Baiting season

[jk3006]

Got two baits established today in two separate towns.  Not getting my hopes up too much, but definitely excited.  Decided this time to go with a lot of bait once a week.  See what happens.      

[Redhawk1]

Once you get a bear to hit a bait, you need to keep it up on a daily basis to keep the bear coming back.  I wish you good luck in getting a bear. 

[bearfat]

Minnesota law allows me to set up a pre-season test site and then as long as I'm 100 yards away after that I can set up an actual bait station. I set out some test "slurry jugs" and based on the results below set up the bait station after August 17th.

My partner and I both have active sites but keeping them active is the key. I've got a good donut supply this year and have made two motorcyle runs with donuts so far. The price of gas is too much for a weekly truck run of 460 miles round trip.




The KLR packed with donuts...maybe 40-50 pounds I guess. Lake Superior just out of Duluth MN in background.

[jk3006]

That's a sweet set-up.  I take it you do the motorcycle run twice/week, or is it once/week? 

On another note, I checked my two baits today after having started them last Friday.  Both were hit.  The piece of crap 35mm camera on one pile didn't give me any good pictures (uuuuuggggghhhhh), and the other pile only had night-time bears.  I have to quite baiting there.  It's a waste of my time.  I haven't had any luck on said pile in three years (all nocturnal).  There's another guy baiting less than .5 mile from me, and he's got a monopoly on those suckers.  I know there's plenty of bears in the area, and he shoots a big one almost every year. 

All the rain we got this last week really made it hard on the baits.  I'm planning on checking them/rebaiting next Friday right before the opener. 

[bearfat]

I'm only baiting once a week.

Night feeders and rain turning your bait to mush I know what you mean. That's interesting about the night feeders in that one spot. Tough to break them of that very safe habit.

The only advice I'd say with a night feeder is I have started very slow cooking bacon (sometimes right in the tree stand) around 4 p.m and shut it down around 6 pm. or one hour before sundown.

It's worked on some to drive them nuts and throw caution to the wind and come in early.

I'm going up to check and restock my bait station again on Sunday or Monday. I'll report back.

[billy_56081]

   One week to go.