bear baiting

[gnfishn]

I am trying to gain as much info. on the sport as possible since this year will be my very first bear hunt. Has anyone out there ever used anise oil aound your stand as an attractant. How about frying bacon in a can similar to a honey burn. I've heard both can be very productive. Any input out there?

[Creek Kid]

I can only ride on the coat-tails of the guy that took me my one and only time. I had a bear come through tearing up logs but I never got to see it. I can say that Gummy Bears DO NOT work as bait. Somehow he got a hold of 500lbs of them. I think he may still have them too! He did have one trick that was pretty cool. We used Sterno burners under the anise oil. The whole area just wreaked of it! A gentle breeze was key. No wind and it went straight up and gusts would blow it over. Buy some non-scented or earth scented bug dope and mosquito proof gear. Good luck! Be sure to post your results.

[gnfishn]

Thanks Creek Kid. Too bad the Gummy Bears didn't work. You could have fed half the bears in the state! They don't really go with beer either. I think I'll try the anise oil thing. Do you have any idea where to get bigger bottles of it. The grocery stores only have the 1 oz. size. Still have to get to get the burner.

[bass-o-matic]

I've been on two different hunts with two different guides. Both used different baiting methods, and both worked. One guy used the sterno burners with honey, but the main ingredients to the bait were sweets. Donuts, jelly rolls, a lot of sugared cereal, etc. I think he even threw out a couple of steaks that had gone past expiration (not rotten though).
The other guide I've gone with uses a mixture of oats and molasses. Still sweet and tasty. He didn't do any honey burns, but would spray down the bait barrel and surrounding area with the sweet juice that goes into the gummy bears. You could smell that stuff a LONG ways away. One night he too added some steaks and meat scraps to the pile just to mix it up a little.
Like I said, two different guides, two different approaches, but both worked. Funny the gummy bears didn't work for Creek Kid. I've heard and know people that swear by them! Funny though, neither of the guides that I've hired used them. Hmm........