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ORIGINAL: wyomingtrapper

1. See my post in Andrewjoseph's thread.

2.You may have the idea that someone simply hikes to a nice looking spot, throws a barrel of garbage down, and then shoots the bear when it comes. Some forms of hunting occur well before the shot. In most places you don't get bear by just throwing a bait station anywhere. You need to know the area well enought to have an idea where the animals are traveling. You need to know the topography well enough to place the bait where the greater number of bears are "likely" to be. You need to try to find something to entice the larger bears out before shooting light is gone. Like other forms of hunting there are differing strategies that can be used to increase the reach of your bait and increase the odds of bear hitting the bait. You have to keep that bait well stocked everyday. Once bears hit it, they WILL clean it out. They come back and there is nothing there=they don't come back again. You are also feeding about everything else out there, helping numerous critters recover from winter.I've never baited for myself (just don't have the time and resources--it is a LOT of work), but have helped a few guys with their baits. It is a lot like trapping in some respects(Still a form of hunting, but set up to catch and hold the animal until you get there to either dispatch it or release it unharmed).

Try sitting over a bait once. Go ahead and leave the weapon at home. Take a camera. Many of us HUNT for reasons beyond harvesting an animal. You will see things over a bait that you seldom see through other methods of hunting. There is more to a good hunt than the kill....
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First, I live by the saying "There is more to a good hunt than the kill..." and no matter how hard I have tried, I have not been able to truly put this into words when I'm explaining it to a nonhunter.

Second...you have a valid point and I always enjoy well thought out and educated answers. The only thing I would add to some of your explanation is the wind. Baiting requires more insight than most meteorologists have towards weather.

The terrain has effects on the thermals. Barometric pressure causes scents to rise to fast, or not be carried well. Moisture decreases the likely hood of detection...tempature cause things to freeze or and not be very aromatic. Finally strong winds or consistently swirling winds make the bait nearly impossible to find.

You have to take all of these variables and put the bait in a place that is most likely to be smelt and detected by an animal that is commonly scarce in most environments.

I have not bait because it takes so much work and so much effort and time spent that it makes it hard to do if you have a career of any kind.

The bears I have gotten come from shed hunting and scouting for hundreds of hours and tripping on one. Then I will only take the animal if it is noticeably large, or has a hide that is remarkable.....and never a sow if I even think she may have cubs.

But maybe if I would just spend the time to focus my efforts on YouTube so that I can become a noted expert in the matter of baiting....but unfortunately I have wasted my time hiking, camping, climbing, hunting, fishing, riding, shooting, searching, listening,watching, learning the rocky mountains of Idaho/Montana.....so many thousands of hours wasted!!!

~Cam

www.myspace.com/fuzzyballs44

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HUNT STRONG!

www.myspace.com/fuzzyballs44

I post Idaho pics on there, let me know if you want to see more!