Bear approaching bait

[running&gunning]

This baiting is all new to me.  So this might be a dumb question.  As a general rule what direction does the bear aproach the bait.  Doers they circle down wind or approach from behind the bait?  I have trails coming from behind the bait amd I have a good trail coming up wind of the bait.  No good trails coming from down wind.  The best trail is coming upwind.  I find pieces of food and alot of bear scat on this trail. I was thinking of moving the bait back down the upwind trail 60 yard to the egde of the thick woods.  The down wind side is and old dried up swamp.  How far away and how high do you usually place your stand.(rifle hunting).  Any info anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.  I bait everyday in the mornig.  and everday they eat everything.  When it becomes time to hunt  People say the bear waits for you to leave then hits the bait.  If thats the case how do you get in to hunt them.  I also heard to never take anyone in with you( which i have not). because they get used to your scent.  I where the same clothes in everyday when i rebait.  When is comes time to hunt.  do put the bait scent on my clothes or do I where my scentloc and go in totally scentless.  these questuion might sound dumb but I had to ask.  Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Kathy-Fish River Lodge]

No question is dumb if you are trying to learn.  Our bear come in one trail and usually leave by another.  I put string or yarn across the trails to see where they come in and leave.  You tie one end to a branch and drape the string across the trail.  When the bear comes in or leaves he brushes the string with his body and carries it in the direction he is traveling.  I sometimes have four or five strings around a bait.  They do not always come in and leave the same way.  I always wear rubber boots and Jim and I do our own baits.  He makes different noises than I do and the bear gets used to it.  Don't ever believe that this makes the bear any less dangerous.  If they start to hit the bait during the night, skip a day or bait earlier.  We sometimes swap buckets to put the smell of another bear on the site.  This will make a boar very attentive.  Our woods are so think that upwind and downwind sometimes mean nothing.  Try the string, it really give you an idea of where they are coming in.  Hunt safe.

[Rmouleart]

String works well, but I think a timmers work much better, gives you time/date and sometimes direction, there are affordable timers to be had, of course there is those fancy ones that take pictures as well, I just use the cheap timers, No big loss if someone steals them;) Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

[Daveinthebush]

In my limited bear hunting I have seen them come every which way.  It never seemed to matter and trails were everywhere.  If you want them to come in only one direction place logs across trails and move the bears to where you want them.  We also use barrels with 6 to 10, 1/2-3/4 dia holes in them and dog food.  That way the bears have to play with the drum chained to a tree to get the food to roll out.  They learn fast.

The biggest bore will come in like a train because he is not afraid of anything in the woods.  Boo boo bears will be skitish in my neck of the woods because they are food too.