Bear bait recipes

[skierhs]

With spring bear opening in a month or so its time to start getting serious with bear bait prep. What is everyone using for baiting this year? Our camp is gonna try a new bait by using oats along with various sweets in one of our barrels. We’re gonna compare it to dog food and a few other options we know to work.

 

[slick]

Not sure if you use it, but livestock molasses seems to attract bears. Just add it to whatever solids you already use. I think 3gal is about $18.

 

[skierhs]

Not sure if you use it, but livestock molasses seems to attract bears. Just add it to whatever solids you already use. I think 3gal is about $18.

Ive not used that specific style of product before. I'll check it out, im sure it would pair well with the oats.

 

[slick]

We use cracked corn/alfalfa pellets/livestock molasses in a 1:1 ratio of the corn/alfalfa to attract deer, and it seems to attract bears more than anything. Wish we could bait out here for bears. Good luck!

 

[skierhs]

We use cracked corn/alfalfa pellets/livestock molasses in a 1:1 ratio of the corn/alfalfa to attract deer, and it seems to attract bears more than anything. Wish we could bait out here for bears. Good luck!

Thanks, i'll let you know how it goes. We're jumping the border from MT to ID for that exact reason.

 

[bluetick78]

Popcorn with brown sugar on it is my new favorite bait. Pop the popcorn into a garbage bag and sprinkle brown sugar on it while it's still warm. Cheap, light to carry, and bruins love it.

 

[coop2424]

Popcorn with brown sugar on it is my new favorite bait. Pop the popcorn into a garbage bag and sprinkle brown sugar on it while it's still warm. Cheap, light to carry, and bruins love it.

I like that.. I have also dumped koolaid on the popcorn after popping it but may try the brown sugar instead this year.

I will hit the bread store for their outdated stuff and then add the popcorn and whatever else I can scrounge up. I think I will be getting some 5gal buckets of grease also.

 

[bluetick78]

I've done the Kool aid as well, but the brown sugar seems to keep the bears coming back more often. I think the Kool aid smells really good to humans and is definitely a good attractant for bears, but the brown sugar will hold em on your bait longer.

 

[rfra]

Our plan for this year is mainly popcorn with sugar and sweet feed. We also have a few bags of expired pastries in the freezer, Will use a bit of beaver castor and anise oil above the baits as well. I'm not very experienced with baiting but in the past I've used dogfood and while they would hit it occasionally, it wasn't very interesting to them.

 

[Magnum61]

I learned from a bear hunter,that lived near us as a kid, of a bait concoction for Bear he used to see how tall a bear was.

He would go to a discount grocery, buy bulk peanut butter, molasses, jam, and corn flake. Mix it in a bucket and add then a can of tuna.

Once that was finished he would take a dish glove and smear it about 7-8 feet high on trees in one area creating a giant scent cone.

He then could come back, look at claw marks on the trees, and see which ones were stretched out and which ones climbed.

 

[bluetick78]

Our plan for this year is mainly popcorn with sugar and sweet feed. We also have a few bags of expired pastries in the freezer, Will use a bit of beaver castor and anise oil above the baits as well. I'm not very experienced with baiting but in the past I've used dogfood and while they would hit it occasionally, it wasn't very interesting to them.

I've tried the dog food thing too with about the same success. Your plan sounds solid, let us know how how it turns out.

 

[Bmacofboise]

The anise powder from Boarmasters is effective, and a bear biologist I know swears by citronella. All in addition to bread/donuts/ grain, etc.