A few bait questions.

[mcfd45]

Looking to go to ID in 2022.
have a few bait questions
How long would you say (on average) that it takes a bait to be visited by bears?
My buddy and I want to spot and stalk bear and set up a bait. We figure 10 hunting days for us. If we setup a bait and cam. Bait every two days and pull SD cards.
if the bait gets attention we would go and sit on it.

is this a decent plan? In MI we have services that will setup a bait for you. Anyone in ID do that? We are looking at the nes pierce forest.

 

[Coveyleader]

Your plan sounds fine and setting a bait as a backup can't hurt. Having bears hit a bait right away is difficult to predict. By the sounds of it you don't have an established bait site so it could , and most likely will, take longer for them to find it.

We set 4 new baits last year in a new area. One bait was hit within 4 days. The other three took over 3 weeks and two were adjusted and then they finally got hit.


I've baited in AK in one of the best bear areas in the state and it took 10 days for the baits to get hit you just never know.

 

[mcfd45]

Your plan sounds fine and setting a bait as a backup can't hurt. Having bears hit a bait right away is difficult to predict. By the sounds of it you don't have an established bait site so it could , and most likely will, take longer for them to find it.

We set 4 new baits last year in a new area. One bait was hit within 4 days. The other three took over 3 weeks and two were adjusted and then they finally got hit.


I've baited in AK in one of the best bear areas in the state and it took 10 days for the baits to get hit you just never know.

Thanks for the reply. I’m also thinking of doing a honey burn when we refill the bait.

 

[Coveyleader]

Refilling the bait means it's been hit! I like how you're thinking positive. Make sure on your initial bait set that you have a ton of scent. Honey burns are ok, but there are way better options to get that bait started.

 

[Wassid82]

Good questions hard to answer. We have found that it takes about 2-3 weeks for things to get hot and heavy. So much depends on winter snow levels for us where we bait. I would say on average it takes our bait barrel about 10-14 days to get going but then about another 2 weeks before things get really heated up

 

[Marmots]

Are you planning a Spring hunt?

There is a third dimension in bear hunting out West. Elevation determines access (due to snow) and where the bears are going to concentrate (due to greenup).

Timing this can be kind of tricky because you can accidentally set up above or below the majority of bear activity. If you're doing a spring hunt, it's worth your time to call around asking about the roads and greenup in the specific drainages you'll be hunting.

I would reccomend bringing some stuff for honey burns. I've had decent luck using honey burns to kick start a bait site.

 

[Elkhntr08]

I would second the honey burn and add a grease pit around each bait. If you get that first bear to come in, he’ll spread the grease all over the area for you.

 

[Dead eye BT]

My recommendation, based on my experience, is to include nothing but sweets on your baits. Meat and fats will bring in wolves. Once the wolves start coming, bears are less inclined to come in. I still have plenty of problems with wolves with the sweets, but not nearly as much as when I used meat and fats. YMMV.

 

[Elkhntr08]

Wolf hides make a nice rug too. The more the better.

 

[Dead eye BT]

Good point elkhntr08. I can’t shoot the wolves where I’m bear hunting. Sucks!

 

[Wmmichael20]

I've heard guys having good luck with frying bacon at a site too and leaving half of it for the bears and smearing the grease and some peanut butter on the surrounding trees. To kick start the bait site.