bears gone

[camando56]

So I put bait out the first weekend we could and 45 min after i left the bears hit it and pretty much kept hitting it all day long for the next week. The next weekend we rebaited did everything the same. My dad just got back today, wednesday, from rebaiting them to keep it fresh and it was never even touched. Couple pictures of squirels is all. What would cause the bears to hit real hard for a week and then just disappear? I have been bear hunting for four years now and never had this problem.

[cherokee]

It's happened to us before. New food source, acorns, another baiter. Sick of what you are feeding it. Maybe your bait ran out and it took off to find another source. Who knows.

[Matt Breuer]

Three things will turn a bear in my opinion... Oats, acorns, and better baits near by.

We were getting annihilated at first, then had a 3 day lull when it was 90 degrees and windy as all heck. Now we're back on track. With the warmth comes sluggush non-hungry bears, and with the high winds comes acorns.

[Archerysniper]

Don't forget another person bleaching or messing with your bait it sucks but some people don't want other baits in thier area.

[hookset]

I live by Park Rapids and the acorns are dropping like rain. the drop is about 3 weeks earlier then normal. i feel bad for you baiters this year. i think it will be tough till the acorns are gone.

joe

[Archerysniper]

I live by Park Rapids and the acorns are dropping like rain. the drop is about 3 weeks earlier then normal. i feel bad for you baiters this year. i think it will be tough till the acorns are gone.

joe

I was just out in the woods and noticed that the whites have started dropping down here also.

[PEATMOSS]

Lots of reasons that this could have happened, but I'd suggest at least freshening it up now and then. Bears can and will travel great distances and you never know when they'll be back.

[pulleye16]

Don't forget another person bleaching or messing with your bait it sucks but some people don't want other baits in thier area.

Come on....does this really happen? This has got to be some stupid myth. I can't imagine another hunter doing this to someone. I'd love to hear actually case of this.

[harvey lee]

Don't kid yourself, some will do that to pull your bears away.

[CANOPY SAM]

I can't verify the bleaching, but I do know people have done other inappropriate stuff to my stations. That's one of the reasons I quit baiting. It's so much work just to have someone else come along and ruin it for you. Course I never had my own land.

See if you can figure out an area with concentrated oak trees. Try and follow the bear to the acorns - if possible.

[Matt Breuer]

I baited non-stop for guests quite a few years ago, only to have some people from out of twon show up 3 days prior to opener and cut me off on two stations. They both put down their bears on opening day. Luckily we had multiple bears coming from multiple angles in the one station, and our guest was able to contact a bear. The other fella wasn't so lucky, we had to move him off to another station, where we had smaller bears coming in. We never got the big bruin back to that site that year, so I'm assuming he was taken by the guys who cut us off.

I HATE public land for bear...

[motley man]

I hunt in a area that can have many hunters and if there are many bait stations close they feed off all of them and go lay up for days. Hot weather will slow them down, but keep baiting with smaller amount [ice cream pail of grease and 1 of food. When I set on a bait I take 1 pail and bait and throw grease around. I also spray trees with liquid scent and rub peanut butter on them. Then I take the pails up tree with me and hang them up so they don't tear them up, left them on ground once and they played with them and chewed them up.

[Bigtom]

Thats to bad that people have to be like that and can not respect other hunters. I always thought that when you posted your baiting sign it's like a free hunting with out all the work and gas money to bait.

[cherokee]

Well three of the 4 pits are getting hit. The one that isn't had the camera stole from it. I think someone did something to the bait, saw the camera and cut the tree down to get the camera. Just prior to this two other hunters moved in and set up a bait station a couple hundred yards away. Coincidence?

There are some really low, poor excuses for life out there.

[kelly-p]

2 camaras by the bait works well. One taking pictures of bears on the bait and one hidden taking pictures of anyone messing with the bait or other camara. It's interseting to watch them squirm and stutter when you give them the pictures of them messing with your bait.

[Nightcrawler]

i have two dudes from south of here that come up here weekends that insist on going through my bait station to their (new )hunting grounds. talked to them and they say they are not moving. after their second trip through now (week) the skunks and coons don't even want my bait. go figure. was my south wind stand, taken 4 bear over the years there.

[bogwalker]

I agree. I would be looking for other baits set up anywhere around your area. Get'em!

[cherokee]

To make things worse, my car parked in my driveway was broke into last Wednesday. Nothing of value taken but to have the camera stolen tops it.

[bogwalker]

This is starting to sound like the beginning of a Charles Bronson movie.

[Boar]

Maybe we need to give chuck norris a call. Sorry to hear about all teh troubles. Boar

[camando56]

Thanks guys for the input. Checked the baits again this weekend and still nothing. Not even a single pic on the one that was getting hammered. The other one the coons love but bears are just not coming. Im in a big oak flat so i would think the bears would stop in once in a while out of curiousity. Neighbors just started baiting on Sunday so hopefully that might bring them to the area. Crossing my fingers.

[bogwalker]

camando56, Do you put grease or scent around your crib? Coons will carry the scent far and wide. No free lunch, put them to work.

[camando56]

Bogwalker, Yea I put grease all over my bread and scent all around also. Hopefully they just took a week off and we can wack some on the opener.

[bogwalker]

Good luck.

[cherokee]

Good luck to all.