Using bear attractant scents

[maverick351]

Anyone had any luck or have any recommendations? Cant bait or use a food source but can use scents.

 

[Bryan B]

Gel scents work great. There are several companies that make them. I have only used Bear Scents.

https://bearscents.com/product/gel-bear-attractants/

You can make your own spray scents too very cheaply. Buy some shellfish oil or beaver castor or other scented oil (check state regs on what you can and can't use) from a place that sells lures or oils for trapping and mix with vegetable oil. Put in a spray bottle and then spray around bait site or area you are hunting.

 

[ledflight]

"Anise oil (black licorice) is widely known as the best bear lure, “wrinkling the black bear’s nose in fits of desire,” yet through our testing we found skunk essence, shellfish essence, fermented egg essence, liquid smoke / baconoil, cheese essence, cherry oil, and beaver castor were preferred over this licorice scent. "

-The effectiveness of a variety of scent lures were tested by conducting experiments with captive grizzly and coastal brown bears at Washington State University, the Grizzly Discovery Center, and Northwest Trek in Washington State. -

USGS.gov | Science for a changing world

We provide science about the natural hazards that threaten lives and livelihoods; the water, energy, minerals, and other natural resources we rely on; the health of our ecosystems and environment; and the impacts of climate and land-use change. Our scientists develop new methods and tools to...

archive.usgs.gov

I made one with anise, Liquid Smoke (calorie free brand per New York State) and cinnamon but didn't get to test last season.

 

[JLH208]

Does burning honey count as a food source? It’s a very effective tool and cheap! If you burn it to ashes in a pot with a lid you can pack it out, may be worth a call to your game department.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CApighunter]

Not sure where your located but here in California if you put the scent on something (log, rock, the ground, etc.) that becomes a “food source”. It has to be something that’s dispersed into the air. Never tried any scents but I’m definitely interested in others experiences.

 

[ledflight]

Any spring hunters using any kinds of scent attractants?