Wildlife - Waterfowl Hunting and Baiting

The Hunter's Responsibility

As a waterfowl hunter, you are responsible for determining whether your proposed hunting area is baited. Before hunting, you should:

• Familiarize yourself with Federal and State waterfowl hunting regulations.

• Ask the landowner, your host or guide, and your hunting partners if the area has been baited and inspect the area for the presence of bait.
• Suspect the presence of bait if you see waterfowl feeding in a particular area in unusually large concentrations or displaying a lack of caution.
• Look for grain or other feed in the water, along the shore, and on the field. Pay particular attention to the presence of spilled grain on harvested fields and seeds planted by means of top sowing.
• Confirm that scattered seeds or grains on agricultural lands are present solely as the result of a normal agricultural planting, normal agricultural harvesting, normal agricultural post-harvest manipulation, or normal agricultural soil stabilization practice by consulting with the Cooperative Extension Service.
• Abandon the hunting site if you find grain or feed in an area and are uncertain about why it is there.

Other Responsibilities
If you prepare lands for hunting, participate in such preparations, or direct such preparations, it is important for you to know and understand what practices constitute baiting. You should know what activities constitute baiting and when lands or other areas would be considered baited before such areas are hunted. If you bait or direct that an area be baited and allow waterfowl hunting to proceed, you risk being charged with an offense that carries significant penalties.