Bear Bait. . .what do you use and why?

[Tyler Beck]

I have been hunting bears for a few years now, but last spring started baiting pretty hard. I have used meat scraps from local butchers, pastries and bread, and dog food mixed with grease. For my experience level I felt as if I had fairly good results as everything was consumed by the critters. As I am getting excited for spring bear here in the next few months I had a few questions:

What do you all use and why? Any cons of switching up the bait type?

Thank you for the input!
-Tyler

 

[amp713]

Hunted Idaho bears and they would eat the sweet stuff first and then come back for the rest later....

 

[PathFinder]

Leftovers from the bakery. A truckload at a time for $10. They always pound the bread and donuts before they'll touch dog food. I like honey/jello burns too. For more scent I dilute caramel extract into vegetable oil and put it in a spray bottle.

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[Nick Muche]

I use whatever I can get my hands on.

A call scent is far more important than the type of bait you use (IMO).

Getting them there is the hard part, keeping them there just requires ample bait.

Ensuring there is a constant strong scent at your site will continue to bring new bears in. Ensuring there is ample bait at your site will keep bears coming back to eat.

 

[black dawg]

Mostly dog food, with whatever sweets we can get mixed in. Anything we have ever put grease on they wouldn't touch??

Never have seen much difference using a call scent or not, but location has made a big difference for us.

 

[realunlucky]

I use whatever I can get my hands on.

A call scent is far more important than the type of bait you use (IMO).

Getting them there is the hard part, keeping them there just requires ample bait.

Ensuring there is a constant strong scent at your site will continue to bring new bears in. Ensuring there is ample bait at your site will keep bears coming back to eat.

Nick what is your go to call scent?

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[realunlucky]

Mostly dog food, with whatever sweets we can get mixed in. Anything we have ever put grease on they wouldn't touch??

Never have seen much difference using a call scent or not, but location has made a big difference for us.

What do you think is the most important part of the location you choose?

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[2five7]

I had good luck using anise oil as a call scent, and a cover scent last year. I'd keep a bottle with me in the tree stand and dribble a bit into the bark each time I sat, we had several boars make big circles behind us, clearly down wind, and still come into the bait site.

The other guys are right, all our bears preferred the donuts over the dogfood.

 

[Tyler Beck]

Leftovers from the bakery. A truckload at a time for $10. They always pound the bread and donuts before they'll touch dog food. I like honey/jello burns too. For more scent I dilute caramel extract into vegetable oil and put it in a spray bottle.

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With the scent you create, how do you utilize this? Spray the surrounding area? Spray in the air? Spray your trail out?

Thanks!

 

[black dawg]

What do you think is the most important part of the location you choose?

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we lucked out the first year (not having a clue what we were doing) and the spot we put our bait is kind of a natural "funnel" from a very large hibernation area to lower ground. We set up early, and there is usually 5+ feet of snow in the (6500ft) area still, and generally have bears on the bait in a few days. Another thing we have learned, we were always told the bears would have to eat grass to get their digestive system going, these early bears we see leave no sign of eating anything but our bait.

also water nearby.

 

[PathFinder]

With the scent you create, how do you utilize this? Spray the surrounding area? Spray in the air? Spray your trail out?

Thanks!

All of the above. I spray all over the bait site and then walk out from there however far I feel like and make trails to the bait. I use one bottle of extract for 24 oz of vegetable oil.

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[Ryan Avery]

I've shot and witness a lot of bears being shot off of a bait. Last year we had nine bears coming to one bait. I just use cheap dog food and boar masters anise spray. I could smell it in there the next year when I went back to start baiting again.

Keeping the bait full is the most important factor IMO.

Bears from last year.

 

[realunlucky]

How far are you setting up off your baits Ryan?

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[Ryan Avery]

The one Tanya shot was about 40 yards off the bait. We used a ghost blind. The one I shot was about 20 yards. We used a full ground blind. It was set up for Aron and his stick bow

Here is the video of Tanya's. Not the best video editing but I'm working on it.

[video=youtube_share;y-JcvzKjr-A]https://youtu.be/y-JcvzKjr-A[/video]

 

[VernAK]

I use oats [free] as my primary bulk bait with fryer grease mixed in. I get 5 gallon buckets of gurry from fish process plants as an attractant scent.

 

[Tyler Beck]

As far as timing is concerned, last year when baiting there were times I would show up 3 days after my prior bait and there would be little bears hanging around as I walked to the bait to refill. They would eventually take off and then show back up after about 30 - 60 minutes. I usually did this at about 3:00 in the afternoon and would sit until dusk. This never happened with the bigger bears. With the larger bears, how much time should I allow between when I refill the bait and realistically expect them to come back in? Should I refill it earlier in the day?

 

[black dawg]

The way I like to do it, is bait around 8am. From trail cam pics, 8am till noon seems to be the least visited/and at times not visited.
Big old bears can be difficult...had them on camera minutes after baiting and leaving, but most of the time for us, the day we bait they wont come in till after dark.

But I know guys who bait 5pm ish and then climb into the stand that are succesfull

 

[Ryan Avery]

I agree with Black Dawg, Mid-mornings seem to be the best time to bait. As far and big bears and how fast they return to the bait. I find the more remote your bait is the faster the bears return, big or small.

 

[SLDMTN]

My go to's:

Dog food, cheapest you can find.

Cob with molasses, cheaper than dog food at feed stores.

Call scent, Bait 'Em 907 Nasty Boar line, that stuff will burn your nose.

If I can't find cob with molasses easily, I'll get some powder from Bait 'Em as well to give the dog food a bump. The powder gets on their paws and they'll spread your scent for you which is an added bonus.

Bait Em 907 Alaska's Bear Attractants-Moose & Trapping Lure Company (907) 373 8995 - Home

Note: I'm not sponsored or a part of them at all, they're just great people to deal with and local to me.

Yes that's a pile of carcasses from a trapper. Long distance call scent would be the biggest understatement of the century, so nasty.

Like Ryan said, keep it full AT ALL TIMES!

 

[BRWNBR]

I don’t bait black bears but a few things that have worked for me for grizzly.
Baiting below treeline and by water. Baits up near treeline we’re a bust.
I use bait em 907 nasty boar as well. As well as other scents from them. A bears nose
Is a huge factor in what they do and where they go. scent scent.
I set my blind across water from my baits to help maintain a constant wind. I set up about a hundred yards off my bait. Some guys sit closer, I haven’t had a need to.
Carcasses haven’t helped my baits. I do however drag to and from my bait. I don’t change dog food brands. Ol roy red bag is my go to. I’ve seen others not work so well.
I hunt my baits from 7pm to 7am. None of our grizzly have patterned themselves. With no black bears there’s not much for competition, they hit it every few days and eat a couple pounds and wander off. .