Best Bait Setup

[jbc67]

For those of you who run your hounds where baiting is allowed: What is the best setup for bringing in large numbers of bears? I'm wondering whether you prefer hanging the bait, burying it with heavy logs, using barrels, or simply dumping grease down an old stump. Also, what kind of bait works best? Thanks.

[coldtrail]

all of the above.

[not color blind]

Find the best bear habitat around your area i.e. swamps, thick areas, etc. to try and draw the largest number of bears.

As far as how you place your bait out, first find out any restrictions in your state, we use cut up hollow stumps with lids and big rocks to try and keep other critters out.

The best bait I have found that we can legally use here in Wisconsin is cookies or other cakes/pasteries.

There are all sorts of different ways/baits that's just my $.02

[Smiley]

Some bears ( and often it goes with certain areas and times of the year ) will go for the sweets some meats and some fruits .
the very best I have had were ripe strawberries and mellons .

[bearhunter77]

I've been baiting for over seven years now. Twinkies cupcakes and anything with the majic ingredient called sugar works wonders. I've also used ripened strawberries before like ole Smiley. In the spring when the nights are still cold I love to use meat scraps. Alot of guys don't like it but I feel that with the bears instinctual notion to look for winter kill after they wake, meat scraps actually work pretty well. Grease works good too and can actually be used to lure more bear in if you pour it along 15 to 20 yards down their exit routes from the baits. All in all it just depends on what the bears favor. Sweets though, I don't think anybody will go wrong using sweets.

[high desert hounds]

Don't start a forest fire but this is what i do. 3 cans of sterno one large cooking pot, bottle of syrup, bag of large marshmellow, and two boxes of strawberry jello mix, mix together and let cook. the smoke will smell sweet and draw bears from a long distance. and the cooked product will be a lot like taffy. leave several five gallon buckets full of used cooking oil from your local dairy queen tied to a tree so they wont get draged off. the idea is that the bears will maul around in the grease and the grease will get carried all thrue the forest. let the bears do your work for you.

[Lapierre]

Yeah that is a good idea I do pretty much the same but with honey or some bacon and a torch I like the bucket of grease idea, boy do they love that grease

[bluedogs]

molasis ( hope i spelled that right) with sugar mixed in makes it alittle thicker but if you heat it up first then add the sugar and pour it over chopped out stump when it starts to cool down it gets real thick and makes them work at gettin it harder. and when you heat it up the smell will drift along ways in the woods. i know a guy that used only apples he would go around and pick up apples from peoples houses who didnt want them he would get barrles full and smash them up and either pour molasis over it or just use the smashed apples and either make a pile or put them in a barrle he had 3 to 4 bears comin in to that every night

[bob baldwin jr]

My son and I each have 3 baits apeice we use in Maine Below are some things we do

First thing we do is clear the area we are going to bait
We are required by law to put up sign with our ID showing who is using the bait
Next we make a V shape out of blow down logs about 30 inches high
Then we take about 3 wheelbarrows of sand and spread it about 2 ft from the pile
*nice to be able to see size and how many bears are coming in
Next we take nylon sand bags and fill them with molases hanging them at least 8ft up
* I have a cousin that works in a large bakery that orders me a 50 gallon drum
every year . Last year I think it cost us $185 for the molases
For bait I have an endless supply of pastries , breads , donuts cupcakes etc;
* Bakery charges $7.50 for a 4ft X 4 ft X 4 ft container of outdated pastries
Some guy's just dump the pastries in their wrappers at the site REAL SLOBS
We unwrap them and put in 50 gallon barrels
usually dump 1 gallon molases on the barrell full
When putting this out we fill a 5 gallon pail and dump it at each bait site
* maybe it is overkill but always use rubber boots and rubber gloves
Occasionally when we have it we use :
Beaver Carcasses
Bones and scraps from a slaughter house
* Coyotes seem to go for these first
I have seen bears grab a bone walk 50 yards laydown and knaw
on it
The bear sure do love the beaver carcasses
Word of WARNING :
* If you use beaver or bones and scraps be sure you have written proof of tagged beaver or viable receipt from slaughter house . ASK ME HOW I KNOW Lots of work some expense but we enjoy it . We do this on leased paper co property and DO as required clean up after our season is over . I wish others would do the same

[michigan_bearhunter06]

We cut up big hallow logs in about 2 foot sections and burry them almost all the way so only about 7 or 8 inches is left sticking out of the ground. Use heavy flat rocks to cover the top. Put lots of sand or work up the ground good so there is lots of loose dirt around the bait and on all of the main trails the bears make to see the track good. Rake out good each visit. We use about 2 full 5 gallon buckets of granola and corn and pour lots of old grease around at each bait. Spraying liquid vanilla on the bait and branches works good too. Attracts several bears to each bait here in Michigan.

[redtoivola]

hey michigan_bearhunter06- I don't know if the DNR has anyone reading this site but you might want to check the bait rules again, from what you described you could be ticketed for using grain, no longer allowed in the Lower Peninsula and not allowed in that quantity (over 2 gallons) in the U.P..Sounds like you sure put the work into it though, doing it right with the sand and raking around the site. That's the way I learned it too.

[bearyooper]

Old grease(fryer)will get you pinched in Michigan as well. Has to be treated like drain oil. If they want to get you for something ....

[bearhntwi]

We cut up big hallow logs in about 2 foot sections and burry them almost all the way so only about 7 or 8 inches is left sticking out of the ground. Use heavy flat rocks to cover the top. Put lots of sand or work up the ground good so there is lots of loose dirt around the bait and on all of the main trails the bears make to see the track good. Rake out good each visit. We use about 2 full 5 gallon buckets of granola and corn and pour lots of old grease around at each bait. Spraying liquid vanilla on the bait and branches works good too. Attracts several bears to each bait here in Michigan.

WE do the same here,used to use a bunch of different types of bait and grease and bread.Now we use just granola bars mixed with liquid pie filling.

[bob baldwin jr]

QUIT IT ALREADY YOU GUY's ARE MAKING ME HUNGRY

[LBell]

i haven' done it myself, but if you can stand it. Good old nasty Carp and Sucker Fish put out a stink. don't use game fish(bad news) a freind of mine goes to a carp fishing derby about every year and says theres a bear hunter or two that show up for the keepers. cut off half the lid of a 55 gal barrel and chaind it up good then fill it up and let the fish do the rest on a warm day it should put out a really good stink for them to follow. other then that if i do bait i hit up the bread stores for the old stuff and it seems to get them comming around.