HuntingNet.com Forums - Baiting, love it or hate it, this is how I do it.

This post is for everyone thinking about, or currently baiting bear. You may or may not pick up some tips, or new tricks to try. I hope others will add more tips, tricks, or methods to this thread. Good luck to all the bear hunters, this season.

First, I have to find a place to put the bait. This for me, is trial and error. I like to get back into the thick stuff, but yet, somewhere that is readily accessible for an ATV. I want to be in and out. Carrying the bait to the site would be hard, and well, scary. This is also allows me to drive the wheeler so they hear it coming in, and hear it going out. It's like a dinner bell. When I come to hunt, I drive it in, then drive it out, and then walk to my stand.

When I find a place I want to set up a bait, the first thing I do is build a "back drop" around a tree I want my bait butted up against. I stack various logs and what not directly in back, and on both sides of my site. I want that bear broadside/quartering away when he is mowing away. Too many times I've heard horror stories of the bear eating behind, or side of the bait, and not presenting a shot. For the backdrop, I like to use lighter color, or white trees. Birch and poplar work well for this. It really "lights" up the bait, and in low light shooting conditions can make you or break you. The bear is BLACK (usually) and hard to see the way it is, especially for you old timers:D

After the back drop is built, I dig out a little "inside" the back drop, and up against the tree. I do this to get the bait "down" a little. And also, to get a look at some of the prints the bear leaves. Then, I dump in an assortment of goodies (the hard stuff): Jelly doughnuts, candy gummys, Ho ho's, cake rolls, sweet corn, oats, barely ect. (basically what I can get my hands on from various places). It is esential, I've learned, to break up the bait asmuch as possible.You want them to stay THERE and eat, not agrab and go deal.I start with a lot, and work my way down on the amount of bait, it creates competition, and first come, first serve. I don't want them turning nocturnal, and too much bait will often do that. I rarley use any meat, but if I do its minimal, and I really cut it up. "Only ~17% of a black bears diet is meat -Mike Antonson". If you start to notice white, runny bear scat, stop using so many "sweets" (and bait in general). It is upsetting the bears stomach, and they will be turned off.

Also, it is esential that if you get maggots in you're bait (from the meat) DIG IT OUT. If it gets wet, and sloppy, DIG IT OUT. If it starts becoming one giant clump, DIG IT OUT (or break it up) and start FRESH.

Next I begin to collect logs for covering. Generally I use ~5 footers and stack them, covering the whole bait. Again, I like birch or poplars for the same reasoning above. I cover it good enough that only (generally) a bear can get into it. I want to KNOW a BEAR hit it, and not something else (coons). After she is covered up, I go find a log ~6' and put it perpendicular to the bait, this gives me an idea on how long the bear is.

After I have my primary bait established, I begin scent dispensing. I save all the grease my family uses throughout the year, and dump it into a big jar. I heat it up, and dump it on the covering logs. Then, I take some hickory smoke scent and walk North, south, east, and west of my bait covering all the foliage in every direction. When a bear comes in (no matter what direction) he/she will pick up some of the scent on him/her and carry the scent to other bears. Next, with the same hickory smoke scent, I soak down four of five sections of a towel. I then find a couple young trees, bend them over, tie them on the top and let her flop back up. These scent rags will hold the scent much longer than just spraying the foliage.

The last thing I do is set up my secret weapon, which is just a "scent ball" http://www.bearscents.com/scentball.html this is a bear hunters best friend. It's an 18 lb ball (almost like a bowling ball) that is held by a net. You string it from tree to tree or hang it anywhere. As the sun, or rain hits it, it slowly dissolves and drips onto the ground. I opened the bucket when I first got it, last year. My first thought, holy balls (pun intended). I use the "wild berry" ball, but it comes in many different "flavors".

However you choose to bait, IMO it is ESENTIAL to do it the SAME WAY every time. The bear get used to it, that is what you want. I've learned that when you change up baiting times, or ways of going about it, the bears will change too. Often, for the worse.

Good luck, Bear Hunters.