Go to baits

[Bear_Kramer]

What is your go to bait? The fact that bears will eat just about anything, I’m wondering what each of you use as your tried and true and what you consider for pros and cons.

So far I’ve tagged two boars using scrap hog meat, the downside is that after a few days the smell is horrendous in a 100 yard radius

 

[VernAK]

We went to cheap dog food as a very convenient non-messy bait. We add sweet scents or syrups.

 

[Grassymike]

Alberta guy here. We have used meat scraps from a butcher, beaver carcasses, dead turkeys from a turkey farmer, and ostrich bones from a butcher. beavers are by far the best, finding someone who traps them was easy for a few years then the word got out and they wanted $10 then $20 and up per carcass. The ostrich rib cage/leg bones did not work at all. Bears literally smacked them off the bait and would not touch them. Turkeys were consumed. One of the best /cheapest attractants was grease from a McDonald's spread in front of baits, rubbed on logs etc. The spots on logs would be polished from bears licking them. The idea was that bears would step in grease and walk off leaving a sent trail for other bears to find bait sites quicker.

 

[NorthCountryAB]

I agree with lots that Mike had to say.
Beavers are absolutely the best, nothing comes close. As a filler I use oats covered in fryer grease. This will actually fill the bears appetite.
Popcorn sprinkled with jello powder works well too, but it just doesnt seem to fill them up. They can eat a barrel full and want more. Meat scarps from butchers work well too.
I always like to put something sweet out as well, whether its cookies, butter cream icing, caramel sauce etc.

I like to take a full 20L jug of fryer oil and dump it on the ground around the bait. The bears than walk in it and track the smell of grease all over the countryside. This helps bring bears in from a long way.
I also drag a beaver behind my side by side when baiting. This helps bring bears in aswell.
Honey burns work well to get baits started, grab an old pot and single burner stove and literally burn the honey in the pot. The scent travels a long ways. Bacon grease warmed up and splashed on the trees works well too.

At my northern camp the bears naturally fish for northerns, so fish guts really help getting the baits going fast.

 

[Coveyleader]

Remote areas, little competition, doesn’t matter. Areas where there are other baits, and competition, it does matter. Baiting in remote Canada, or AK is way different than ID, so different I don’t even know if it is applicable.

 

[long hunter]

When I hunted Canada for bears the fella I hunted under swore bye old French fry oil. Second on the honey burn. I have bears in the area I hunt deer on see them occasionally, but it is illegal to bait them, and the permit is by draw only and very hard to get a tag. Bears are pretty much trash cans on paws will eat just about anything.

 

[lang]

Like above just about anything works and we've tried most but we've found some tricks that have worked well in Idaho for 20+ years. You just need 3 things #1 something to get them there, #2 something to fill them up, #3 something to bring them back. We'll hang something smelly usually ripe meat between trees. Raw chicken in a cotton bag with a rope attached then put into a black plastic bag in the sun a day or two will get nice and ripe. We use sweet cobb for a base its filling, cheap readily available, easy to carry and they cant carry it off. Holds up better to rain than dog or cat food. We supplement with left overs, rotisserie chicken carcasses, saved bacon grease in used water bottles super easy to carry one bottle each time. (restaurant grease gets on bears paws and your shoes if you use very much for any length of time). As soon as we get more than 3 bears hitting we try to refeed at least every third day to keep feed available but have competition between bears to get them there with enough light.

 

[Bear_Kramer]

Like above just about anything works and we've tried most but we've found some tricks that have worked well in Idaho for 20+ years. You just need 3 things #1 something to get them there, #2 something to fill them up, #3 something to bring them back. We'll hang something smelly usually ripe meat between trees. Raw chicken in a cotton bag with a rope attached then put into a black plastic bag in the sun a day or two will get nice and ripe. We use sweet cobb for a base its filling, cheap readily available, easy to carry and they cant carry it off. Holds up better to rain than dog or cat food. We supplement with left overs, rotisserie chicken carcasses, saved bacon grease in used water bottles super easy to carry one bottle each time. (restaurant grease gets on bears paws and your shoes if you use very much for any length of time). As soon as we get more than 3 bears hitting we try to refeed at least every third day to keep feed available but have competition between bears to get them there with enough light.

I’ve been wondering about rebating. We usually take about 8 five gallon buckets up a bit before season starts and by the time I hunt, maybe one or two are left.
I did have a guy tell me to stay away from bait at least 3 days before hunting it so I’ve never tried.

 

[Bear_Kramer]

Do you leave it in pails/bags or spread it out?

I’d think mixing it with bacon grease and spreading it would be similar to an oil pit

We went to cheap dog food as a very convenient non-messy bait. We add sweet scents or syrups.

 

[NorthCountryAB]

I have two barrels at every bait. Depending on how many bears are hitting the bait we will either rebait twice a week or every 5-6 days

 

[lang]

We start early May with 100 lbs of grain just on the ground. It's tough to be patient as you start getting hit, but competition and getting bears comfortable are your goal to get the bear you want to come during shooting light. We've taken old logs and set them up to come in broadside to quartering away...of course there's the one old sucker who just plops on the logs for 50+ minutes.

 

[mike.adams.467]

Do you leave it in pails/bags or spread it out?

I’d think mixing it with bacon grease and spreading it would be similar to an oil pit

I always kept the grease pit in front of the bait; I learned this the hard way after I stepped in the grease and got it on my tree stand steps. It was a slick, dangerous problem for a while.

 

[Grassymike]

We built cages from flat bar that were large enough for two beaver carcasses. With the holes being about 4'' square it takes a bear a lot longer to rip apart and and remove a beaver. Gives you way more oppurtunity to shoot as they change positions and work on solving the problem. After bears find a bait you need to find ways to slow consumption of bait .

 

[shtrbc]

MN guy here. No barrels or honey burns allowed in MN. As previously mentioned, beaver carcasses, fryer grease, and day old doughnuts from a bakery. But BY FAR, the best I have seen used is either licorice remnants from a candy manufacturer or sweetened cereal in bulk from a manufacturer. Another thing we used to use years ago was a product called "hog starter" which was a powdered product that hog farmers would sprinkle on food for baby pigs. It smelled fairly sweet and really seemed to work. Also have seen guys mix up grape Koolaid, the kind with sugar added. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it over everything at the bait site. For some reason around areas I've hunted in MN, they seem to respond better to "sweet", except beaver carcasses, that trumps everything else. Keep those carcasses in sealed 55 gallon drums through the summer. Then reach down in there and try to pull one out whole, and put it in a gunny sack and hang that way up in a tree. Really gets that awesome smell distributed around the whole area. Had a buddy that was so sensitive to that smell he would have to smear Vicks around his nose or he would start vomiting immediately upon smelling the rotting beaver carcasses.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

No barrels or honey burns allowed in MN

Sorry but you are completely wrong

https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/recreation/hunting/bear/bear-regs.pdf?v=2023.04.20-17.47.12

 

[Bear_Kramer]

MN guy here. No barrels or honey burns allowed in MN. As previously mentioned, beaver carcasses, fryer grease, and day old doughnuts from a bakery. But BY FAR, the best I have seen used is either licorice remnants from a candy manufacturer or sweetened cereal in bulk from a manufacturer. Another thing we used to use years ago was a product called "hog starter" which was a powdered product that hog farmers would sprinkle on food for baby pigs. It smelled fairly sweet and really seemed to work. Also have seen guys mix up grape Koolaid, the kind with sugar added. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it over everything at the bait site. For some reason around areas I've hunted in MN, they seem to respond better to "sweet", except beaver carcasses, that trumps everything else. Keep those carcasses in sealed 55 gallon drums through the summer. Then reach down in there and try to pull one out whole, and put it in a gunny sack and hang that way up in a tree. Really gets that awesome smell distributed around the whole area. Had a buddy that was so sensitive to that smell he would have to smear Vicks around his nose or he would start vomiting immediately upon smelling the rotting beaver carcasses.

I’ve recently had an ad popping up on my fb from a guy selling bulk pallets of lucky charms, marshmallows, and various other sweets! I may have to reach out to him

 

[Grassymike]

MN guy here. No barrels or honey burns allowed in MN. As previously mentioned, beaver carcasses, fryer grease, and day old doughnuts from a bakery. But BY FAR, the best I have seen used is either licorice remnants from a candy manufacturer or sweetened cereal in bulk from a manufacturer. Another thing we used to use years ago was a product called "hog starter" which was a powdered product that hog farmers would sprinkle on food for baby pigs. It smelled fairly sweet and really seemed to work. Also have seen guys mix up grape Koolaid, the kind with sugar added. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it over everything at the bait site. For some reason around areas I've hunted in MN, they seem to respond better to "sweet", except beaver carcasses, that trumps everything else. Keep those carcasses in sealed 55 gallon drums through the summer. Then reach down in there and try to pull one out whole, and put it in a gunny sack and hang that way up in a tree. Really gets that awesome smell distributed around the whole area. Had a buddy that was so sensitive to that smell he would have to smear Vicks around his nose or he would start vomiting immediately upon smelling the rotting beaver carcasses.

I remember cutting our last beaver carcass in two with a swede saw. That had me gagging.

 

[lang]

"I did have a guy tell me to stay away from bait at least 3 days before hunting it so I’ve never tried."
We tend to think 180 degrees the other direction, the more they smell you and get accustom to your smell with easy food the better. First time we bait we will leave it for a couple weeks, but leave a sweaty t shirt in our stand. Once multiple bears hit we like to go a lot even if we don't sit it. The more times they smell you (and they will know every time you've gone in!) and get fed the more comfortable they get and will come in earlier to beat the competition.

 

[Coveyleader]

Have you guys ever noticed how some of those real big boars will come through one time, and one time only? Those are the rubix cube to crack! I have a theory what will hold them, it's just getting it there.

 

[ZAP035]

Another thing to note is MN prohibits using any meat from mammals that has bones in it still. So no carcasses unless you debone. And no swine unless it’s cured pork like bacon or ham.