Thanks again, I really appreciate it. I didn’t know bears could do things like that. I’m glad I got my bait container chained to a tree.

Still, they might be able to take some stuff out and drag it around. As for cleaning the bait site, I’ll check the regulations. I think you have to have the bait and the bait container out of the site no more than seven days after the hunt. I’ll check.

Bears are incredibly strong and powerful,. even SMALL bears can move heavy things you and I cannot!
you would be surprised how well they can throw about a 55 gallon drum even a FILLED one weight a few hundred lbs,
so, a barrel even chained will get bounced about at times if they want to try and steal it, and BEARS LOVE taking things from bait sites to eat else where, where they feel safer!


maybe some video's for you to watch, ton's out there that can show you what THEY do to be successful baiting and building a bait site and how often to check and so on



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s2cWf9P2HE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwsH-E5GjJw&feature=emb_title

Hey there, I just spoke to a friend of mine in north Idaho who is a bear hunter. He told me that he uses donuts and bacon grease for bait.

Fortunately, I have a lot of experience cooking, so I’m gonna be making a lot of donuts, and putting them in the bait barrel with some bacon grease. I’ll see what that does. By the way, there was activity up at the site. All the berry bushes were trampled, branches broken, berries picked clean. Nothing near my bait barrel though.

Yeah but everybody loves bacon. :D

used fry oil is also very popular, it has a lot of scent and the bears will eat it/drink it if they can get it!

and many times its FREE from smaller restaurants and burger shops

OK, I filled the bait barrel with some donuts. I also added some bacon grease. However, shortly after doing that, something interesting came up and I had to head home. Due to what came up, I won’t be able to bear hunt for about three days. Maybe it’s for the best, will take time for that bait site to get established and the scent to carry.

Jared

I’m having a lot of action at the bait site. However, whenever I’m there, nothing seems to be coming close.

I figured out what happened, though. I failed to cover up my scent.

Anybody have a good recommendation on how to cover my scent?

Use rubber gloves and boots for your bait setup. It doesn't completely eliminate your scent but it reduces it and may make it seem older than it is. Bears know what a picnic basket (bait station) is and where it comes from (people) but you still want to minimize your scent in the area. When you go back to hunt, wash your clothes in a hunting wash (not regular detergent) and line dry them so they don't have that dryer smell of anti-wrinkle sheets that your wife uses in the dryer. Store your clothes in a plastic bag so they don't pick up odors from your house. If you can, wear those rubber boots again. There are sprays you can use to minimize your scent (I believe some of the guys on here use those and can tell you more about them). Approach your hunting site from downwind and hopefully wait in a spot that covers or block sight of your movements. I don't hunt bears over bait so don't know all the ins and outs of it. Fortunately for you, some members do hunt bears over bait and a few even guide for it. They should be able to give you a lot more feedback but this little bit should hopefully get you closer to getting a bear. Best of luck.

I went up to the site today. Discovered some bear scat, and some other signs. My bait barrel was hit, there was a donut missing. I just got to figure out when they’re coming so I can meet them there.

Id post pictures, but my laptop is out of commission.

If you're seeing fresh scat, it sounds like how you're baiting is working. If you're not seeing any bears when you're hunting, maybe you need to minimize your scent on ingress to your hunting site. Do you have a trail cam you can setup to see what time the bears are checking out the site? 1 donut isn't a lot of food but with a game cam you can see what bears are coming in at what time and plan accordingly.