Baiting bears
- Thread starter Twabbis
- Start date
Buccsboy55
Active Member
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Use logs to build a crib
huntinfanatic
Active Member
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- 777
Like buc said use logs. Place the logs in a V formation to get the bears to hit the bait at the angle that works best for your blind or stand placement.
snoodafruff
Member
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- 94
First off congrats on the best bear tag in the state!! (IMO) You are in for a heck of a fun hunt. I drew San Juan 7 or 8 years ago & have helped 3 friends since then in your same unit. We all were fortunate enough to take pope & young bears over the same bait spot & out of the same tree stand.....It's SUCH a rush!
You have been given some excellent advice so far. A few things I would add, put the bait right up in the "V". Pile it right on the ground. Plan on setting your bait at least one week prior to your hunt.....2 weeks if you're able to. That will give them plenty of time to find it (even though you will probably have bears show up the day you set it...couple days tops) Depending on where you live, it's a LONG drive down there so take a TON of bait!....especially if your only making one baiting trip down before your hunt. Once your bait is on the ground you may want to pile some logs on top of the pile so the bears have to "work" to get to the goodies. Limit the amount of human scent around the bait once it is set & especially when your hunting over it. Re-stock the bait as needed to keep them coming, but be deliberate & quick in doing so. Do what you got to do to re-stock & get out of there.
Only hunt the afternoons. Stay in the stand until dark. You will most likely get your shot during the last hour of light. Be patient in taking a good clean (close) shot. Wait for his head to be buried in food & his front leg to be forward. Keep that arrow away from his shoulder. Also, the weather down there can be REALLY nasty & the roads SUUUCK when an inch or more of water falls. We dealt with the worst of the worst weather I've EVER experienced 2 of the 4 hunts. Goods news is the roads do dry out fairly quickly, but don't get yourself in a bad situation pushing your luck with mother nature. She can be ruthless down there!
I'm hoping and looking forward to you (hopefully) keeping us in the loop on your adventure. I thought for sure I would be down there again this year helping out a friend I thought was going to draw (I think he had 8 or 9, maybe 10 points going into this years draw), but luck was not on his side. Is this your first bear hunt?
You have been given some excellent advice so far. A few things I would add, put the bait right up in the "V". Pile it right on the ground. Plan on setting your bait at least one week prior to your hunt.....2 weeks if you're able to. That will give them plenty of time to find it (even though you will probably have bears show up the day you set it...couple days tops) Depending on where you live, it's a LONG drive down there so take a TON of bait!....especially if your only making one baiting trip down before your hunt. Once your bait is on the ground you may want to pile some logs on top of the pile so the bears have to "work" to get to the goodies. Limit the amount of human scent around the bait once it is set & especially when your hunting over it. Re-stock the bait as needed to keep them coming, but be deliberate & quick in doing so. Do what you got to do to re-stock & get out of there.
Only hunt the afternoons. Stay in the stand until dark. You will most likely get your shot during the last hour of light. Be patient in taking a good clean (close) shot. Wait for his head to be buried in food & his front leg to be forward. Keep that arrow away from his shoulder. Also, the weather down there can be REALLY nasty & the roads SUUUCK when an inch or more of water falls. We dealt with the worst of the worst weather I've EVER experienced 2 of the 4 hunts. Goods news is the roads do dry out fairly quickly, but don't get yourself in a bad situation pushing your luck with mother nature. She can be ruthless down there!
I'm hoping and looking forward to you (hopefully) keeping us in the loop on your adventure. I thought for sure I would be down there again this year helping out a friend I thought was going to draw (I think he had 8 or 9, maybe 10 points going into this years draw), but luck was not on his side. Is this your first bear hunt?
Snood, thanks for all the info! I actually live down here in Monticello so I'm planning on having bait out the first day it's legal. I've helped quite a few people on the spot and stalk hunt but this will be my first baiting experience, which I'm pretty excited about! Did you use tree stands? I have one but I have a hard time with them because I hate heights! I could do it but what do you think about hunting from a ground blind?
snoodafruff
Member
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- 94
Twabbis,
Yes we hunted from treestands. I do think a treestand is the better of the 2 options, but if you're not comfortable in a tree a ground blind will work fine. You just need to plan for the prevailing wind.
The day after I bought my double bull ground blind to hunt turkeys, my friend had a north slope bear tag & it happened to be the last of his hunt. He talked me into going for the last afternoons hunt. So we tried out my new blind & sure enough, he arrowed a dandy blonde bear from 30 yards 45 minutes before dark. So yes ground blinds definitely work.
Yes we hunted from treestands. I do think a treestand is the better of the 2 options, but if you're not comfortable in a tree a ground blind will work fine. You just need to plan for the prevailing wind.
The day after I bought my double bull ground blind to hunt turkeys, my friend had a north slope bear tag & it happened to be the last of his hunt. He talked me into going for the last afternoons hunt. So we tried out my new blind & sure enough, he arrowed a dandy blonde bear from 30 yards 45 minutes before dark. So yes ground blinds definitely work.
a good thing about grease is: when they leave and its on their feet....they leave a trail right to your bait for other bears to follow. Main thing is don't let your bait go dry...always keep something for them to eat. Different bears like different foods. Good luck and yes keep us updated on your hunt
>a good thing about grease is:
>when they leave and its
>on their feet....they leave a
>trail right to your bait
>for other bears to follow.
>Main thing is don't let
>your bait go dry...always keep
>something for them to eat.
>Different bears like different foods.
>Good luck and yes keep
>us updated on your hunt
>
How much bait do you normally put out? I know it would depend on how many bears are hitting it but if I put 200 pounds of bait would that generally last a week?
>when they leave and its
>on their feet....they leave a
>trail right to your bait
>for other bears to follow.
>Main thing is don't let
>your bait go dry...always keep
>something for them to eat.
>Different bears like different foods.
>Good luck and yes keep
>us updated on your hunt
>
How much bait do you normally put out? I know it would depend on how many bears are hitting it but if I put 200 pounds of bait would that generally last a week?
Gator
Long Time Member
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- 18,131
You have to make them work for it, so they stay around the bait station a long time if they can get a lot of it at once they will grab and run, Make your log bait station with good logs no gaps between the logs and tie/screw/nail/lag them so they can't be pull it apart, Cut some reach in spots in the log wall, Cover the top and then put a hole in the top that you can put your bait thru. You want them to feel safe so put in some cover and have your shooting lanes cut before hand.
Old pastries, Dog food, fish or fish scent, bread, syrup, Molasses ,Grease, barley and corn soaked in 55 gallon barrel with water for a week to 10 days until it starts to smell really good. Different area use different things BUT if you are close to a large bakery that is a ticket for putting out bulk sweets.
Good luck
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
Old pastries, Dog food, fish or fish scent, bread, syrup, Molasses ,Grease, barley and corn soaked in 55 gallon barrel with water for a week to 10 days until it starts to smell really good. Different area use different things BUT if you are close to a large bakery that is a ticket for putting out bulk sweets.
Good luck
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
lang
Active Member
- Messages
- 374
200 lbs might last a week at first, but once you get several bears hitting it goes quick. It gets expensive in a hurry, but more trips with less bait seems to increase competition between bears. We found that mixing sweet feed is important to make stuff last as they have to work more and they can't drag any of it off. Then after a few weeks you'll even get new green sprouts they will eat from.
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