Backcountry Bear Baiting

[Ryansven]

Agreed you cant use plastic in ID. Not to mention I've had big bears rip metal barrels off of trees and flatten them.... I can only imagine how long a plastic barrel would last.

They last a lot longer than you think! I have had both interior grizz and coastal brown smash them and not tear them up! But makes no difference since ID dosent allow

 

[Justin.Medcalf]

I bait Idaho for very year in hard to access areas in the Panhandle. I use popcorn with a Trickler barrel setup that Tyler Freel taught me how to make. 1 1/4 inch hole on one side on bottom. Remove bung on lid and run cable through it and anchor with bolt, washer and lock nut. Secure to tree fill with popcorn. It will last 10-15 days depending on bears visiting site. They roll it around and will stay on it all day getting single pieces of popcorn out.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I’ve used the same trickle barrel concept too. I did mine with about 8 1” holes. It lasts about 10 days with daily bear activity.

 

[EricBender208]

I set mine maybe half a mile from the road (4/5 of it a steep uphill) . 7+ bears hitting the bait constantly just nothing big coming in the day light. I was refilling 3x a week with movie theater popcorn out of a dumpster. packing in the barrel sucked but after that 35 gallons of popcorn wasn’t bad. I also sat uphill at about 50 yards with a rifle. It was slow at first but after I started using chocolate frosting they really started coming in, then switched to peanut butter and theyd lick the paint off the barrel.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

That’s a decent bear in that second photo, in daylight no less!

 

[Kobuk]

I can share a few barrel mods that I use. I have a smaller plastic drum, maybe 35 gallon. It’s chained to tree using U bolts on drum. I made a lid with aluminum plate and held down with a cross bar. It sits recessed on top so a bear can’t rip it off and small holes drilled around edge so rain water can’t get into barrel. I was worried about the bears chewing at the hole so I bolted an aluminum plate there too. Another thing that happened was the bears would scoop the popcorn/dog food out of the barrel with their paws. I added a bar 3-4 inches below the hole on the inside and it stopped that. Next was sitting in my stand watching the blue jays hop in, fling out a few pieces of popcorn then make trips with my bait. I’d jam a bunch of branches in the hole and that worked until I had bear activity. My fix was making a heavy chain curtain with 3 sections of chain welded to a strap and bolted over the hole. Didn’t bother the bears but boy, watching those jays trying to get in and squawk in like crazy is so funny. Anyway, the aluminum was old street signs and everything I used was free stuff I had laying around except for the ubolts. Been used for a lot of seasons and it’s held up perfect. This is used in an area where there is only black bears. My open barrels, log piles etc just got cleaned out too fast.

 

[dank]

Excited to tune in. I live in the Silver Valley and will be my first year baiting for bears. Can't wait!

 

[Coveyleader]

I refuse to feed bears at will. I make them work If I'm going to work bringing it to them.

 

[Coveyleader]

I bait Idaho for very year in hard to access areas in the Panhandle. I use popcorn with a Trickler barrel setup that Tyler Freel taught me how to make. 1 1/4 inch hole on one side on bottom. Remove bung on lid and run cable through it and anchor with bolt, washer and lock nut. Secure to tree fill with popcorn. It will last 10-15 days depending on bears visiting site. They roll it around and will stay on it all day getting single pieces of popcorn out.View attachment 668652View attachment 668653View attachment 668654

You have to love those sloping barrels! You try to create a crib, and they just blast it over with the downward momentum of the barrel.

 

[EricBender208]

That’s a decent bear in that second photo, in daylight no less!

I passed on that one and told myself if he came later in the season I’d reconsider, was still hoping for a bigger one, but he never came back. Live and learn!

 

[Magma]

We used to bear hunt in MN over bait a lot and yes, a grease pit in front of the bait pile really works. It attracts them in and they get it all over them and leave a bait trail when they leave. We never used dog food. Day old pastries, generic jello, powdered sugar and we would mix it with water we found in woods to reduce weight. Marshmallows in trees where also used. They love them. Apples are very effective as well. Bears love them. Honey burns, that was the best way to bring them in that we ever some bears where shot going right passed the bait pile to put their head in the honey burn.

 

[IDMuleyKid]

Excited to tune in. I live in the Silver Valley and will be my first year baiting for bears. Can't wait!

Jealous that you live up there- first year for me as well and can already feel the anticipation building!

 

[samuela]

How much are you guys spending on barrels and bait every season? And how often do you visit the baits?

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I passed on that one and told myself if he came later in the season I’d reconsider, was still hoping for a bigger one, but he never came back. Live and learn!

I’ve been right there buddy. I did that exact thing this year and went empty handed.

 

[Huckleberry Hound]

To my knowledge, it’d be the first bear anyone in my recent family history has killed.

i know this isnt what youre asking, but if nobody in your family has killed a bear in recent history and you want to change that, have you considered buying a tag that will let you hunt a non baiting unit? Ive hunted areas where bait is allowed and not allowed, and its night and day difference. In areas without bait bears are on their natural behavior patterns and easy to find without bait
Baiting areas... theyre not dumb. They know the score. Lay low all day, gorge on donuts at night.

If you want to bait, more power to ya. Just a personal reccomendation based on my experiences hunting both sides of the fence.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

How much are you guys spending on barrels and bait every season? And how often do you visit the baits?

If you get bears coming in; get ready to spend some money and do some work. When I bait my best spot, I’m there at least once every 5 days filling the barrel back up. I have some connections for bait, but when I don’t it probably costs me $40 every time I fill it.

 

[saskhunter]

I've packed a barrel to my bait site before I had ATV access to it. Just do several trips, don't over do it otherwise you start making mistakes/getting hurt.

I use a mix of oats, cheap dog food and used frying oil. I buy a crap ton of juice crystals to start a bait and spread that crap all over until the first bear starts to hit the bait. One thing I've started doing is to drag a jug with a few smalls wholes through it, of used frying oil behind my ATV in a large clover leaf pattern around my bait, doing that with a beaver works well too. The more bears hit the bait, the more they walk around with their paws covered in oil, expanding the bait's scent area.

 

[saskhunter]

How much are you guys spending on barrels and bait every season? And how often do you visit the baits?

I spend about 200-300 bucks a season on bait and will do 3 trips prior to the season opening and bait every time I'm out hunting. I run two 55 gal drums which usually allows me to wait until the next weekend. I live 2.5 hours away so it's a commitment for sure but worth it when you get to watch 5-7 bears every sit.

 

[IDMuleyKid]

i know this isnt what youre asking, but if nobody in your family has killed a bear in recent history and you want to change that, have you considered buying a tag that will let you hunt a non baiting unit? Ive hunted areas where bait is allowed and not allowed, and its night and day difference. In areas without bait bears are on their natural behavior patterns and easy to find without bait
Baiting areas... theyre not dumb. They know the score. Lay low all day, gorge on donuts at night.

If you want to bait, more power to ya. Just a personal reccomendation based on my experiences hunting both sides of the fence.

Nice cougar on the profile pick, spot and stalk in WA ?

The area I’ll be hunting will likely have pretty natural behaving bears, not much foot traffic anytime of the year, no roads either.

I’ll definitely s&s when the bears aren’t hitting my bait consistently, but I do like the idea of patterning/fooling bears, seems like a fun game.

 

[Huckleberry Hound]

Nice cougar on the profile pick, spot and stalk in WA ?

The area I’ll be hunting will likely have pretty natural behaving bears, not much foot traffic anytime of the year, no roads either.

I’ll definitely s&s when the bears aren’t hitting my bait consistently, but I do like the idea of patterning/fooling bears, seems like a fun game.

Not spot n stalk on the cat. Just cold calling. Its a low odds game, but every once in a while the stars align. https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/dead-lion.151469/

The baiting units ive hunted in idaho, all had road access. So i was definitely competing with bait stations, and wasnt seeing much for bear activity. If youre looking at a roadless area youre probably going to have a better experience than i did. Id assume very few guys are going to haul bait into an area with no motorized access. If i tag out early in unit 1 this year ill pobably buy a 2nd tag and go south to try again. Not against getting away from rds, but not knowing the country down there, roads seem like a way to be efficient, find good bear habitat. Did find a spot in unit 6 a couple years ago that i feel is worth revisiting.