there is knowledge.. they wont bite everything you throw at them, not even from every direction. meaning, you still have to figure out WHICH piles have fish, WHICH bait they want, and WHICH way they want it... there still a lot of time involved in fishing piles. One reason i dont spend a lot of time bass fishing them anymore. I cant stand sitting in one spot for hours trying to figure them out or waiting for them to "turn on" and bite.

I won't get into legalities or ethics, but what I will give is my opinion in the form of an analogy.....

Two deer hunters plan to hunt the same tract of land. A couple of weekends before the hunt, both hunters scout the land and form their individual plan.

Hunter "A" finds tracks in many places, but keys in on a natural choke point between an open grazing field and a bedding area. He notices fresh droppings and other signs. He plans to start his hunt in this area.

Hunter "B" also finds tracks and droppings. He sets up an automatic feeder in the middle of a trail.

Next weekend, the weekend before the hunt, both hunters re-visit the areas they had scouted.

Hunter "A" notices that there are still fresh droppings and tracks at the choke point. There are fresh breaks on some twigs. He finds random deer hair on the thickets. He also notices that one of the hoof prints is heavier than the rest. He is confident he has picked the right area.

Hunter "B" re-fills his feeder and checks his Game camera. He notices that a 10 Point Buck has been visiting the feeder right after sunrise. He is confident he has placed his feeder in the right area.

The weekend of the hunt, both hunters are in their respective spots right before sunrise.

Hunter "A" is set-up at a vantage point overlooking the natural choke point.

Hunter "B" is set-up at a vantage point overlooking his feeder.

Sunrise.....both hunters are rewarded for their efforts. Both hunters kill identical 10 point Bucks. Now, under the above circumstances, WHO IS THE BETTER HUNTER?

i dont agree at all....just because you have a deer feeder doesn't mean you just show up and kill a book deer every year...just because someone puts out a few brushpiles doesn't mean they are gonna show up every tournament and pull 20 pounds off of em...

I get a kick out of folks who say hunting over feeders isn't fair, then locate their stands on corn fields, bean fields, etc. Absolutely no difference, IMO.

so are you guys gonna tell me that if your fancy side imaging unit stumbles upon someones brushpile your pride will kick in and you aren't gonna fish it? don't make me call bs on you...
makes no difference who or how the brushpile got there if you fish it you're no better than the guy who put it there...

so are you guys gonna tell me that if your fancy side imaging unit stumbles upon someones brushpile your pride will kick in and you aren't gonna fish it? don't make me call bs on you...
makes no difference who or how the brushpile got there if you fish it you're no better than the guy who put it there...

I have my own opinion, in a way I think its a smart way to catch fish, but when you use it for tournaments, are you really applying your own skills and knowledge to find structure through your electronics to find fish, or do you believe that is cheating? I personally believe it might be a cheating way..i might be wrong...