I know in my state i am allowed to set out feed up to 10 days before season begins. Do any of you guys use and specific methods similar or plant any special food plots?

[Tuttle]

It is illegal to bait turkeys here in KY but legal to bait deer in the fall.  Judging from the amount of raccoons and turkeys that I feed in the fall, I'd use corn!!!!

[bird]

Oh I think I feel a headache coming on.

[TauntoHawk]

Never baited before but...
One of the farms I hunt in NY got flooded bad in the fall by a Hurricane. Farms fields were standing water and had to claim everything as waste. ended up plowing 80 acres of standing corn right into the ground mid winter.

Even with the mild temps the winter flock is up over 100 birds everyday out in those fields... The corn should be more than gone come May, I imagine there will be more than a few fat happy birds hangin around those hills. 

[chatterbox]

Oh I think I feel a headache coming on.

Need some Excedrin?

[bigthunderchicken]

scratch feed is the best

[Gobble Nole]

It is legal in Florida to put out corn for deer and the turkeys eat it as well.  They only feed around the feeders for a brief period so I really look at it more as a supplement to a regular diet.  I have used the feeders to get some cool pictures, I just don't hunt around them. 

BTW, I wouldn't use scratch feed because it attracts and holds moisture much worse than whole kernel corn.  The turkeys will not eat it after it gets wet.

[Footballer]

scratch feed is the best

X2. Cracked corn lasts 10x longer than whole corn. I drive around and throw some out in my fields and along the road. Once they find it, they won't leave.

[bigthunderchicken]

i have turkeys in a pen that love it wet dry or growing

[jakebird]

When i was younger we would sometimes put out scratch to hold them on our property spring and fall, but it was always gone well before season as reqd by state law. But the desired effect was getting them accustomed to roaming a bit less and sticking in the general area. Keep in mind turkey numbers were substantially lower at the time. These days i dont see a need for that practice as turkey numbers are very high everywhere i hunt and it aint hard to find them on any given day. Winter supplemental feeding may be a good practice at times but this yr was so mild it def wasnt needed here. For a few years i put out a supplement called flockraiser by purina that helps hens get prime nutrition for nesting. Seemed to help recruitment, or may have been coincidental with favorable hatch conditions anyhow.

[Philippe]

That's alot of good info guys, i know i will have to battle the deer to keep the corn around long enough for the birds to realize it is there. I won't be able to check it this weekend but i will next week and see if i need to drop more out. As far as crops, it seems like the birds around here like the bean fields, any reason why?

[CntrlPA]

There's enough natural feed out there that supplemental is not needed. The birds will be on a pattern. Learn their pattern and it will make you a much better hunter than baiting them in.