# Is granola a grain?



## SWMbruiser (Jan 25, 2012)

Am I limited in amount of granola I can place? Seems like a grey area. What about berry granola? Seems like it would be considered commercially processed and therefore no limits?


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

No limits I'm aware of.


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## BVW (Jul 25, 2002)

As long as it's "processed" or cooked it's good to go. I asked the dnr about popcorn .. since its cooked/popped in oil it's considered processed. Limited to 2 gallons of raw grains like oats and other grains. no doubt there is a lot of grey areas when it comes to stuff being processed or not. Always good to contact a CO in your baiting area and ask.


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## Bearboy (Feb 4, 2009)

It's not considered grain as was previously mentioned ...processed. If you are covering it up ( hollow stumps are best ) deer won't eat it. Deer eat some bear baits... I have witnessed deer eating bear bait but never had a deer on my camera in my bait...sloppy baiting targets lots of animals.


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## SWMbruiser (Jan 25, 2012)

Thanks


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Bearboy said:


> It's not considered grain as was previously mentioned ...processed. If you are covering it up ( hollow stumps are best ) deer won't eat it. Deer eat some bear baits... I have witnessed deer eating bear bait but never had a deer on my camera in my bait...sloppy baiting targets lots of animals.


I had a doe eat donuts 2-3 times a day one year. I had hundreds of pictures of her. We used donuts and muffins. Eventually she even pawed and moved logs to get at them.


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## Bearboy (Feb 4, 2009)

If a deer can move your "logs" you need to protect your bait better. Hollow stumps.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

Bearboy said:


> If a deer can move your "logs" you need to protect your bait better. Hollow stumps.


Yeah. I have used hollow stumps and plan on using them this yr. This spot in particular was an outlying spot that we wanted to try. I thought it was good spot that never really produced. It was a last minute location that didn't have a lot of good material to use and we didn't spend a lot of time settingnit up. This doe moved a couple logs that we used.


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## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

Surprising what those hyper-active goats will eat. One winter there was what I took to be an orphaned fawn that never left for the deer yard. One day my wife saw it over with one of my Plott dog's. Apparently it was starved for companionship. I told my wife it was probably not a good idea to feed the fawn figuring if it was hanging around the coyotes would likely make a meal of it. She looked kin dof sheepish when I said that....and told me she had been feeding it.
Asked what she fed the fawn. She said left over hamburger. She said the fawn ate it.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Granola has oats, right? The only part about commercially processed is in the bakery/confectionary section of legal baits. I figured this was covering things like whole grain bread. So maybe granola would be the same thing?

I am just reading it differently I guess. I figured it was illegal in areas that you can't bait deer.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

sureshot006 said:


> Granola has oats, right? The only part about commercially processed is in the bakery/confectionary section of legal baits. I figured this was covering things like whole grain bread. So maybe granola would be the same thing?
> 
> I am just reading it differently I guess. I figured it was illegal in areas that you can't bait deer.


Granola is rolled oats and nuts toasted/baked with sweeteners like honey or brown sugar usually. Even if it doesn't have a sweetener it is usually toasted to make it crunchy. Some granola has puffed rice too.

If you were putting raw oats on the ground I would think you would have to follow deer baiting rules. Granola is not raw oats.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

DirtySteve said:


> Granola is rolled oats and nuts toasted/baked with sweeteners like honey or brown sugar usually. Even if it doesn't have a sweetener it is usually toasted to make it crunchy. Some granola has puffed rice too.
> 
> If you were putting raw oats on the ground I would think you would have to follow deer baiting rules. Granola is not raw oats.


Yeah, I know what you mean. Like the OP, it seemed like a grey area to me. Deer would definitely eat toasted rolled oats and I wasn't sure if the digest was referring to strictly confectionary stuff when it says commercially processed, or if it would include things like granola. Almost seemed like the bullet points in that section were calling out certain types of bait.

Good to hear it can be used without limit. I bought some last year and then never put it out because after reading the guide again I wasn't totally sure.


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## FullQuiver (May 2, 2006)

I have watched deer go bonkers over granola they will really eat it at times.. I have seen deer eat all kinds of sweet things..


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Do a search on here and you will find threads where CO's have told guys granola is legal to use where deer baiting is banned, and you will find other CO's saying it is NOT legal. Would be great if there was clarification, but seems it is up to the individual CO at this point?


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

sureshot006 said:


> Do a search on here and you will find threads where CO's have told guys granola is legal to use where deer baiting is banned, and you will find other CO's saying it is NOT legal. Would be great if there was clarification, but seems it is up to the individual CO at this point?


I haven't seen a CO say it wasn't legal on this site. I have seen plenty of people say it isn't legal or I was told it wasnt....nothing personal to anyone that says that but I pay no attention. You see all kinds of bad info on here and it is impossible know who is being honest.

The granola I am using is processed. It has been baked with cinnamon and some sort of a sweetener. It also has lots of flax seed mixed in. If that doesn't qualify under the rules the way they are written I will gladly take my ticket and have my day in court. What I am feeding the bears is far healthier than any donut or muffin in their diet. I have had a deer eat donuts twice a day for a week.


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

DirtySteve said:


> I haven't seen a CO say it wasn't legal on this site. I have seen plenty of people say it isn't legal or I was told it wasnt....nothing personal to anyone that says that but I pay no attention. You see all kinds of bad info on here and it is impossible know who is being honest.
> 
> The granola I am using is processed. It has been baked with cinnamon and some sort of a sweetener. It also has lots of flax seed mixed in. If that doesn't qualify under the rules the way they are written I will gladly take my ticket and have my day in court. What I am feeding the bears is far healthier than any donut or muffin in their diet. I have had a deer eat donuts twice a day for a week.


I think you'll be fine.

Good luck!


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

DirtySteve said:


> I haven't seen a CO say it wasn't legal on this site. I have seen plenty of people say it isn't legal or I was told it wasnt....nothing personal to anyone that says that but I pay no attention. You see all kinds of bad info on here and it is impossible know who is being honest.
> 
> The granola I am using is processed. It has been baked with cinnamon and some sort of a sweetener. It also has lots of flax seed mixed in. If that doesn't qualify under the rules the way they are written I will gladly take my ticket and have my day in court. What I am feeding the bears is far healthier than any donut or muffin in their diet. I have had a deer eat donuts twice a day for a week.


https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/threads/bear-bait.294175/page-3#post-2760846

I didn't just make stuff up. Like originally mentioned, it seems to be a grey area. Ask 2 DNR and you might get 2 different answers. By the thread I referenced it appeared no final determination had been made. I thought I had seen a different thread with a CO from this site but didn't take the time to read through everything.

Legal or not its not worth any chance to me, personally. Not worth the potential hassle and ruining of my hunt after 7 years of applications.

I have some pretty funny pics of deer with donuts. One is chowing down on a jelly filled donut with jelly dripping down its chin. They certainly do enjoy it.


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## cotote wacker (Jun 12, 2012)

sureshot006 said:


> https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/threads/bear-bait.294175/page-3#post-2760846
> 
> I didn't just make stuff up. Like originally mentioned, it seems to be a grey area. Ask 2 DNR and you might get 2 different answers. By the thread I referenced it appeared no final determination had been made. I thought I had seen a different thread with a CO from this site but didn't take the time to read through everything.
> 
> ...


*Definition of Grains......*
small, hard, dry seeds, with or without attached hulls or fruit layers, harvested for human or animal consumption

Definition of Processed....
to treat or prepare by some particular series of actions, as in manufacturing...perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it....

Oats...if they have been rolled....its been processed.....
Corn...pop it....its been processed....
Wheat....grind it in to flour....its been processed.....

Unless you have done or suspected of doing something by a DNR officer..why would you worry about braking a law that not even a law....


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

cotote wacker said:


> *Definition of Grains......*
> small, hard, dry seeds, with or without attached hulls or fruit layers, harvested for human or animal consumption
> 
> Definition of Processed....
> ...


I have read the regulations many times. As did the OP.

Here's another thread on the topic and an explanation of the "grey areas". https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/...ontaining-grain-question.299077/#post-2799269

ONCE AGAIN... There are apparently varying interpretations of this within the DNR. It is evident by the answers to inquiries from discussiona with them. Some say illegal. Some say legal. Apparently, they don't know the law themselves sometimes. For myself, I just won't bother even though I do believe factory produced granola is legal. Just like the ban on chocolate, not using granola will not affect success. The last thread like this got locked so please have the last word.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

sureshot006 said:


> https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/threads/bear-bait.294175/page-3#post-2760846
> 
> I didn't just make stuff up. Like originally mentioned, it seems to be a grey area. Ask 2 DNR and you might get 2 different answers. By the thread I referenced it appeared no final determination had been made. I thought I had seen a different thread with a CO from this site but didn't take the time to read through everything.
> 
> ...



These threads are almost a decade old. As with most laws and issues they evolve over time and questions have to be answered and clarified. A perfect example is the turkey reaping tactic that was discussed this past year in the turkey forum. You would get a different answer from different co's on that one. Then the dnr finally got together and made a statement this past yr as the legality of reaping based on how the law is currently written. They also stated they may change the wording this year.

I am fairly certain that this topic has been beaten to death over the last 8 yrs and sorted out. Do you have an example of someone who was ticketed for using commercially produced granola?


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