Bear baiting

ibow4it2 · Mar 14, 2013

Anyone have any pics of their "bait" site. The proclamation states the bait can't be contained in any metal, glass, porcelain, plastic, cardboard or paper. A lot of the videos I have watched have the bait in a 55 gallon either plastic or metal barrel which seems to keep the bears around without them grabbing the grub and leaving. Others I have seen are constructed of logs but it seems the bears grab whatever it is and then walk back into cover, sometimes not allowing enough time for a shot.

I have also heard of burning grease into the ground which supposedly keeps the smell around for quite awhile. Is this legal?

My son finally drew and just getting ready to try our luck with baiting. Just looking for ideas others have used to bait bears. Any comments suggestions would be appreciated. We will be hunting the Book Cliffs spring hunt.

HayZeus · Mar 14, 2013

I start out without a can and always use a dead calf that will rot and smell horrible. This always gets bears to the bait site. It usually brings coyotes and birds also and if they get to bad I put up a can. This stops them from stealing the bait. If you cant use a can then try bigger logs and branches that coyotes cant move. Its hard to keep other animals away without a barrel but coyotes are fun to shoot also. Once bears hit your bait dont slack on restocking it and try to stay punctual.
After the bears know where the free food is I stop feeding alot of protein. This helps keep the bears hungrier and they will come eat sooner when they know ive brought food in. I will use popcorn and canned biscuits that I deep fry and every other time I go I take a cake. I will mix up home made frosting and put on the cakes and dip the biscuits in it also. I still use some dog food and restaurant scraps to keep them interested but I never take in a whole lot of anything. This keeps them competing for the food and they seem to show up more in the day. I bait in the morning so they have all day to eat it. I found that baiting in the afternoon/evening they wait more for dark to come eat. If you have alot of bears hitting the bait they all try to be first in line. Throwing cooking oil on the ground will help bring other bears around when the bears hitting your bait track it off. I also occasionally make some bear crack or burn some honey right at the bait site and pour it all around. This can help keep them there longer for a good shot at them.
I put my camera right off the ground and have never had any problem with a bear destroying it but you need a bear box for it. Some people say you need it out of bears reach and never leave your scent around them. This is impossible with bears. The bears always know when youve been there and can climb anything. I put my tree stand 30 yards away and it seems to work very well.
The regulations are different in every state but youll figure out the best way to do it where you live. You just have to get out and do it. Good luck to you guys and I hope you have alot of fun and get what your after.

ibow4it2 · Mar 18, 2013

HayZeus,

Just wondering, do you using bailing wire or something to secure the calf to the tree or just hang it by a chain or something similar. It is 4+ hour drive to the unit we are hunting and I don't know if I can "regularly" bait it every couple of days. I realistically will only be able to replenish it once a week. With your expierence using a calf or something similar, how long will that last with one or more bears hitting the bait? Thanks again for the info.

HayZeus · Mar 18, 2013

I just use a chain to hang it. I wrap the whole tree with the chain and find a big branch to hang it from to keep it away from the tree so its a little harder for them to get. When the bears are real hungry they can eat it in one night and usually do when they first find it. They always eat the guts first and then the front end. The hind quarters seem to last longer because there harder to get off the chain. It really depends on how many bears you have hitting the bait as to how long it will last. You might try making a bear sucker. These can last a week or so and the bears love em. Once bears find your site they should stay fairly close. You dont need to bait every day but go as often as you can. I just bait every day because my kids and I like sitting in the stands watching the bears and there can be different ones every day. I suggest getting a trail cam so you know what time they are at your bait and its just awesome to get the pics of bears and whatever other animals come in.

gznokes · Mar 25, 2013

Hayzeus, you are legit! You have obviously thought a lot about this. Thanks for the tips. If you have any pics from your trail cams or even trophy shots it would be cool to see more.

lang · Mar 26, 2013

We never use the camera boxes and have found that if you stick it 7-8 ft up and aim it down they might tap at it, but are too lazy to rip it up when its that high. At a bears nose level they love to rip it off the tree in peices. Everything else above sounds spot on...one other thing that might help with limited baiting is sweet feed. We switched as compition for old bread heated up at our bakery. The grain lasts longer and they have to work to get the little crumbs after the bulk is gone, and if you're season is long enough we've had grass starts coming up by the end that they eat too.

ksherm · Mar 27, 2013

I drew a fall archery bear tag in Utah last year, but unfortunately I was not able to fill my tag. I can say I had an awesome time trying! Mama Bear and her tots, Pork and Chop would devour my bait station on a regular basis. She presented me with many opportunities for a shot, if only she would of been dry or male! My bait station was not elaborate by any means. I boxed it in on two sides with "extra" large logs and then covered it with various size logs and pine limbs. Of course moving those logs is nothing to a bear, but it does allow the hunter time to get a good shot and can be a distraction for the bear to any noise or movement the hunter makes. Every meal was like their last! They ate everything I fed them! Sardines are a great source of smell, but from what I saw bear have a serious sweet tooth! I've attached a couple pics of the fam on my bait. One piece of advice is to wear a head cam. My family and friends got hear hear some amazing stories and see some great pics, but curse me for not having any live video. Good luck to you guys!