Bear Bait

[big_shooter02]

Has anyone out there ever had to buy donuts and such for bear bait, just wondering how much I should expect to spend. Thanks

[lakeshoremunster]

Try to get things free, its the best way.

If you have to buy things get day old bread from a bakery.

I just save all my scraps that were going to go in the garbage and threw them in the freezer.

There are places that will sell bear bait do a google search for bear bait and you will find some.

Also craig has some things for sale once in a while

[Boar]

What part of the north country are ya in? Striffes in Warroad sells good bait. But Lakeshores right, start hitting the bakeries an grocery stores, I get mine for free but have had to pay before an it was very littel like 5 bucks per bag an big bags but every place is diffeent. Good luck Boar

[Aug_01]

Im new to bear hunting and if I get drawn this year it will be my first time. Ive started collecting bait for the season and have a few questions for some more experienced bear hunters. I have access to a bakery to get old donuts and breads but I also have a friend that owns a resort and he said he would give me all the fish remains from the fish cleaning house. Would it be good to put out the fish guts as an attractant? If so, should I keep it seperate from the other bait like the donuts? How far?

Thanks,

Aug

[Nightcrawler]

fish , that much, you will have tons of flys , skunks and much stink. use a gas mask and bring a barf bag for when the temp gets in the 70-80,s. the bear will not smell the sweet rolls.... if you have to close your truck windows you are parked to clsoe to your bait. sweet rolls smell better, you do like the outdoors. BUT if you insist on on using fish parts, tell your friend to freeze only 10 lb blocks of FRESH parts and store until bear season and you will see if he is a true friend.

[Boar]

Spot on, leave the fish alone, it dose nothing but attract undesirables. Coons skunks fly meanies ravens ect. an you surley dont want ravens cause they will cr ap all over everything an pretty much ruin a site. The best way I know of to open a site that works for me anyway, is to just keep spreading used cooking grease around the site. i like to freeze a bucket full an by the time I get to the site is thawed enough so it jus slides out of the bucket an you have a nice chunk of grease that slowly thaws an scents up the area. Each time you bait spread grease all over the foliage an trees. Grease will get on any animal paws an spread scent trails all over the woods. One more thing I like to do is when I open a site I'l bring in a turkey fryer an heat the grease up hot an boiling while I put up a stand an trim shooting lanes an build a crib ect. The hot grease smell smells like a Mcdonalds in the woods an gets airbourne fast. When i'm done with chores I dumpe the grease over hte crib of logs an doughnuts. Good luck, boar

[Boar]

I shouldnt say dose nothing, it dose atrract bears, but just is to nasty for mea to deal with.

[Aug_01]

Thanks for your input. I think i'll ignore his offer to use the fish cleanings and stick with the tasty donuts!

[lakeshoremunster]

Another thing that I have noticed is that after the drawing, the hunters that did not get drawn will sell their bait online, keep your eye on the c l thing

[jay83196]

Use fish in a bucket with a kid and holes in it along with some liquid smoke and hang from tree brings them in when you start.

[wolfman-k]

Use fish in a bucket with a kid and holes in it along with some liquid smoke and hang from tree brings them in when you start.

I think you mean "Use fish in a bucket with a lid and holes in it along with some liquid smoke------".

Funny how one little keystroke can change a sentence, isn't it? I had visions of a kid holding a bucket of fish for bear bait!

[jay83196]

Yeah it is, thanks I sent that from my phone and was in a hurry.

[HooknHorns]

Can you use a bucket like that? I know you couldnt use barrels. Last year I used a bear scentball but theyre kinda spendy.

[jay83196]

Yes I had mine checked last year and was ok.

[Boar]

Hey Jay could you be more specific, I've read the regs an handbooks from begining to end an never found any info on approved buckets, besides a stand my understanding is that anything this is not "Readiley Biodegradeable" is not allowed at a site in MN.It dosent even specify about cameras which bears love to eat cause the end up smelling like bait. An where would you bring a bucket to be approved? Having a lid on it will not keep a bear from getting to the contents inside. Buckets are just not a good thing at a site as a bear can easily get his pumpkin stuck in one an not get it off. The scent Ball also comes with or without an eyehook for states that dont allow such things at a site, the mesh encasing it is readily biodegradeable. Just when I think I got it figured out along comes something that makes me go Hmmmmm.... I'd like to think I know what I'm doing but maybe i'm being to literal on things. Just never come across info that says otherwise. In that case its my bad. later boar

[fetzeriiif]

Jay

I would also like to know who approved your bucket. As I read the regs, it seems pretty clear that you can't use a bucket. If it's legal, I might use one.

Boar,

I realy don't see a lot of danger of a bear getting their head stuck in a 5 gallon pail. There is no lip to get their head stuck in. I also see them on a lot of the bear hunting shows filming in Canada.

[jay83196]

I called dnr and can only use bucket if your on site. Again didn't mean to give bad info and not clarify earlier. Can only leave bIodagradable items unattended. I was told wrong last year apparently. Now I iota find a new thing to hold my nasty fish slime while I'm not there....

[Boar]

You info was fine, I just get confused easily, an the key word I should know about an remember now is unattended. I surley did'nt mean to sound like I was critizing your info. I Just need to continually brush up on the hand book every year. There gose that funny little keystroke again, blodagradable? Is that when a person can blod something an then be graded on the bloding? He he. Boar

[motley man]

Been hunting them for years and my bait is dog food mixed with restaurant grease. Turkey fryer grease or any used grease mixed with dog food. I buy the cheapest dog food and mix it in at the site in a bucket. I also throw a ice cream pail of it all over the area. Have your friends save all their scraps and grease. Fish has never worked good until they come and eat the maggots, but they don't seem to eat the fish. I us old T-shirts to but hanging baits high in trees so they can't get to them, just for scent. I get anise, and other scents from BEAR SCENTS company for a decent price and spray them around also. Makes good cover scent also to cover the sweating that I do in the hot weather, Don't spray on yourself. Use a coffee can and a smaller can with hole poked in top rim with a strong wire to support it above sterno burner for burning at site. Do not leave any buckets or things that are not biodegradable at site as it will be carried away. Keep it simple and enjoy. If you have never hunted bear they don't make noise when walking and just show up, it's spooky how quiet they are in the woods. Had one 6 feet away and did'nt hear it. I urinate and smoke when baiting near site to get them use to my scent and sweat.

[big_shooter02]

I urinate and smoke when baiting near site to get them use to my scent.

Motley Man- That is funny that your scent consist of urine and smoke. Must be quite the ladies man....

[jay83196]

Motley man thanks! I used dog food last year didn't have much luck with it but I didn't soak it in grease I put grease just on or around my logs. How often did you bait and how much at a time? I can get tons of dog food free so ill try that more with my sweets and meat. I only use fish for scent they didn't eat it or meat until turned nasty and gross then they ate it....yuck, that normal? Any other tips out there?

[motley man]

First time I set-up a bait, I use a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 grease and 1/2 dog food. After it gets hit, I put 1 ice cream pail of dog food and grease and 1 pail of grease thrown around bait area to keep the scent going of fresh food. Baited every 2 days at least, use to bait every day until gas got so high. If you are going to bait for a longer periods put 5 gallon batch out. After season opens I use more grease to throw around when I set that bait, and burn some in a can and throw around also. Never been skunked out of 10 + years of hunting. I normally have 6 bait sites. Bears can only eat 1 food for so long and have to eat other foods to get equal diet, so I keep my baits smaller so they keep coming back and not get to full of my bait. They eat whatever they find, berries, grasses, leaves, bugs, chipmunks, etc. and then my bait. Lets not forget my smell, it seems to be OK after a $*@+, shave and shower.

[jay83196]

Hmmm, I have candy, meat, dog food, nuts and grease honey I try to mix it up I was putting out 3-4 buckets at each station out every 3 days at 3 different stations and got hits most times at all 3 but toward opener they slowed down and then stopped once season opened. I assumed my bears got nailed I was on public land and a lot of pressure. any suggestions how to keep them interested longer or keep them at my station more?

[BeezeHound]

Fish works great for us. Just the stinky liquid though, after its been sitting in a covered bucket out in the sun all summer, mmmm yummmy! The bears is my area love the stink. The best way to keep bear coming back is to feed them something different, switch it up a little bit, keep them interested. My group usually has about 10 or 12 different things to feed the bear. Meat scraps always go on ours no matter what, but then it could be 3 or 4 different things with the meat. Fermented corn, oats, cranberries, hazel nuts, donuts, bread, beaver meat, raspberries, jelly, frosting, blue berries, plums, acorns, you name it we got it. We usually put one 5 gallon pail of meat with bread or donuts and another 5 gallon pail with acorns or hazel nuts mixed with a type of berry and frosting or jelly.

[jay83196]

Do they eat the meat right away or wait until gets green and buggy? How often do You bait?