# Anyone heard of attracting ducks with sweet taters??



## Bowhunter38

Someone just told me this week about attracting ducks to my pond with chopped up sweet potatoes. Is this a load of crap or does it work?


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## Hairy Dawg

Very likely. Corn will do the same thing though.


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## DUhollywood1

why dont you try it and let us know the outcome.


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## drake2215

Bowhunter38 said:


> Someone just told me this week about attracting ducks to my pond with chopped up sweet potatoes. Is this a load of crap or does it work?



If it dont work im sure it will smell like a load of crap


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## Hunter22

One my buddies swears by it. He said take a burlap sack with em and pour some molasses in there and tie it up and let it soak in water for a few days then put it out. Havent tried it yet though.


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## Larry Young Jr

Find a pin oak and rake up some pin acorns and throw them in your pond. Ducks really like them. Sweet Pototes not know, new one on me.
Good luck and besafe
Larry


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## drdarby45

Thats weird you said that.... I just heard that for the first time today, the fella told me he cuts them up into chunks.


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## macdog82881

Whether it works or not, baiting for waterfowl is ILLEGEL!!!


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## HALOJmpr

macdog82881 said:


> Whether it works or not, baiting for waterfowl is ILLEGEL!!!



How is baiting Illegal????  It's would only be illegal to hunt over bait .... it's not illegal to attract ducks to a pond though.  What if he's a wildlife photographer who is just creating photo opportunities?


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## macdog82881

HALOJmpr said:


> How is baiting Illegal????  It's would only be illegal to hunt over bait .... it's not illegal to attract ducks to a pond though.  What if he's a wildlife photographer who is just creating photo opportunities?



Its called enticing wildlife, read your regs, before you run your mouth!!!


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## Hairy Dawg

macdog82881 said:


> Its called enticing wildlife, read your regs, before you run your mouth!!!



I'm not sure where enticing wildlife is covered in the regs.  Maybe I'm missing something, but the only illegal activities addressed by state and federal regulations are dealing with hunting over baited areas. I could not find where it said that the act of baiting is illegal.

State of Georgia

UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES
• Importation of any whole cervid (deer species) carcass or cervid
carcass part from any state having a documented case of a cervid
infected with CWD, except that the following may be imported:
1) boned-out meat; 2) commercially processed cuts of meat;
3) meat with no part of spinal column or head attached; 4) clean
skull plates w/antlers attached; 5) clean antlers; 6) finished taxidermy
heads; 7) clean upper canines (buglers, whistlers, ivories).
• Hunting while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Use of any pitfall, deadfall, snare, catch, trap, net, exposed salt or
minerals, live decoy, or baited hook to take game species.
• Hunting within 200 yards of bait unless bait has been completely
removed for 10 days.
• Hunting within sight of bait, regardless of distance.
• Hunting or shooting from or across a public road.
• Discharging a firearm within 50 yards of a public road.
• Hunting from a vehicle, plane, or boat under power.
• Hunting without landowners’ permission, including power line,
gas line, railroad and other rights-of-way. Written permission
must be obtained if land is so posted.
• Use of drugs, poisons, chemicals, smoke, gas, or explosives, or
electronically-amplified sounds to hunt any game species.
• Use of electronic communications equipment to aid in the pursuit
of game.
• Use of a computer or any other device to remotely discharge a
firearm for the purpose of hunting.
• Selling or purchasing any game species or parts thereof, except
antlers, hides, and tails of legally taken deer, tails of legally taken
squirrels, and legally taken alligator products.
• Disturbing wildlife dens, holes, or homes, or driving wildlife,
except venomous snakes, from their dens, holes, or homes.
• Blinding wildlife with lights.
• Killing or crippling game without reasonable efforts to retrieve.
• Holding, possessing, releasing, or importing wildlife without a
permit from the DNR.
• Concealing the taking or possession of wildlife (or parts) which
the person in possession reasonably should have known was obtained
illegally.



Federal Restrictions

(i) By the aid of baiting, or on or over
any baited area, where a person knows
or reasonably should know that the
area is or has been baited. However,
nothing in this paragraph prohibits:
(1) the taking of any migratory game
bird, including waterfowl, coots, and
cranes, on or over the following lands
or areas that are not otherwise baited
areas—
(i) Standing crops or flooded standing
crops (including aquatics); standing,
flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation;
flooded harvested croplands; or
lands or areas where seeds or grains
have been scattered solely as the result
VerDate 11<MAY>2000 12:29 Dec 14, 2001 Jkt 194207 PO 00000 Frm 00938 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Y:\SGML\194207T.XXX pfrm09 PsN: 194207T
939
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv., Interior § 20.26
of a normal agricultural planting, harvesting,
post-harvest manipulation or
normal soil stabilization practice;
(ii) From a blind or other place of
concealment camouflaged with natural
vegetation;
(iii) From a blind or other place of
concealment camouflaged with vegetation
from agricultural crops, as long as
such camouflaging does not result in
the exposing, depositing, distributing
or scattering of grain or other feed; or
(iv) Standing or flooded standing agricultural
crops where grain is inadvertently
scattered solely as a result of
a hunter entering or exiting a hunting
area, placing decoys, or retrieving
downed birds.
(2) The taking of any migratory game
bird, except waterfowl, coots and
cranes, on or over lands or areas that
are not otherwise baited areas, and
where grain or other feed has been distributed
or scattered solely as the result
of manipulation of an agricultural
crop or other feed on the land where
grown, or solely as the result of a normal
agricultural operation.




Federal Definitions

(j) Baited area means any area on
which salt, grain, or other feed has
been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed,
or scattered, if that salt,
grain, or other feed could serve as a
lure or attraction for migratory game
birds to, on, or over areas where hunters
are attempting to take them. Any
such area will remain a baited area for
ten days following the complete removal
of all such salt, grain, or other
feed.
(k) Baiting means the direct or indirect
placing, exposing, depositing, distributing,
or scattering of salt, grain,
or other feed that could serve as a lure
or attraction for migratory game birds
to, on, or over any areas where hunters
are attempting to take them.
(l) Manipulation means the alteration
of natural vegetation or agricultural
crops by activities that include but are
not limited to mowing, shredding,
discing, rolling, chopping, trampling,
flattening, burning, or herbicide treatments.
The term manipulation does not
include the distributing or scattering
of grain, seed, or other feed after removal
from or storage on the field
where grown.
(m) Natural vegetation means any
non-agricultural, native, or naturalized
plant species that grows at a site in response
to planting or from existing
seeds or other propagules. The term
natural vegetation does not include
planted millet. However, planted millet
that grows on its own in subsequent
years after the year of planting is considered
natural vegetation


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## fountain

Its like this...don't ask on here cause all u gonna get is crap from the GA duck commander association that are all drama.  Do what u want on your place and don't worry bout asking here.  Since looking in here.  all I have seen  is a bunch of drama queens that the rest of the forums talk about.  No wonder so many are banned from this section.  Very few questions are answered and rarely a few will offer help.  Thanks to those that do and don't yell " go scout" everytime somebody asks a question.


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## SHMELTON

Go Scout!


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## bkl021475

SHMELTON said:


> Go Scout!



Dang it man!


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## Twenty five ought six

I lived in SE Ga many years ago, before corn became all the rage.

Chopped up sweet potatoes were the enticement of choice among the "production hunters".  They favored sweet potatoes over corn because the potatoes could be put in shallow water and would turn black after a day or two, making their presence virtually detectable.


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## Bowhunter38

Yeah macdog, I don't even duck hunt. I like watchin em when I deer hunt near my pond. So it would be nice to know wats going on before you run ur mouth and mess up my thread. Oh yeah and you my want to read the reg book for yourself since you obviosly don't know wats in it.


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## MarkandCommit

I tryed this sweet potato thing last year. They would not touch it while it was next to the corn This was at a pond where an old lady like to watch her ducks so no I dont think it works


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## HALOJmpr

macdog82881 said:


> Its called enticing wildlife, read your regs, before you run your mouth!!!




I'll sit here and wait patiently for you to find that and post it for me and the rest of us.  While I'm waiting I'll make sure that I round up a couple of DNR agents and we can start ticketing the families feeding ducks and wildlife in city parks.  We're gonna need a lot more paper for the number of bird feeders sold every year!!!!  Even if it exists somewhere I'll be waiting even more patiently for you to find anyone who would ticket someone for "enticing" dick to congregate on their pond for wildlife viewing and not hunting.


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## HALOJmpr

fountain said:


> Its like this...don't ask on here cause all u gonna get is crap from the GA duck commander association that are all drama.  Do what u want on your place and don't worry bout asking here.  Since looking in here.  all I have seen  is a bunch of drama queens that the rest of the forums talk about.  No wonder so many are banned from this section.  Very few questions are answered and rarely a few will offer help.  Thanks to those that do and don't yell " go scout" everytime somebody asks a question.




Back to the topic as TJ suggests.  I haven't ever done the sweet potatoes but have heard the same thing.  I actually am going to scout a small private pond tomorrow and if it's not currently holding birds we'll just do a test and I'll report back on the success


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## Core Lokt

There are some old timer duck hunters in my area that don't hunt any longer (aren't able to) that swear by it. They also say after a few days they will turn black and look like rotting vegitation and hard to spot by the GW. I have never tried it.


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## Larry Young Jr

He said, that he wanted to attract ducks to his pond. he didnt ask abouting baiting  his pond. I am sure he knows about baiting and hunting over bait. His questions as been change into debate on baiting and do what ever you want too as Fountian said.  There is NO Law saying you cant attracting wildlife to your porptery. 
 So if you want to debate baiting and how to hide bait from GW start your own Thread .
Good luck and besafe
Larry

PS. Mr. Fountain sounds like you need to go scouting for a new forum, because your not happy with this one. You wil not like Ga waterfowler neither. They dont believe in internet scouting.


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## Brushcreek

macdog82881 said:


> Its called enticing wildlife, read your regs, before you run your mouth!!!



wrong...maybe you should go read the regs


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## rhodes31072

I have used them to sweeten the pond in my backyard to see what ducks were around.  I chopped them up and scattered them around the edge.  I never hunt this pond, so I wasn't worried about the legality of it.  It works.


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## gsp754

how many sweet potatoes would it take to change the chemistry or get past the dilution of even a small pond? i could be wrong but it seems like it would take a couple thousand pounds of "taters" for them to even find it or be attracted. Im assuming it is supposed to work like molasses.


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## Hunter22

gsp754 said:


> how many sweet potatoes would it take to change the chemistry or get past the dilution of even a small pond? i could be wrong but it seems like it would take a couple thousand pounds of "taters" for them to even find it or be attracted. Im assuming it is supposed to work like molasses.



My buddy does it off season and puts molasses in there with the sweet taters. He swears by it.


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## buckhunter3987

macdog82881 said:


> Its called enticing wildlife, read your regs, before you run your mouth!!!



So all the Grannies, and 8 year olds on Sinclair should be ticketed? That oughta boost DNR revenues ten fold.


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