Author Topic: What is the best bait? (Read 2809 times)

redfox33 · « **on:** September 11, 2006, 08:27:02 AM »

It is legal to bait for black bears on private property where I'm from. My cousin and I are planning on making a bait pile where we have seen bear sign on his place. Right now we are thinking of corn mixed with molasses in a 3'x3' hole and a friend of mine runs a catfish restaurant and is giving us the used grease from the deep frier. All this along with 'Bear Bait' squirted on the tree bark of some surrounding trees. Is this good or am I missing something and how often do I need to re-bait to keep them comming back? We're mainly whitetail hunters but decided to switch gears when our corn feeders kept getting torn into.

NYHunter · « **Reply #1 on:** September 11, 2006, 09:09:28 PM »

You need something that really smells to initially bring them to your bait. Like a real ripe road kill. Once you've got them coming in, go to the sweets. Out dated pastries, doughnuts are very good, cakes with icing. The molasses and grease is good but the sweets will bring the bear back most everyday. Wear rubber boots, leave as little scent as possible. The same person should freshen up the bait on a daily basis. Again, you will leave some scent, but as long as it's the same scent every day the bear will tolerate it. This is very important too. Different scents could spook them.[/b]You should have you stands in place also so the bear gets comfortable if he sees it.

Good luck.

tundragriz · « **Reply #2 on:** September 12, 2006, 12:31:22 PM »

You have an ideal set-up if they are hitting the corn stores. Turn the corn into popcorn, flavor it with bacon grease or anise oil or both. It is easy to transport, bear have to sit down for a long time to eat it.

bearfat · « **Reply #3 on:** September 13, 2006, 12:55:29 AM »

I did OK with Old Roy dog food (Walmart) with lots of chocolate and pancake syrup or fryer grease on it. I rotated sweet one week (syrup) and sour (grease) the next. But always used donuts and marshmallows with the dog food. They love donuts!!!

Provide a rain cover though so your stuff doesn't get pounded down by the rain into the ground.

bearfat · « **Reply #4 on:** September 13, 2006, 01:22:16 AM »

Have attached thumbnail of a donut sled under a rain cover with a bacon cooker hanging above it all.

Bacon cooker just a small can jury rigged inside a coffee can with a slow burning teal candle at bottom. It slow cooks the bacon. I was pulling the cooker back up to me periodically in tree stand (via small pulley quietly) to check bacon or candle and sample the bacon too.

A bacon burn will usually bring in a night feeder early. They can't take the smell of the bacon in the air and throw caution to the wind. You can burn honey too. One little old teal candle all you need about one inch from bottom of the pot your bacon or honey in. I did not provide any air holes in bottom, the candle burned just fine and wind can't blow it out that way. The teal candle will burn about 3-4 hrs.

corbanzo · « **Reply #5 on:** September 13, 2006, 08:48:01 AM »

I would also recommened when you use something sweet and sticky like jelly or honey, and rub it all over a log or rock, whatever is right there with your bait station. that will keep them concentrated on just sitting there and licking the bait, without paying attention to much else around them, gives you an easy shot. Works the same with grease in its solid state. But like the other guys said, something stiiiiiiiiiiiinky to get them to the spot in the first place.

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 13, 2006, 09:48:31 AM »

burned bacon grease in a grease tube along with fryer oil is killer, we normally use "sweet feed" horse feed along with molases and syrup. We have to stay away from the meat baits because of the brown bears. Donuts and stuff work good, so does the pop corn but its harder to transport out to most of our baits. Another thing we will commonly do is take a rotten log and just soak it with honey, syrup and molases, they will tear it apart for hours to get the good stuf out of it. You can also drill some large holes in some dead logs and pack it full of marshmallows and candy, they will sit with thier mouth to the log trying to lick it all out. Skittles are alos pretty good bait, we normally set them on little crossed nails. The funny part is that the bear will commonly eat all of one color first before switching to the other colors.

bearfat · « **Reply #7 on:** September 13, 2006, 10:28:44 AM »

Excellent suggestions Thebear 78. Going to try them next time.

Yes they do seem almost like a human at a buffet picking and choosing what they like and don't like. In that aspect I suppose many items we are recommending to redfox33 his bears simply may not like.

I did do some experimenting with "slurry jugs." Gallon jugs stuffed with marhmallow and powered sugar and small amount of water. I hung them about a foot or two off the ground. They seemeed to really enjoy chomping and licking the jug, although the week before the hunt I dropped two big old five gal slurry jugs and for some reason they were hauled away without a trace.

redfox33 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 14, 2006, 04:39:40 AM »

The locals around here are saying just keep feeding them plain corn since their already hitting that. Some others have said that once the season opens (Oct 1st) for some reason they don't hit the corn as regular. That's why I came here. To look and find new ideas and ways of keeping them around and this is really great stuff and good ideas.

bearfat- on your "slurry jugs" do you punch holes in the bottom or just leave the lid off? Also I don't mean to sound stupid but what is "a slow burning teal candle"? Is it a small teal colored unscented candle? Cause I really like the bacon cooker idea. For that though do you have to set them up beforehand with bacon grease or strips of bacon or both so they know what they're coming to and won't hesitate as much?

huntmdown · « **Reply #9 on:** September 14, 2006, 05:41:02 AM »

redfox33,
Everything the gang has listed on this thread works great! Have you used any bear lures? Check http://www.huntmdown.com/BearHuntingSupplies.html

redfox33 · « **Reply #10 on:** September 14, 2006, 06:46:16 AM »

I have a bottle of 'Bear Bait' that I squirted on and in the holes of a dead tree (still standing). Forgot to mention we set up the bait site yesterday. Used corn mixed with molasses with leftover cupcakes, gummi bears and Bday cake (daughters Bday and man I love parties). Then we poured a grease trail, maybe 20 yds, from the creek to the bait site and poured the rest of the it around the bait site and on piled up dead tree limbs. With pouring it around the bait site and then them walking through it and leaving with a scent trail for other bears to smell might be good to draw others in as well.

huntmdown - What lures do you suggest?? I'm kinda thinking about a candle - sow & bacon with a sow call along with the bait. What do the rest of ya'll think?

flintlock · « **Reply #11 on:** September 14, 2006, 07:22:26 AM »

red...Since you are also whitetail hunters, I would also put deer carcasses there...We aren't allowed to bait here in NC...But I know this is done....

huntmdown · « **Reply #12 on:** September 14, 2006, 09:27:12 AM »

That's awesome!

Quote from: redfox33 on September 14, 2006, 06:46:16 AM

huntmdown - What lures do you suggest?? I'm kinda thinking about a candle - sow & bacon with a sow call along with the bait. What do the rest of ya'll think?

If you go with the value pak you can't go wrong cause you get an assortment here's the link: http://www.huntmdown.com/BearHuntingSupplies.html or if you just want to try one get the Bacon with Sow-in-Heat Urine @ http://www.huntmdown.com/BearCandles.html Fllies off the shelf every week!

bearfat · « **Reply #13 on:** September 14, 2006, 09:27:54 AM »

bearfat- on your "slurry jugs" do you punch holes in the bottom or just leave the lid off? Also I don't mean to sound stupid but what is "a slow burning teal candle"? Is it a small teal colored unscented candle? Cause I really like the bacon cooker idea. For that though do you have to set them up beforehand with bacon grease or strips of bacon or both so they know what they're coming to and won't hesitate as much?

Quote

Half way up jug or so. See thumbnail if it attached.
Teal candle is the cheapest little white wax candle you can buy, about the size of a half dollar, sits in it's own litttle metal foil holder. You can buy them by the bag for a few dollars. (Walmart)
I use bacon strips and I only slow cook the bacon while I'm there. Don't want a forest fire on my hands and it's primarily to convince the night feeders to come in early.

If you look under my bear picture to left is a small little earth icon. It goes to my web site and at bottom of my home page hit the word "BEAR". I got too much video on the page and am reworking it but give it a minute to settle down and view the pictures and or video. I ain't selling nothing, not that there is anything wrong with that, the site is just about hunting in MN and stuff.

redfox33 · « **Reply #14 on:** September 14, 2006, 09:54:50 AM »

bearfat - I love the "slurry jugs". They look like they would be awesome. As far as the bacon I meant did you take old bacon grease or bacon you cooked at home to the bait site to prep them for when you cooked it while you were there. Also the website is AWESOME!!!!

bearfat · « **Reply #15 on:** September 14, 2006, 10:35:10 AM »

The bacon was still in the package. I cut it in half, and tossed it in the cooker. You want a tall inner can though so you don't slop the bacon grease out and put your candle out or worst case scenerio flame up.

Those little short fat teal candles cook just right one inch or so from bottom of your cooker. I did use two experimenting but it's too hot and burns the bacon to bottom of your cooker. Your better off with too much bacon in the cooker than too little.

When or if you stir the bacon use a wood stick or dowel. You don't want a metallic noise to alert Yogi. I rigged my cookers up on little pulleys (oiled lightly so no squeaking) and I'm honest about eating the bacon in my stand once it was cooked. As you can see I'm called bearfat for a reason.

One thing about scent that may sound strange. When I was dropping off bait I urinated all over the place to get Yogi used to my scent, although during the hunt I did not urinate on ground but had a empty milkjug in the stand. I also left my old stinky t-shirts every time draped on my tree spikes going up into the stand too to get Yogi used to my scent as being OK. I suppose it could spook some bears but it seemed to be Ok with the ones we taken.

You mentioned the corn and comments about the bears slacking off the corn. That's exactly what happened to my partner. He used shelled corn and sugar primarily. They hit it really hard for a month going thru 55 gal drum of corn a week; come the week before opener, his bait site all but shut down. Only thing they took from him then were the few peanut butter sandwhiches he put out.

huntmdown · « **Reply #16 on:** September 14, 2006, 11:50:36 AM »

That looks like an awesome setup you got going there!

bearfat · « **Reply #17 on:** September 15, 2006, 01:12:35 AM »

huntmdown you got some stuff I'll be needing...wow!!!! Lots of scents!!! The beaver meat caught my eye, heck they all did.

Here's my question:

I'm looking to scent an area all year. Sometimes I'll have bait, most times not. I just want the critters to make the area sort of a "favorite scent bar" or a "must stop and smell" area as they wander their routine paths. I've heard in the fall a bear will travel back to an area where they had found meat in the spring. Basically the article was recommending placing bait out in the spring to rebait in the fall to get return customers. Comments?

huntmdown · « **Reply #18 on:** September 15, 2006, 05:20:40 AM »

bearfat,
Yep, that is correct! Send your inquiry using the customer question link and Jim & Steve will share their personal asenal's. My personal favorite is the bear knockout by James Valley or the Bear Trailing Scent. Tghe value pak gives you an assortment is a great buy to determine what works best for your setup.

loaded4bear · « **Reply #19 on:** September 16, 2006, 06:50:28 PM »

For long-term scenting of an area, or for use between baiting trips, you might want to check out the "scent ball" from BearScents LLC.
http://www.bearscents.com/scentball.html

redfox33 · « **Reply #20 on:** September 18, 2006, 08:27:16 AM »

Well my cousin and I checked the bait site and it had already been hit. Just a little bit of corn left in the hole. I had my trail camera out and we took it back to his house and found two maybe three different bears. We couldn't tell if it was a different bear or not both were solid black and came at night but at different times. The first one came at 1:30 pm and again at 4:30 pm and he was a decent male (gave us a good view). I'll try to post pictures when we go back this weekend and get the camera. We put the camera back out and also baited again. "slurry jugs" , donuts, bread and syrup, sardines, bacon and more grease.

Can I expect them to be back around the same times or are they not as patterned as deer?

BearScat · « **Reply #21 on:** September 19, 2006, 05:04:42 AM »

redfox33,

It sounds like you are on the right track, you can never go wrong with the sweets. If nothing else you fatten em up more for someone else...One tip you may try is to take vanilla extract that you might find for baking and the like, its cheap and has a strong sweet smell. Pour it in a spray bottle that has a stream setting and shoot it into the surrounding trees. You can cover a large area relatively easy and place the vanilla high enough to send the scent a great distance in the breeze.

And yes...bears do sh@t in the woods...

huntmdown · « **Reply #22 on:** September 19, 2006, 08:58:07 AM »

bearfat,
I talk to Jim and he can answer all your questions on year around bait. Send me a PM for his e-mail address.

redfox33 · « **Reply #23 on:** September 28, 2006, 08:24:22 AM »

We have four different bears hitting the bait. There won't be anymore pictures. Apparently one of them didn't take to kindly of getting his picture made. It got the camera off the tree took it across the creek and left it in the brush covered in mud about 70 yds away as the crow flies. The camera still works but we might not be so lucky next time.

huntmdown - We put the bear knockout out. What's in that stuff!?!?!?!?!?!? That was one of the most vile smells I've ever encountered. I can see why they call it "knokout". My cousin was about 30 yds away behind some brush as I was smearing a little dab and within 20 seconds he caught wind of it in a very slight breeze.

Tried to attach photos then photo but it wouldn't let me, said upload folder was full. Someone please tell me how.

huntmdown · « **Reply #24 on:** September 29, 2006, 06:55:56 AM »

redfoxx33,

WTG on the bear hits! Did anyone help you with uploading pictures?

alaskacajun · « **Reply #25 on:** September 29, 2006, 11:29:39 AM »

At my job, my employer provides free donuts for our customers everyday. There are days when there are several left over. Instead of throwing them in the trash I save them in trash bags in a freezer in our warehouse. For a whole year I saved donuts last year and ended up with 5, 13 gallon trash bags of donuts..... Plus the guy who delivers the donuts brings me the grease about every other week which I mix with dog food and vanilla extract and anise..... Thats about all I use, aside from the odd fish head and/or bones!

- Clint

huntmdown · « **Reply #26 on:** October 01, 2006, 11:48:05 AM »

alaskacajun,
Sounds like you got some good connections there!

redfox33 · « **Reply #27 on:** October 01, 2006, 02:36:16 PM »

hutnmdown - No help yet on getting the pictures uploaded. Do you know how??

Took my bow on my first black bear hunt today. Saw one small one and had to let it go because we can only harvest one and I have my hopes set on a bigger one. If I can figure out how to upload the pictures I'll show ya'll what I passed on and what I'm holding out for.

curdog · « **Reply #28 on:** October 06, 2006, 07:21:13 AM »

if the bait needs to stink, my ex-wife would work,

nyhunter863 · « **Reply #29 on:** October 06, 2006, 08:16:24 AM »

I can't say that I have baited bears and know what will work, but me and a few family members rented a cabin in the Adirondacks this past August and had a bear come into the fire pit where we disposed of my 4 year old nephews vomit! We saw the bear come to the pit that very night and it was no more than 10 yards from the cabin. He had a jolly good time licking it up and turning over the huge stones that circled the pit! I've been thinking lately that I could bottle the boys vomit and try to sell it to hunters as bear bait! Not kidding neither! The poor boy is such a picky eater and seems to throw up all the time, that I think I can get a running supply of this stuff to bottle and sell!