Im gonna try to take a bear this year and this will be the first year i have ever hunted them. As this is the first year i have lived in an area where i can hunt bears so i im way excited about it.

So anyway i think have got a good spot and have been saving all my cooking greese, got a line on a bunch of free doughnuts and some old telephone posts for bait. We are gonna be hunting from a stand and i have no idea what im doing. I have read absolutely everything i have been able to get my hands on and im still not real sure what im getting into. So i was wondering if there are any seasoned bear hunters in here that would be willing to give me some tips. And i was also wondering just how nervous i should be.

thanks
G5

First of all I do not hunt bear but, I have several friends that do.
A lot of them guide bear hunts here. They start baiting as early
as the laws allow them to before hunting them. You have to be
alert all the time when baiting. Some here have been attacked
while resetting bait, and usually more then 1 bear will come. If
you have any cherry pie filling add it to the mix bears love it. Again
at all times be alert going to and from your baiting site. I am not sure
what you will use the poles for though have I have never heard of
that before. Usually they keep the bait on the ground where they can
get a clear shot at the bear they choose to shoot. Ant way good luck.

Thanks phil,
I will have to keep the cherry pie filling in mind, and hopefully i wont get attacked this year, doesnt sound like a whole lot of fun. But about the telephone poles, I talked to a few old timers a while back and they said they have great luck with using them. They also said that old rail road ties will work as well. Im not real sure why they like them so much, my only thought would be the rossin in them. So i guess they are just kinda like a big dog bone that they like to chew on. Any way thanks for the reply if the season goes well, i will post pics.

be still as concrete, and dont make any noise. good luck

Well I am not a seasoned bear hunter but just returned from my first trip and can give you a couple of tips that my guide was doing. First he used a topomap to help him decide on locations to clear for baiting. next he cleared spot out with good trail leading to them. He baited with bread mainly w/ sweets mixed in every now and then. Next he poured used cookin oil all over the barrel so that the bear would get it onto them and when they traveled into the woods other bears would cut their path and lead back to the baits as well. He also diluted liquid smoke into a spray bottle and sprayed it onto the barrel and into the air and on anything else he might have come into contact with. This told the bears that the bait was set and also cover any human scent. Once he had a bait working he would make alot of noise when entering to make sure and scare off any bears that might be on the bait. He made it a point to make sure that you knew to respect these bears. I did notice that the bears were use to hearing a vehicle or 4-wheeler arrive at the bait and then leave when done. So if you can get someone to help you out and follow you to your site and then leave when done you will have better success getting a bear to come in and investigate. Good Luck!!!!

Anything that stinks and the law allows can be used effectively for bait. Also, you have to refresh the bait like everyday or every couple of days depending on how long it's lasting. It also helps to put it in something where the bear has to work a little bit to get it out and not just sit there and eat then leave. Trust me, you'd be amazed at how fast a bear can eat. They can eat lbs of material in minutes, and once they are done they will just leave. So you want to make them work a little bit and not be able to eat your 20 lbs of doughnuts in 3 min and leave.

You don't have much to worry about in terms of safety as long as you are confident with your chosen weapon. I've trapped alot of bears and they are actually pretty slow to get really agressive, unless of course you're between a sow and her cubs so watch out for that. Also, another thing to remember, bears can't see extremely well and rely more on scents and sounds to pinpoint danger so always approach the bait with the wind inyour face and be quiet. Bears don't like to be suprised so if you get close to one, make sure the shot counts.

The poles are used to help cover some of the bait and slow down the eating process, also , the bears like the creosote in the poles, there is a camp next to ours that bears have just emaciated to get the creosote out of the poles. Also Anise makes a good attractant, but when I went my Maine Guide said " dont use it as a cover scent on your body as a bear would attack you for the anise" and could kill you , I even took a milk jug with a cap to urinate in and dont even blink an eye.....

Scouting is the big thing. Got to find an area where they feed and then look for trails back into the thick stuff. The find a good spot for your bait sight in between. Good area would be a thicket with a few open areas, so you can see the bears when they get close to the bait but also give them a sense of security because the bait is not in the wide open. Along a normally used trail is the easiest bet, take advantage of their usual movements. Good Luck.