bearhunting

[crappiescout]

any fellow bear hunters have any secret's or wierd tecniques to bear hunting?
whats your favorite bait?
attractant?
biggest bear you've shot?

[Swamp Scooter]

Unlike Buck blaster I am a second year rookie, well not rookie anymore as I got one my first day in the stand. 200# sow. I used a lot of different baits and meat was one I incorporated, especially right away to get the pits located. I also dumped a few gallons of fryer oil around the bait pit when I left. This gets on the bear's feet and they create their own scent trails back to the baits.

I got left over restaurant food too. Nothing better than filet mignon, new york strip, fresh salmon, walleye, and some pasta to catch a bear's nose. If you have a tag I suggest you get on a bakery list now! It will be near impossible in about 3 weeks to find any surplus stuff in town or out.

Fresh fruit from my trees went over well. Ground corn and dog food with the oil mixed in worked too.

I set up two different bait sites at my stand. The big log covered pit and the positioning bait. The big pit was about 15 yards from my stand and the positioning one a little closer. The positioning bait was against a tree with logs set up teepee style to give it a limited access. Lind of created my own little 90 degree feeding spot. It has to be sturdy and about 4 feet tall. Then, as Buckblaster said they walk around to get at it. Inside of it I placed some limp bacon on strings, hung up inside and a cup with some pure honey in it. This is placed only when I am sitting in the stand and removed every time I leave with a stick and into a ziplok baggie. The bears hit the regular bait all the time but when the honey and bacon are out they steer towards the "treats". They scent it and then walk around the barriers. They shove their head in to the created thicket and then you just wait for the leg to come forward and bang!!

I learned a bunch from the seminars and also Ken Nordberg's book.

One thing that also worked to keep the bear moving around and in the area for a while was tiny marshmallows thrown around on the ground. Fruit loops worked too. They go around and suck them up.

I also was sure to spray bug spray OF THE SAME BRAND THAT I WOULD USE on the bait pits and my stand every time I went out. That way when I was being eaten alive by the blood suckers I could use the spray and not worry about scaring the bear. I played a radio blasting every time I went to the bait pit and left with it the same way too. It helps to key them in on feeding time.

If you are doing it alone, especially, planning is more important than shooting. If you are not prepared you will not get a bear out you can eat. Get a 24 hour a day number from the locker you are going to use now.

There was a previous post that was informative on here a couple of months back too.

I am not hunting this year so good luck to you all.

[Ruttin' Buck]

Great post Swamp Scooter. I was about to mention the grease, apples, etc but I had a disertation already. I highly recommend the grease/oil trick. Mix it in the dirt around the bait and you often get more than one bruin on a bait.

If this happens, and you get mixed hits you have to roam a little and look for scat. I've seen it as big as the diameter of a pop can....that was a 400#+ bear taken by another group member.

Very good note on importance of immediate butchering. I get sick to my stomach every time I see a pickup with a bear in the back parked at a bar....you may as well pick up a dead raccoon on the way back to camp cause that's about what you have if you wait. When I shoot a bear I generally buy 2-3 bags of ice in town when I register and immediately pack the inside in case someone at camp already has one on the pole. No matter what the hide and fat MUST come off in a matter of hours or the meat will spoil. If it will get down to say 40 degrees you can cheese cloth the rest and let it hang overnight. I would highly recommend being prepared to at least quarter it the night you shoot it. Be prepared to deal with at least 5 gallons of fat and a heavy and awkward hide/head combo.

We built a freezer trailer out of some cooling plates and a compressor about 20 years ago (when I was a wee lad) and we store bait in it until we hunt then hang quarters until we get back home. It's been a blessing to have that thing on many a moose and bear hunts. I've seen guys trailer deep freezers as well, that works too.

Man...I wasn't all that excited about this years hunt until I started in on this today. I think I'll get the bow out tonight.

[jlm]

I never use meat when I bear hunt, it stinks sooo bad and the maggots are just too much for me to stomach. I once shot a bear that just rolled around in that stinking pile of **** . He was too big to drag out so I had to skin an quarter him in the woods. I have never been so sick and refuse to use meat anymore. Sweet rolls, bread, oats, and other grains are my bait of choice. You have to get some molasses (sp?) and mix her up real good. That has done the best for me. One other trick I use if I have multiple sights is to pour veg. beef soup in an old sock and hang it up in the tree. I put it high enough for only the larger bears to reach..then I know which sights are worth hunting. I also hang one real high to get the scent out there for all to smell. There are lots of trick folks use, lets see what they have to say. By the way, I have never had muck luck with anesette (sp?). How about others?

[Ruttin' Buck]

I've been baiting bear for 18 years, hunting them for 15. Took my first by bow at age 13, my biggest was a 275lb sow also by bow...kicker is she was 21 years old!

Over the years I've seen it and done it all when it comes to baiting. I must disagree with jlm about using meat and fat scraps. Although it can prove to be rather rank...we use alot of it. At $10 per 55 gallon barrel you can hardly find a cheaper bait.

We get leftover popcorn from theaters, oats, 5 gallon jugs of molasses, old bread, bagels and doughnuts from the bakery, floor sweepings and rejects from candy factories, etc. On some bait be ready to sign a 'not intended for human consumption or resale' agreement.

We use meat early on to get the scent out so they find them quickly. Atop the meat we pile bakery items, popcorn, grain, and then switch to almost exclusively popcorn and grain soaked with molasses when we hunt. This is because if the bear is a wild one, he'll dig into that bait before you know it and if you bow hunt like I do your shot needs a little time. Grain and popcorn prevent the bear from grabbing a load and running off. If you use trimmings or meat scraps when you hunt I highly recommend, as gross as this is, to cut them into bite sized pieces.

When you create a bait station find a stand tree then plant your bait up against a tree. This way an approaching bear must walk around the tree by the bait to access it. Pile the bait with logs and try to find a heavy rotten one to put on top. Rotten logs are easy to see claw marks in and subsequently gage the bear's size. The hanging sock or gunny sack works well for determining a bears size also.

Note, if a bear is really scrappy, they sometimes don't take the time to roll off each log by pawing the round of the log but instead grab onto the end like a meat hook and fling it off effortlessly. It's easy to know if this is the case because there will be little or no claw marks on the logs and the logs will be thrown a distance from the bait...sometimes yards!

We exit the bait stations by spraying liquid smoke on the trees and leaves around the bait.

When I hunt I make sure my bait pile is almost empty. I carry out a half pail of bakery items, popcorn and grain soaked with molasses. If the bait isn't 'hit' then I don't dump the pail....I leave the lid on it. Once you start hunting you want the bear to think it's getting beat to the bait pile by another bear instead of allowing them to fill up at night. This forces them to come in when the sun's up and improves your odds.

Already getting lengthy...maybe I'll chime in later with more....

[mnvikingsfreak]

great posts and good advice....Im a 1st time bear hunter this year and I was wondering where do you guys go for grease and bread and donuts and etc..fast food places or something?also could I get away with only baiting once every 2 weeks or so?
thanks any advice would be great!
skol vikings

[wh1stler]

Back in college I used to do a little homebrewing...heh heh. So I have all this equipment I no longer use. I am wondering if anybody has every used fermented corn or oat mash as part of their bait. Personally I can't think of anything better than an alcoholic bear coming to get his fix. Unless of course I run out and he is a mean drunk.

Whistler

[jlm]

MNvikes-
The first year is the most difficult until you get the hang of all this bear stuff. Grease is fairly easy to come by, I get mine from a local bar that has a grease collection dumpster. They are usually glad to get rid of it. Check with any bar or eatery that cooks meat etc. One tip, be sure to store your grease in a sealed bucket or whatever will work to prevent spills. Getting this on your truck or atv is a real pain. You can go to the local bakery and get donuts etc. that they are going to throw out. They will usually give it to you free or for a nominal charge. It will be tough to get away with baiting once every two weeks. This will not produce a pattern that will be reliable. Although, that is not to say you won't get lucky. You are better off to make it once a week at a minimum in my opinion. If you can only do it once every two weeks, be sure to make your bait tough to get at. Use big logs and place the grease below ground so the bears can't get it all in a day or two. Make them work for it and they might keep coming back. If there are multiple bears using the sight, it will be tough to keep them coming back if their is nothing left for them to eat. Always remember scent control, this is VERY important if you want a larger bear. One other tip, do NOT get any scent from the bait on your shoes, the bear will follow your scent path right up to your stand. That is a very uncomfortable feeling! Good luck! Keep asking questions!

[Swamp Scooter]

I agree that every other week is not enough to keep them in the area. If you make a big enough pit and load it up with a variety of goodies you can go about a week but the pit is pretty well picked over. If the bears like what you are giving them they will remember it and check it out again but once the season starts that might mean someone else gets your bear.

In MN we only get 2 weeks to actually bait before hunting opens. That is not saying you will get a bear but test baiting is important to do right now to see if you have a good spot. You cannot have your bait pit or stand within 100 yards of a test bait, to be legal.

If you bait the first day you can it will be on a Wednesday this year. Stuff will start smelling good by the weekend and you might want to freshen it up again with a big load. Then you might be able to push waiting until the next weekend to make another big dump. From then on if you have activity you should bait daily with special stuff in small quantities. I do not bait too early in the morning. If you can get them trained to be ready for fresh food in themiddle of the day then the day you hunt do it a couple of hours earlier than normal you might get them in the first few hours.

It will require a few days off of work to bait and then to hunt but it is time well spent.

Good questions and topic. The more it is discussed the more I am waiting for my schedule to change and maybe get a chance at an extra tag so I can hunt this season.

[crappiescout]

buckblaster.....where would you find 55 gallons of meat for 10 bucks........ thats a heck of a deal.....

[Ruttin' Buck]

A local butcher. Can't give out the name here since he only gets enough to supply about 3-4 bear hunting parties each summer. But any butcher should be able to hook you up with trimmings. I drop off a barrel or two and in a few days they have it full and frozen, without bones. Some of the chunks are huge and must be cut up.

I usually give the guy $20 a barrel a few times a year in appreciation but yeah it is a good deal.

[Remington]

I will be in 51 again this year hunting near Deerwood. I lost my bear to another hunter on opener last year and couldn't get any others to come in consistently. Then I shattered my trigger finger between my boat trailer and the truck bumper and my season was over. Hoping to do a little better this year. Has anybody done any hunting in the Wealthwood area or Aitkin area? I know there lots of 'em around there but there is limited amount of public land.

[CornPirateKiller]

I hunted private land South of Deerwood about 10 years ago. Had never hunted bear before and knew very little about the baiting process. What I read up on and gleaned from other hunters wasn't adequate. I wish I had the information from this topic back then, maybe I'd have scored. Had a couple of bears hitting my bait, but not consistantly and once I started hunting, they went completely nocturnal. Have hunted bears several times and still have not connected. Since I live in SE Minnesota, it's tough to bait regularly without taking a lot of vacation. Didn't apply this year, but I may next year and try some of the tricks I've learned from reading these posts. Have wanted to kill a bear as long as I can remember. Some day....

Thanks guys! Some great info here.

------------------
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati (When all else fails, play dead)

[bigbucks]

Remington,

My finger hurts just imagining the pinch that must have put on you. Is that thing back to normal?

[Remington]

Actually I was really lucky. It made a loud crunch when it happened and I passed out for a few minutes. When I came to I looked at it and it was kind of dangling at a 45 degree angle. I was in shock and decided to try to wiggle it and it rolled right back into place. The bone was both shattered and splintered but somehow I was lucky enough to move it right back. It is perfectly fine now. I use it as a barometric pressure gauge now. When it starts to ache I know its time to get out fishing.

[Remington]

The best bait that I have used is bacon grease soaked bread. I use very little of it once the season starts and it is always the first to go mixed in with fruit preserves, meat, donuts, candy, etc...

[89Bronco]

I work at a school so every Friday I bring in a few buckets and the kids fill them up with whatever they don't eat. (You'd be amazed at the amount of food that gets thrown away!!!) Then I head up north with the bear food. Last year, the bears' favorite was the mini corndogs and french toast sticks with syrup.

[Boar]

Howdy, I took my first bow kill on a 200lb boar two years ago in no quota zone near Red Lake falls MN. I gathered alot of advise from people, attended the bear seminar that MN puts on prior to the season, an set out to stick a bear. The only time I had to bait was after work. Sometimes that was late a 7 pm. I had consistant hits for a month and a half but only saw two cubs at each sit. I knew a bigger bear was hitting due to pad marks at the site. Sept. 30 came an i told the wife this is the last sit due to her..... well you know, being a female. I had tried everything but one last trick to get this bear in cause due to late feedings he was nocturnal. I warmed bacon grease in a ceramic potting bowl one on top of each other with a sterno can for heat. 1 1/2 hrs later he came in, my scent blowing right at him, he even looked right at me lips curled and sucking in air tring to scent what that blob in the tree was, he turned an stuck his nose in the bacon pot and I sent a stick that hit his main atery under the spine and he bleed out 50 yrds from stand. I will never top that rush. I know the burning the bacon was what brought in an otherwise nocturnal feeder. This spring I found a six in pad in the same river bottom I took my first. Hmmmmm.... Later boar

[Swamp Scooter]

Remington,

Not sure where you are located but I found a younger guy that baits in that area and guides too. He works at the Compound Dr. in Vad. Heights. His name is Andy and he was great for information and tricks. Just to give youa metro contact.

[Remington]

Thanks Scooter, I am not to far from there and I may try to get over there to talk with him. I plan to do a lot of scouting over the 4th. I have a prim map with all the state and county land marked, so I will have some spots to do some test baits. Looking forward to providing a food source for the skeeters as I putz through the woods. I usually hang some bait up high and rake the ground below to try to get some tracks. Fish guts in a burlap sack seem to work well. I also pour grease over stumps to get claw marks, but that usually results in coon claws marks mainly. If there is a birch tree available, that works the best for picking up claw marks. I am getting pumped up again for the season. My wife is hating it.

[Remington]

Any suggestions on stand position for a rifle hunt? In the past, I have tried to stay within 30 yards because the areas were very thick, as necessary. I was thinking of try to set up further away provided that I can create an adequate shooting lane. It seems to me that it would help to avoid leaving scent closer to the bait pit.
Any thoughts?

[jlm]

I like a little more distance from the bait sight as well. It is not always possible but I like to be at least 50 to 75 yards away. That way a guy can move a little if he needs to and still remain undetected. One suggestion that I would give is to hang more than one stand. I like to hang at least two and also bring in a climber (prepare the trees ahead of time) just in case the wind decides to play tricks on me. That is a powerful nose we have to deal with. Good luck!

[Swamp Scooter]

I rifle hunted last year and my stand was set up for either bow or gun. I was about 15 yards from the bait pit and about 12 yards from the positioning bait, platform at 7 feet. I know what you mean about being too close but the stand I used I also surrounded with the camo burlap! I zip tied and stapled it around so I would not bump it but it was high enough for me to see over but not expose too much of my body. It worked very well. The bear had no issue with me being there. The positioning bait helped as the bear's focus was on that and shoving its head in to the area allowed me to get the gun settled well in to my shoulder.

I have heard of people setting stands up pretty high to avoid winding but then you lose the critical angle to the vitals. The shoulder blade and spine get in the way. If you are going to be really high then I heard most people go for the head/neck shot, which I have been told is NOT the best. If you do it right they drop but if you are a little off they run and you never get them.

I shot clean through it with a 175 gr. 7mm mag. The bear did NOT drop but only went about 10 yards. There was a blood trail.

[Remington]

Am I the only one out there that gets the Heeby Jeebies leaving my stand after dark? I think that is my favorite part of hunting bear. A few years ago, I had a big one that would wait until after dark to come in and I met him on the trail half a dozen times. He would always grunt loudly and take off. One time he was licking the juices out of an empty pail I left at the truck as I walked up. I had to wait for him to finish before I could get out of there (out of kindness of course).

[Remington]

I went up scouting today on some public land and found a couple great spots. It is real thick with black spruce on the edge of a tamarack swamp and there is a real good game trail. I searched deeper in the swamp and found some scat and one scratch tree. It was really cool, and I think I am deep enough in to not have to worry about getting any company. The rasberries are just starting to ripen and hopefully they will be all gone come Sept.1st. I am getting pumped for another chase!!