Baiting

[sm54]

Boar- I saw you gave Antler some bait gather "secrets" I'm having a devil of a time finding enough bait. If you would be willing to share ANY helpful hints with me I will give you any info in return that I can. If you are up for this, pm me at smccollum at cableone (Contact Us Please) net.

SM54

[Boar]

This is what I primarily do sm, I get beef scrapes from butcher shops, Your bigger shops will have more to go around, The shops that cater to the local venders or ther shops where you can buy half beef or hole beef an hogs but pig meat you cant use unless its cured. I get my beef scrap for 6 bucks per 50 lbs. I go to any old cafe an ask if they can save throw out food sometimes they dont because of state codes an such but smaller mom an pop cafe's generaly do. Stop an go stores that deep fry foods have a grease dumpster that will generally let you dip out grease, some might save it in the containers that they dumped the new out of. Feed store are great for molasses an sweet feed an dog food, the big guy I'm currently hunting like name brand pedigree chunks an gravy, 6 bucks for twelve cans, thats tvelve feedings. Grocery stores like hugo's up here save me doughnuts for a small price an I have tons. You have to spend alittle money but for the variety it's worth it. Feed stores are the best for price anything that horses like a bear will generally like, oats an corn mixed with mollasses type stuff.Alot of times just your every day leftovers from the fridge work great, I sometimes keep a icecream bucket ready after supper for table scrape, like we used to slop the hogs. A fifty lb bag of dog food at wall mart 15 bucks. I get 95% of my bait this way. Doughnut now will be hard to come by right now for the competition. so your best bet is feed stores an wall mart. Boar P.S "contactusplease.com" dosent work right now please try later. You can call me too at 218 253 4051 for futher details. Boar

[sm54]

Thanks Boar!!! I will follow up all of those great tips! Thanks for all of the advise, I have a bacon burn going right now in the garage! Wheeeew sure smells like maple bacon in the whole house. (wife is not to happy about it) I never thought of canned dog food either!? Great tip!!!! One question taht I have had for a few years and can never seem to get a straight answer is, Why no part of any swine unless cured? Anybody know?

Thanks, sm54

[Boar]

Oh' by the way, I think I'm screwing up. Tonight when I baited, I was hit again same big boy, I seconed guesse my opptional stand i placed lastst night. I moved twice tonight. If I did'nt spooke him away I probably turned him tottaly nocturnal, My high anxiety is always my doom. I did'nt make alot of noise but I spent too much time at my site, This weekend will tell. Later, anxiety boar

[Boar]

Pigs an bear are a related species for one thing,there might be more to it but not sure. Boar

[Swamp Scooter]

The main reason is due to the possible spread of Trichina(sp) worm from the pigs to the bears.

[maros91]

Dang. Who turned on the wind machine? Friday night I hunted and the wind was terrible all hunt long. Saturday the wind was calm all day and I get to the stand at 5:00 and 5:30 the wind starts howling again. Just to windy the last two nights. Rain off and on Saturday, nothing heavy. Not a big deal on stand. Was tolerable. Anyone having any luck? Talked to some guys hunting the Mille Lacs WMA and I guess a couple big ones got taken on opening weekend.

[maros91]

Here are some more photos of my buddies bait station near Marcell. They have not harvested any bears yet this season. Their neighbors party of 2 harvested 2 opening weekend.

[Boar]

Cool pics biff, No go for me last night but a wet butt. Whent in at sunrise an he hit during the night. So he's a confermed nocturnal bear. I'm gonna strt pulling bait tonight. If that dont turn him by the weekend i might have to move on with other things. Boar

[Gofishleech]

Those are great pics!! Our bait was dead all week and finaly got some action friday evening when three 2 year old or older cubs came in. It was very exciting for my son, he could hear a fourth bear that would not come in. The three were growling and hissing at each-other at the bait. Yesterday rain all day and it was the first day my son missed going sence opener. Looking forward to tonight.

[Mnfisher]

Great pics!! What kind of camera are you using?

[Antler_Creek_Taxidermy]

Well my brother decided to pull the trigger on an average size boar last night. (I will try to post the pics later) It came in about 7:00 and wouldn't come into the bait. It laid down for a while about 20 yards behide the bait and when it got up it just decided to walk away and thats when he let him have it. After dragging it out another hunter stopped and informed me that his bait was only a few hundred yards for ours and his buddys bait was less than 1/4 mile in the other direction, he then accused us of "stealing" bears from his buddys bait. I informed him that this was public land and that I have no control over where the bears go. You come to expect some competetion from other hunters when you hunt publc land but this guy was acting like he owned the whole county and every living thing in it . I didn't think there was very many bear hunters around that bait but I was wrong. So I now know why the bears we see come in but they don't hit the bait, they aren't hungary with all the other baits. I can't believe the # of hunters in that area this year. Last year there was one other hunter and this year there is 10 others(that I know of). I guess I shouldn't complain because the baits have been getting pounded eversince we started baiting. It just makes it harder to get the big boys in during shooting hours with all the other baits. Next year I may have to find a new place to hunt with less pressure . I put the trail cam back out yesterday and hope to post the pics if they still come into that bait. It should be a good week of hunting with the cooler weather!

[maros91]

Congrats on the bear. What area are you hunting Antler?

Hunted Fri, Sat, and Sun evening with nothing to show. I went out to hunt Monday morning before work and the bait had been hit anywhere from 9 p.m. Sun to 6 a.m. Mon. I hunted tonight with nothing to show. I pulled my bait when I left and will place it out there again tomorrow morning. When I get done with work(5pm) I will go out there and pull it and keep this routine up until the bait gets hit again. With these cooler temps they should be active during the day.

[Boar]

Congrates to your brother antler, I'm still working on one, this sucker is smart. Boar

[Antler_Creek_Taxidermy]

We are hunting South of Mcgregor. I am driving my dad up to hunt this evening (I hope the wind dies down).

[maros91]

I started out with 3 baits, went to one, now I am back to three again. I put the last of the three after work today on public land. I find a spot, make my crib and what not and am heading back out. On my way out I look to my left and I see a 5 gallon bucket. I look in it and there is some pastry dump in it. I look about 15 yards over and there is a pile of bait sitting there in the wide open. No crib, no logs over it, no sign displaying the correct info, no nothing. Then I think maybe he is hunting right now. There are only a few trees in this swamp that a guy could get in and there was no ground blind. I did not see these things on the way in or I would never put a station there. My bait site is maybe 40-50 yards away from this junk. I know the rule says 100 yards. But he has no sign up. No nothing, just a bait pile with a 5 gallon bucket laying in the swamp. What should I do?

[maros91]

This bear season has been a disaster. No more hunting public land for me. Deer, bear, or anything. The one station I have a private land the homeowner rides his 4 wheeler up to my bait and checks it out . Then I find out he has been shooting trap on a regular bases close to my station . I know it is his place and he can do what he wants. One way to solve these problems is to get my own acreage I guess. Maybe that is what I will have to do. Maybe tomorrow morning I will go for a hike in the swamp and do a bacon burn . Maybe next year I will apply for the BWCA bear area and just do bacon burns and get away from people.

Frustrated Bear Hunter

Biff Tannen

[roosterslayer]

Well Biff sorry to hear about your troubles. I am hunting on public land as well and maybe i just got lucky not having any problems. I do know of two other hunters in the area but we all keep out space from each other. Now on the other hand Biff you could have a guide in the area that is doing this. Nothing against guides but i have heard of guides baiting near other baits, and even going as far as pouring gas on other peoples bait to keep the bears hitting their baits. If there is an outfitter near you i suggest getting way back in there if possible and do not mark your trail to the bait so no one else can find it.

[Boar]

Sorry to hear some of you are having a tough year, I am still getting hit. Last night I hunted from the ground like I post before, an again no show. So today after work, I access the trail he is coming on to the site an have a very general direction he is coming from before gettin on the trail to the site. So I decided to set up a new site. I should pull the bait trick but I'm quickley exhausting my financial resources. I set up a pop up blind about 40 yards from a new site an camode it with brush really good. Then I whent around to the old site an did a grease drag, droping greasy fruit loops along the way, I hung the grease sack an put some bait uder some heavy logs I was able to find, tomorrow I'm gonna do another grease drag the same way an add some bait just a teaser to try an get him hungry to hunt sunday. Hopefully he'll feel more comfortable to come into the new site if he's hungry enough. We'll see, boar

[maros91]

I am going to try a bacon burn early tomorrow morning on my new site. We will see what happens.

[maros91]

Boar

I am trying your bacon burn right now. I tried one before and I put the holes near the top of the coffee can and it never got warm enough to cook the bacon. I let it burn for about half an hour.

The second one I moved the holes closer to the bottom and I am getting that bacon smell. My question is how many pieces of bacon do you use? I have 2 in ther enow. Use more or less? I will also experiment with things to burn.

[maros91]

I also have the bear scent bacon spray, should I also use this when burning?

[Boar]

Yea ya have to experiment a little with candles or like you did move the holes closer. I put in several. One thing I like to use to is maple flavor sausage. Is that bacon spray the one we get in the green an white bottle? Try heating that stuff up, Thats highly concentrated stuff an should really put out the scent. Pluse you might be able to use it again an again.I've heated the carmel scent an wowwee!! I like to put my bottle of scent on the dash of my car, by the time I'm going hunting it's already nice an warm, an heat up quicker an smells more potent than in a chilled state. Good luck boar

[maros91]

It is that stuff in the green and white bottle. I am bust the rest of the day and wii try the burn tomorrow morning. Thanks for all the info.

[Boar]

No prob. I just got back from my new site, I did a second scent drag from the old again an on the way I found out he had been on the previous drag. Sure enough he easily found the new site. I think I'll bait the new site for a nother day or two an hunt it on Mon. or Tues> Boar