Bear: Baits getting hit?

[Perch Jerker]

Hows everyones baits getting hit? I put out two new baits last weekend in area 26 and got 1 of 2 hit when I checked this weekend. The one that wasn't hit really needed a southerly wind (it's on the north side of a large lake) and we'll have good south winds through at least this Wed. Plus we really stank up the site with fresh meat smeared & pounded into the crotch of a tree, apples smashed & rubbed on trees, molasses with sugar poured on stumps, and a burlap sack tied to a rope and swatted on trees near the site. Also we dragged the grease bag from our bait to the 4-wheeler trail and then dragged the burlap behind the 4-wheeler all the way to the road.

The other bait that was hit was COMPLETELY cleaned out. They didn't leave a crumb of bread or a kernel of dog food, heck they even licked the ground clean around the bait where I poured the cooking grease!

We tossed out the old bait in the unhit bait crib and repleneshed it with fresh bait. We are using 10lbs of dog food, 15lb of ground beaver meat, 1/2 a 55gal plastic bag (25lbs??) of out dated (not moldy) bread, 20lbs of assorted old fruits/veggies, 1/2 gal (4lbs) of molasses & sugar, and 50lbs of oats soaked in grease/molasses/sugar/water fermented for 5 days. That's about 125lbs per bait site.

A friend of mine who sets 30 or so baits for 15-17 hunters has had his baits hit well (90% or so). He uses the same bait sites year after year so that helps the bears remember there is food there at certain times of the year (sows bring cubs, they remember, etc).

What area are you hunting and how have the baits been getting hit?

[deerdragger]

We've been getting hit consistantly since we established our sites last weekend. Been baiting every 2 days or so and each of the 3 sites are cleaned out upon checking them.

At the base of the tree where we hung one of our stands there's getting to be a heckova collection of bear scat. A big ol' critter that leaves a pile the size of a baseball cap finds it necessary to leave his/her calling card everytime the bait is hit.

To say that we're fired up would be an understatement.

[bear hunter]

bouth of my baits are geting hit hard and tering up the place i think its going to be a good year

[kevfish]

4 bait stations getting cleaned out every day. Trail timers show alot of hits during daylight hours. should be a good year if they do not shut down right before the season starts like they did last year

[Remington]

I have good hits too. I was able to get photos of two bears. One was chocolate and good sized and one was jet black and huge. The huge one waits till about midnight before coming in. The brown one opened up the camera to lick off the anise oil that I got on it when I put it up.