Bear baiting questions

[outdoorsmanwilly]

Hi everyone this will be my first year bear hunting and I have a few questions like what are some of the better bear baits to use? When using logs to cover bait is there a good average size to use or just anything laying around? ( I'm on private land so can cut whatever I want.) And should I start baiting on the 16th or is it ok/ better to wait until slightly closer to season so they aren't getting bored and sick of the baits I use?

Thanks

Will

[leech~~]

How much land do you have to hunt by yourself?

[jerkbait]

The bigger the log the better. Makes it tuffer for the coons to get it the bait then.

[motley man]

I use dog food and old cooking grease that I get from restaurants. 1/2 of a 5 gallon pail is plenty for each bait pile. I also throw a ice cream pail of grease all over the area. Large jar of peanut butter I use to smear on trees. I save all food scraps at home and have friends save stuff for me also and I pick it up from them often so they don't have to keep it around. Freeze it in blocks if you have room and it stays fresh. Start baiting right away, but don't over bait or they will move on to other area's. If you can bait every 2 or 3 days is great, and right before season keep it fresh and add different foods and scents. Trail cams work great to see what's hitting your pile. I have seen wolves, badger, coon, fisher, bobcat, and all sorts of critters come to get food.

[mntatonka]

gummy bears. They have an extremely strong smell and getting rained on doesn't ruin them the way it does with most other foods. Not to mention the bears can only grab a little bit at a time and have to keep coming back. We had a couple big barrels of gummy bears a few years back, and they worked wonders. I wish we had some left!

[CANOPY SAM]

Might be a toughy this year? At least up here in the NW the wild food available is just thick.

Raspberries are big and plentiful, blueberries are likely the heaviest crop we've seen in decades, mushrooms, hazelnuts, acorns, everything is abundant.

Not to mention what appears to be bumper crops in the fields. Corn is everywhere, and small grains and beans are looking really good.

With the cooler weather we've been having of late, when you do get one in on your station it should be fat and healthy, and perhaps even have a little thicker more full cape this year?

I think it would be smart to start baiting right away when the season begins. You want your area bears to know where your station is. Even if they do disappear for a few days at least they know where your station is, and they'll likely swing around again from time to time.

Holding em' is gonna be the tough part this year, with so much natural forage available.

Best of luck to ya' Willy! Hope you get a giant!

[outdoorsmanwilly]

Thanks for the info guys. Leech we own 40 acres but have about 300 that we can hunt on and its my brother and me. I think I'll give the gummies and then maybe some dog food with fryer oil on it too! I'm guessing its a bit late to start on food scrapes for this year but next year I'll make sure to save them.

mntatonka- if your looking for a place to get some gummies http://lucky7bearbait.com/Single_Inventory.html they have them in 55 gallon drums and seem reasonable price wise.

[leech~~]

Thanks for the info guys. Leech we own 40 acres but have about 300 that we can hunt on and its my brother and me. I think I'll give the gummies and then maybe some dog food with fryer oil on it too! I'm guessing its a bit late to start on food scrapes for this year but next year I'll make sure to save them.

mntatonka- if your looking for a place to get some gummies http://lucky7bearbait.com/Single_Inventory.html they have them in 55 gallon drums and seem reasonable price wise.

40 is not a lot, but 340 would be better. Try and scope out the land you have and all the land around it as far as you can to see where they maybe coming from. Look for swamps and heavy cover on lands around you if you don't have any yourself and setup on the edge of the thick stuff. I like thick swamps the best. You may have others baiting around you so you want to get as close to where the bears live as you can. You two need to get as spread out as far as you can from each other so your not pulling in the same bears. Make a nice grease slick around the outside of your bait so the bears that do come in can bring that scent out to other bears everywhere they go. Have fun!

[outdoorsmanwilly]

Thanks for the info leech we have very heavy brush and tamarack swamps around us so we are planning on hunting the edges of them. We have pictures of about 6 different bears from our cameras over food plots and by our small pond so are hoping to get one or two if possible.

[Col. Hoggiebun]

Its a little late but call your local seed plant or grain elevator an ask about sunflower screenings. If you have private land which I assume your according to your post, use a barrel with 1 inch holes poked about it an fill with kibble dog food an sunflower, pour in about 3-5 gal. of grease. the bear have to work at it to get out the goodies an will keep them in the site longer for a shot. Also if you fill it full once a week youll have a lot less human intrusion which dominate boars do not tolerate. The lesser bears get acclimated or should I say have scent association with you an the bait an get comfortable with you coming an going, an your scent being there is tolerated more. its a good thing to drop doughnuts in the barrel to the grease keeps them from getting moldy an sweet smell keeps them interested after a week of the same thing. Start out with grease an sunflowers an add different things as you bait. When Opening a site, get the area flooded with scent, what ever you use get it airborne, hang it high or launch it into the surrounding foliage. Airborne is key when opening a site. Good luck.

[x1957x]

Col. Hey! You know what. WE have a mutual FRIEND that seems to think the same way you do!! LOL

[Col. Hoggiebun]

ok, I guesse.

[maros91]

For the guys that use peanut butter or cookie dough for bait, do you use them plain or do you mix them with something?

[Col. Hoggiebun]

I do both. Smear it on trees an mix it with dog food or trail mix.

[maros91]

Does it work? Do the bears eat it up?

[Col. Hoggiebun]

Oh yeah they love peanutbutter. One really like chocolate. An they got so distracted with eating their chocolate an peanutbutter they weren't watching what they were doing an they got the peanutbutter an chocolate mixed together an then the really started fight over it. Seriously tho I use penu utter an yea they eat up. I use it an fudge for positioning bait.

[ClownColor]

Grease and fish remains for stink bags.

[Col. Hoggiebun]

Yuk that just brings skunks an yotes an everything else undesirable at a site.my opinion.

[Col. Hoggiebun]

Grease yes. I go thru a hundred gal. A season.