Mike I would call hunting the trails going to the bait illegal to me anyways. If you put the food source there to purposely hunt over it I consider it illegal.
Bl is correct in how deer react over bait. The deer in a close proximity to the bait are the ones that use it. Deer move 5-10 miles a year depending on time of year but if you had a grain pile out you won't ven get all the deer within a mile of it to feed on it.
CWD is something to think about.