RE: bear bait barrel question??
I decided not to hunt bear this year and just concentrate on my field work and beaver trapping but have baited bears several times in the past. I found that you don't want that big of a hole in the barrel. You want the bears to come in and spend some time there pawing at it, rolling it around, having to work a bit to get the bait out of the barrel. A bear can reach its paw into a pretty tight spot so i usually cut a hole a little bit bigger than my own fist. I would say just keep an eye on it, if you feel they are cleaning you out too quickly close the hole off a bit with some wire or somethin, if you feel they aren't gettin enough out of it widen it out a bit etc. Good luck