game4lunch, what are you mixing with your oats now? We use molasses and fryer grease with oats in 45 gal drum. You don't want it soupy just a nice sticky mixwith it coated well. Then take fryers grease and pour it out in a circle aroundyour bait barrel this will act as a trail marker for your bait.

Best bait IMO is beaver. We string them up in the trees with wire cages to limit what the bear gets. The oats and mix keeps them satisfied but the beaver is the main attraction.

I have also heard a lot of guys who use the smoking sticks with good success either ansine or 10 miles of dead fish scent.

I don't think baiting is unethical. In my area it's either baiting or checking oat fileds in the fringe areas for actively hunting bear. In the spring season it is about the only way to hunt bears, unless you just happen upon one roaming.