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I going to start bear hunting this year and I was planing on setting out a few bait piles. I was thinking about starting the piles when they come out of hibernation. My question is when do they usually come out. I already know whare they go through and live on a yearly basis. Is there anything else I should know about?

hi andy, just curious, do you live in maine? i have read a few of your other posts, and get the feeling that's where you live. if so, baiting in maine is not legal to do until 30 days prior to the season, and if not, i would still check with authorities first. in vermont, it isn't legal to do, not even in the middle of summer for the purpose of taking a good picture. i don't think most baiters bait as long as you are talking, either, but they can answer better on that than i can. you also have to have name, address, etc on your bait site, among other requirements, if you are in maine.

First of all-follow all the rules your DNR put out. Type bait is sometimes regulated-container, hole what ever. I have baited many years (not anymore). Keep your bait small so the Bear cannot carry it away to feed somewhere else. Keep your bait covered so smaller animals do not clean it up-I cover with evergreens & a few logs (only bear can tip it over). we were allowed to use fish so our mix was pastry & fish (fresh and ripe) & we had access to this free of charge. We started our 1st baiting with a large amount & when we went back in a week to check IF it had been hit we replenished with a smaller amount & bait around noon. This will help you regulate when the Bear gets used to knowing WHEN the food is available & he will come often to check & will help keep him only feeding at night (it happens-especially with a BIG Bear). You won't have to worry about your scent IF you are the hunter as he is already (or should be) used to it. Boars travel a large area in the spring looking for females so if he hits today you may not see him again for a week. Put your stand so you can come into it without going to or past your bait. We check our baits larte morning (9-10) & IF it is not hit you know the bear is NOT coming thru the night or early morning(thats what you want). Then you just hunt the afternoon. IF it is hit when you show up in the AM & you were there till dark the night b/4 you know he is a night feeder or morning-then you gotta sit ALL day. I have 2 P&Y Bears-missed 2 P&Y Bears & passed on 7 other Bears VERY CLOSE. I have also spent a week with NOT SEEING one also. Good Luck and FOLLOW THE RULES of your DNR....

Thank you for the responses. I do live in maine, like you mentioned vtbuckrulrss. I didnt know there were any special times to start baiting for bear in the laws. Before I start I am going to check out all the laws on what Im doing. I have noticed if a gamewarden in a bad mood wants to give you a hard time it helps to know what you are talking about.

Hunter55, you say that you bait. I was wondering what kind of fish you used. I am good friends with the lady that runs our local dunkin donuts and she sells the waste donuts. I figured that would cover the sweets department.

andy, i have a guide friend that lives in Edmunds, and what he uses depends upon what each individual bear likes. he uses molasses, licorice, peanut hearts, snack cakes, anise oil, some, but not too much corn, marshmellos, mostly sweets. he and others in maine that he has spoken with, do not use fish or meat( the bears just haven't cared for the stuff), but he has had success with fryerlator grease. for some reason, his bears go for the sweet stuff. pay close attention to what each likes; while helping him to rebait, he pointed out how a particular bear had been in, and he knew this because the bear had picked out the peanut hearts, and left them in a nice pile, untouched! also, he leaves on the snack wrappers, when the bear goes to the bathroom, he can see that this bear has come to the site before because it passes through. he also does not start baiting untill the middle of august, or later. i think that he could have started, for instance, last year around july 29, but at that time of year, he feels there is just too much natural food in the area. start with grease, end with sweets.

We got suckers from a commercial fisherman. Some bears do get picky BUT wherever we baited-you are not allowed to leave anything in wrappers. If you have a variety-they will always come back once they know & no one is around to bother tham.. good Luck. I don't think (my opinion)I have ever had a Bear come to a bait that DID NOT KNOW the HUMANE was present.

I really don't think you can until the season starts. but it all depends where you live so you go with what you found out

I just moved to Idaho a couple of months ago, I know that in Washington it is illegal to bait bear, but does anybody know the law on bear baiting in Idaho? Thanks in advance!

Where I have hunted many times in Canada, the outfitter starts baiting about two weeks before season. We alwaya hunt the fall hunt.

you can bait bears in idaho, just not before the season,, and all evidence has to be removed at the end of the season. been lookin into it this year, think i might give it a try. shot one last year called it in with my cow call on accident, but i had a tag anyways.

This is from an article I wrote years ago. Might help. I run a guide service here in Maine. We took 31 bear last season. I love the hunt.

A look at the past season

According to the Research and Management report, published by the IF&W, last year was another banner year for bear hunting here in the state. The total harvest was 3,951 and that exceeded the previous year (3,483) by 13%. Over the past decade the bear harvest has increased every year, from 1,825 to the present 3,951. The department attributes this success to an ample supply of beechnuts and berry fields. Although it should be noted that even in years that have had scarce food supplies, the bear harvest has still increased. One reason biologist cite for this is a bear’s foraging habits. Most bears are killed during the first two weeks of the baiting season. However, bears do the bulk of their weight gain in October. Meaning that the effects of the mass crops are not felt by the bear population until after the majority of hunting is over.

With the steady increase in the harvest, you might begin to wonder what will the future of bear hunting be? Last year about 10,000 permit were purchased for the fall baiting season. About 35% of those hunters were successful. This is an incredible success rate; second only to Moose and road hunting for grouse. According to IF&W biologists, this success level does not pose a problem to bear management. The desired population level for the state is 21,000 and the current population is estimated at over 23,000 animals. The early season harvest is once again expected to be high. Over the past several year the state has had abundant food supplies in the month of October and this has lead to heavier females higher birth rates. However, this season is expected to yield a low October food source and late season bear numbers are projected to be down. In short, less bears are likely to be taken during the gun season on deer because the bears will den up early if the food becomes short in supply.

Alright, you are now experienced and know the ways of baiting (or you read last year’s column). Now you need to find some bears to feed {and I don’t mean that 400lb color phase down in Grey). The first place you need to start looking is on the map. Get some topo maps of the area you intend on hunting. There are two types of areas you need to concentrate on . The first is mass crops. Bears stay near where the food is. If you have a large area covered with beechnuts, you probably have a bear near by. Look for crops like corn and berry fields. Blue berry field can be a bit tricky. If there are lots of blue berries and they are easily accesible it may be difficult to get a bear to hit your bait. It is like trying to get a tuna to hit my one mackerel down 20 fathoms, when he is busting through a school of 5,000 herring on the surface. If you are in area where some of the field has been recently cleared or burned, set up in the adjacent woods. Your bait is more likely to be the best choice on the menu. The second little tip for mass crops is to, as the fly fisherman say, “match the hatch.” If you are off a blue berry field, don’t use raspberry jelly.
Spread some blue berry jam on the trees of your bait site at different heights. This will do two things. One it will give you and an idea how large the bears are that are coming into your site. Secondly, it may give the hunter a better shot on the animal when the season begins. As the bear stretches for the jam, the shoulder will come forward and expose the vitals.

The second high percentage spot for locating bears is in low lying areas. Look for a stream or bog at the bases of a mountain. These are areas that bear like to live. Mossy areas offer the bear a place to stay cool during the summer and fall. The food sources are not usually as abundant in these areas and baiting has a good chance of luring out larger bears. Find the transition zone where the marsh or thick vegetation changes to hard woods or more open terrain. This is where to set your bait. If the site is too exposed, you are out of the bear’s comfort zone and not likely to have the bait hit during daylight hours. Locating bears in these areas can be a bit more challenging than the food crops. The bear are feeding less and as a result leaving less tell tale scat. I look for dried up puddles that may have a print in them. Also, check the edge of the bog or any wetland area that may leave a print. Tracks are you best indicator of bears in this type of terrain.

Chris Cobbett is a Registered Maine Guide and staff writer. Chris is part owner of the Outdoor Adventure Co. He resides in Norway with his wife Miranda and two-year old son Dylan. [email protected]

Hey Chris, thanks for the responce. I never thought i have friends that own a couple of bluberry feilds and dont hunt so I might take a chance out there.

can someone tell me if a honey burn will work in maine..thank you
loyce

There is a much bigger issue in Maine right now, it is not a question of where you can bait or what the rules are but rather is there any future in it at all. In case hunters reading this are not aware of what is going on in Maine please take a few miuets and read this post.
This November the people of Maine will be faced with a referendum question that will outlaw bear hunting over bait, with dogs and trapping. This referendum is being brought to Maine by the US Human Society anf the Friends of Animals, based out of Falmouth Maine and headed up by a guy named Robert Fisk. This is a huge and serious concern for all hunters in Maine. Here are some of the facts. This referendum is on the ballot during an election year, that is no accident. 91% of the money to fund thier effort is from out of state and they have deep pockets. Here is the real issues. 1) Should public opinion be used to make policy to controll the bear population in Maine. Currently we have the best bear biologist in the country. If they win and bear baiting is banned we will see a serious rise in the bear population in Maine and all the problem associated with it with no way to remedy it. 2) if they win, Maine will loose 10 million in revenue income that come from the hunting season. This is a poor state, the out of state money funding this initiative doen't care who looses a job in this state, they only want to end all hunting and will chip away at it one species at a time. So I don't right a book on this here is what I will ask everyone in the hunting community to do. Please go on line to The Sportsman Alliance of Maine web site and the Dpartment of Inland fisheries and Wildlife and read all the information regarding this upcoming referendum. They update the sites often as new information is available. Finally, try to get organizations to help us in this fight. We need money and support. States can no longer be expected to act alone on these issues, we need to ban together, we are a much stronger group collectivly than when we stand alone. The Sportsman Alliance can give a list of supporters from across the country, and the list is growing. The bottom line is, these anti hunting groups have national support and tend to focus one state at a time and dump everything they have into that one state. We need your help to fight back. If we loose the bear hunt in Maine, they will back to ban someother form of Hunting. Thaks for taking the time to read this, Please check the SAM web site and try to help.

Please check out my signature link below. It has the links to sites for information on this anti hunting referendum.