Wyoming spring black bears- spot and stalk or bait?

[Flyboy]

Hello all! I'm new to Rokslide so hopefully this is going in the right place... I am a brand new bear hunter and my only knowledge is from here, podcasts and youtube. I have a pretty limited budget and could probably get out to hunt 1 maybe 2 evenings a week for a good portion of the spring season and possibly an overnight camp at the truck at some point. What I'm wondering is if it would be worth the effort of a bait stand or if I'm better off to just spot and stalk? In Wyoming bait needs to be in a barrel, so no just putting donuts in a hole with logs over them. I live roughly 2 1/2 hours drive from where I'm thinking of hunting. It sounds like bait stands can be a lot of effort/cost. Does it really increase odds of tagging out enough to be worth it? I'm not looking for a giant by any means, really just something that I can sleep at night knowing it lived longer than a year or two haha. If baiting is the way to go, what is a reasonable cost I could expect? I hear people saying they get old donuts or popcorn, is that from dumpster diving or do you buy those? Any and all help is appreciated by this newbie!!

 

[PathFinder]

Baiting is fun, but maybe not the best option in your case.

• Wyoming requires site registration. Those who previously held spots get first choice at taking them again, and outfitters can have something like 20. That makes getting prime bait spots difficult.
• When a bait is being actively hit, it's best to be there every other day at least to top it off
• It could cost several hundred dollars to run a bait site, depending on how you do it and what the bait it. If a bakery will give you out of date stuff for cheap, that is affordable.
• A 50 lb bag of popcorn will make ~200 gallons of popcorn. That can keep a bait going for a while. But it takes a lot of time to get it popped and ready.
• Bait barrels aren't too hard to make, and metal ones are generally available on Marketplace for fairly cheap. Chains and all, I think mine cost $60 for the pair at most.

Baiting is cool and fun, but way more work. Between drive times, registering sites, and the time to set it up, spot and stalk was more efficient. It would probably be worth doing if your spot was within an hour, and you had a great source for old bakery goods or something.

 

[Maxhunter]

I don’t know where you wanting to hunt in Wyoming for bear but a lot of the good spots you can get to in the spring are taken. I live in WY and have friends that have had the same bait sites for 35 years. There is a map on the WY G&F website that shows area open. Good luck!

 

[wytx]

You don't have to register private land bait sites.
Cheap dry dog food works well too.
We use a plastic barrel and a cable to anchor it to a tree, was cheap to set up.
We checked bait about every few days and had bears coming in until we pulled it.
It is doable for you but work.

 

[mntnguide]

I personally dont care to bait, lots of work, and just not my interest. Id rather hike or ride my horses and spot and stalk. Less successful, but I also dont care to sit at a bait waiting. . Look for the first green up areas, meadows, south facing slopes with grass etc...cover country and explore.