Leaving the bait site.

[Boar]

When I enter my bait site I whistle an call out Hey Bear! cough a some, generally letting them know i'm ringing the dinner bell. When I leave though I try to be as quiet as possible so when I come into hunt I enter the same way, but of course I dont leave an quietly enter my stand. I dont have a freind to go out clunking buckets together to give the two in one out trick, I do everything the same everytime. So when it settles down when I quietly leave when baiting I hope to give the same senario when I hunt, this has worked in the past but was wondering what you guys do. If I leave clunking buckets an making noise I'm afraid that bear will wait for that exiting sound an if he hears none he might want to wait till dark to enter the site, although some bears are nocturnal feeders I dont want to encourage it. What do you guys think an do ? Boar

[maros91]

How far is your stand off the bait? Last year my stand was 30 yds off the bait. I made noise baiting, clanking buckets and saying "dinner time". The minute I was done baiting I was quiet and walked to my stand and 10 minutes later he came out. Shortest hunt I ever had!

My buddy has used this trick and it worked last year. He did everything by himself just like you. When it finally came time to hunt he would bait, climb up his stand, which he told me was 15 yds away, he packed about 10 rocks in his backpack and threw them down the trail he came in on. Half our later he had his bear and was heading home. Sounds a little corny to me but he said it worked. Size of the rocks were like the ones on a gravel road. His bear went 265lbs by Bigfork. Maybe something you can try but I am not going to try it. I will have a partner this year but he is video taping so I am curious what others do as well. Baiting is right around the corner. Boar- Do you bait right away or do you wait until a week or two later?

[Boar]

In past years my stand was only 15 yrds from site and it was a API hang on stand, last year I replaced it with a two man ladder stand. Last year was a very tough year for bear an I cant help but think that my big hulking obstruction of a stand bulging out from a tree that close to the site probabley didnt help his comfort factor so this year I'm setting it up at thirty yards away. I like the rock trick, I keep that in mind. Man I cant wait, summer is going so fast but at the same time really slow anticipating bear season, AAAUUUGGGHHH! I think its time to hit the mad sciencetist lab an start boiling up some scents an syrups to pass the time. Thanks Biff, later boar

[charliepete2]

I try to be scent and noise free when bear hunting and baiting. I only bait once a week, but I pile the food on. I try to have as little human impact as possible. I only bait when bears won't be on the bait. It works for me. I think the less pressure the bears get the more you can get away with. Where I'm at there is tons of competition and its pays to be stealthy.

[Boar]

Thats interesting, how succesfull have you been doing this? I might consider this approach, less noise, less dissturbance, less stress on the bear, more willing to feed in daytime possibley. Do you dump a huge pile or put it in a crib which would be a big crib? Biff- I ussually tell myself I'm gonna wait till a week before shooting to bait but I cant take the wait an end up baiting at the start, alway afraid of bears committing to someone elses bait, I dont have alot of compition here with the next possible hunter being an a mile or more away to several miles an I'd hate to try an pull a bear in from that disstance just prior to shooting I know they have a huge range but the last bear I shot was big boy an he started hitting three days to shooting, but I also know he was just on the perimiter of the site each time I baited, he established that site for his own an really tore it up each time, like a bomb whent off in the crib. I think when they do that their showing dominace in the area, "This is mine stay out" in higher baiting areas there is more than enough to go around an it's luck of the draw which one he'll hit first. Just my thought on it, I could be wrong. I like to start with some stinky pizzas, corn an few doughtnuts an start to add more sweet stuff an beef scraps molasses syrup, bear candy and such the closser it gets to shooting. Later boar

[maros91]

Boar- Do you hunt by Red Lake Falls? I just seen it on the map. That must be no quota. Is there a lot of bears up there? Looks like you are on the edge of bear range. It is always nice not to have competition when bear hunting. The place where I will be hunting is not that pressured either. I called the local CO and he said there was one other person with a registered bait site. I am on the southern bear range and there are a couple around but not huge numbers. How do you build your crib? I make my station by making a "V" in front of a tree with logs then digging a pit and laying logs across one way then more logs across the other way. Then I tear up the ground in front and pour grease in front of the station. Can't wait!!!!

[Boar]

Yea biff I hunt just 10 minuets from homefour mile south an about 7 miles E. Just E. of a little settlement town called Terrribone. Down in river bottom where the popluar river dumps into the clearwater. We call it Jurrasik park cause its so thick in areas we just dont know what we'll come across. I have one site, usually use the same site year after year, but this year I have family that wants to come up soon an possibley cut trails an move a deer stand so I picked out an area on the south end of the property where they wont be working. I look for a little bit of higher groud down in the deepest part of the river bottom surrounded by very thick vegitation. When the time comes to establish my crib I cut two loggs about10-12" across and about six feet long, on each end of the logs I cut deep notches, I run these loggs parralel to each other about four feet apart. I cut two more logs , same thickness an four feet long to sit across in the notches, like the base of a log cabin. Two fill in the middle i cut some more 8-10" thick logs. On top of that i cut about three heavy weights to put on top. To avoid a bear scooping underneath the base where the the two logs sit in the notches I find some logs about 4-6" to place inside and wedge up against the two end logs that sit in the notches then take the notched out peices an kick them in to wedge the 4-6" logs up tight against the ends.This keeps a bear from pushing in an scooping out. Might sound complicated but the end result is a very sturdy crib that takes a good bear to tear apart. I dont dig a hole inside cause this can fill up with rain an convert the bait to mush. Being on a little higher ground with a solid crib keeps my bait pretty dry. The numbers are higher than one might expect in no quota an thats fine with me. The rivers around this area are very thick with farm land butting up tight against them, corn an beans are plentifull. Wild raspberrys mushrooms an lots of acorns in the river bottoms. Blasted acorns ruined last year. You ever get up this way look me up well go ice fishing. Thats the only way I can get through from season to season, I'm going stircrazy right now waiting for baiting to begin. I just picked up my liquorice order today to fill my bait list. I like to pick up bags of powdered sugar at the grociery store or muffin mix to pass the time, my wife just shakes her head. Anyway later boar

[Fish to Win]

Biff- I talk with numerous CO's and they all say that they cannot tell you if a bait is registered in a certain area because that info is not avail. till years after and most of the time the hunters get the area wrong on the registation anyway- Do you have other info?

[maros91]

He told me the area I am going to hunt had one other guy that had a bait station in there. When I posted on here I just said registered. The CO told me there was a decent number a bear and only the one other guy in the area I plan to hunt. Fish- Did you get drawn for 51 or did you apply somewhere else? I applied for 51 and did not get drawn. All the scouting work I did was for not. Maybe next year.

[fishermann222]

One thing alot of guys do up here is fill a pot with maple syrup and let it simmer on a stove at the bait site while they are hunting. Works WONDERS up here, but does tend to draw the grizz in also. Down there with no grizz to worry about I would think it would be a GREAT idea.

[Boar]

Yea we do alot of that down here to, I'v made my own little easy bake bear oven with adjustable racks an vent holes that chinch straps to a tree, I use bacon grease, burnt honey, carmel scent, hickory, I usually burn with a sterno but sometimes I use small tea candle that you put in jack-o-laterns an I mix up a blueberry muffin mix, put the rack on the top level an bake a muffin for a snack when I leave, sometimes it works sometimes not but it puts out a delicious scent in the woods. Boar

[Fish to Win]

Biff- I was drawn in area 31- I am using a guide this year but I will be back to 51 next year as I am going to miss baiting my self- I have a question- My grandparents have 80 acres in Oak Park (near Milica) I am doing a test bait this year and wondering what you know about the bear population. It is very good deer hunting land and 60% woods and 40% farmed land- I am wondering if I am waisting my time or will I find bears on my trail camera- No pressure as I know all the farmers near by and none hunt bear-

Thanks-

[maros91]

I got my bear last year in farmland. About 60-70 acre woodlot surrounded by bean fields. He did not find the bait until week after the season opened. Bears in the area can munch on beans and corn all they want. It wouldn't hurt to do a test bait and see what happens. I think it may be a little harder to hunt them here with all the crops than up north were they rely mostly on berries. There are some bears around but not alot. I don't think you will be getting the 5-6 different bear hitting your bait like you might up north. But they are around so give it a shot.

[tealitup]

My cousin was up north two weeks ago. Its not looking good. The wild berries are having a wonderful year. There is a spot in the middle of a spruce swamp that has alot of berries - scat everywhere. Wondering if I should put a small bait pile there - maybe some corn for them to munch on.

(This is by fairbanks, tomi and basset township if anyone is hunting the area)

[charliepete2]

Boar....sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. I have had pretty good luck with the stealth approach. I have either passed on bears or taken bears every year since I started. I'm still waiting on a true monster, but my buddy shot a Boone and Crockett bear off a bait I was running. I always employ a crib. I use it more to position the bear for a bowshot than anything else.

Fish to Win....I've seen road killed bears near Milaca in years past. They are around there. You might have better luck throwing out a test bait during early spring. Bears are really on the move after waking up. It might give you a better idea of what you are dealing with.

[tealitup]

Can you put a test bait out "early in the spring?"

[Boar]

Thanks hub, I'm very seriously thinking on doning this, so I hope ya dont's mind if I ask for more details. Ya say once a week right? I would like to know how much you using for a one week dump an once the crib has been open youre prone to a critter invasion, so do ya feel you lose alot to critters or is it an acceptable loss. Later boar

[Boar]

Hubercitajust saw youre post on "how much bait' So That ones answered, an I guesse with a hundred an fifty pounds of bait taht can feed the neighborhood of critters an still keep boo boo happy. Boar