# not your normal baiting question



## Quail man (Nov 9, 2012)

ive read that when you bait with sweet patatoes they ferment and cause a oil slick that attracts ducks. personally never tried it, always heard they looked like watermellons from the sky. my question is, wouldnt my smartweed and jap millet i planted in the summer start fermenting too now that i flooded it? this is a serious question


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## deast1988 (Nov 10, 2012)

When we put it out we did 80lbs and processed it. So it was millions on orange slivers for a few days then it just disappeared. As for ducks green wings were all over it nothing else. We did it during the split. Not sure how much it helped or hurt!


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## labradoodle (Nov 10, 2012)

eyez gotz diz drank in my duck


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## across the river (Nov 10, 2012)

Quail man said:


> ive read that when you bait with sweet patatoes they ferment and cause a oil slick that attracts ducks. personally never tried it, always heard they looked like watermellons from the sky. my question is, wouldnt my smartweed and jap millet i planted in the summer start fermenting too now that i flooded it? this is a serious question



I have never heard of ducks eating an oil from sweet potatoes. Fermenting turns sugar into ethanol and CO2,so I'm not sure what the oil would be.  I know sweet potatoes are banned from being used for baiting deer in LA because they can apparently produce some chemical as they rot that can be harmful to animals.  I don't know if that is what they were talking about.  As far as seeds go, they aren't going to ferment if flooded for a couple reason.   One, the seed coat protects them, and it is the starchy part inside that would ferment. Secondly, seeds are more starchy than sugary so you need yeast, temperature, and some other things to ferment seeds (ask the beer brewing guys).  Anyway, you aren't going to get a bunch of alcohol in the pond,which is good because they had rather eat the seed.


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## deast1988 (Nov 10, 2012)

We did it at the recommendation of LA guy. Teal were in it nothing else was noticeable. We did it once seemed like a waste to dried molasses. So we kinda play with it during the split tryin to hold the birds. We never do it during season. Too risky DNR burns you good for a single kernel. Not Worth It!!!


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## Hooked On Quack (Nov 10, 2012)

across the river said:


> I have never heard of ducks eating an oil from sweet potatoes. Fermenting turns sugar into ethanol and CO2,so I'm not sure what the oil would be.  I know sweet potatoes are banned from being used for baiting deer in LA because they can apparently produce some chemical as they rot that can be harmful to animals.  I don't know if that is what they were talking about.  As far as seeds go, they aren't going to ferment if flooded for a couple reason.   One, the seed coat protects them, and it is the starchy part inside that would ferment. Secondly, seeds are more starchy than sugary so you need yeast, temperature, and some other things to ferment seeds (ask the beer brewing guys).  Anyway, you aren't going to get a bunch of alcohol in the pond,which is good because they had rather eat the seed.




They don't "eat" the oil, they preen their feathers with it.


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## Quail man (Nov 10, 2012)

thanks, never thought about the proccessor , do ducks like things that are fermented, just curious if thats why guys put yeast in ponds for ducks


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## Jamie Brett Jr. (Nov 17, 2012)

You can let oats sour in a bucket then submerge it, never done it but ive heard it'll pull a few in


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