I know what you mean, jklein, about bear hunting being poor this year in northern MN. This was the first year I didn't get one. The bait suggestions previously listed are all good. In this case, the bears are there in good numbers, but they had too much natural food this year to need to hit the bait piles. It didn't matter what you used. That's the way it is sometimes. I'll still be out there next year.