PLS REMOVE I'm trying for bear next fall - Advice please

DTM5

DTM5

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PLS REMOVE - I'm all excited as I've secured two bait barrels and am going to try for my first black bear this September. I hunt in Ontario Cottage country up near Algonquin park.

I have a decent sized property with varying terrain and I've scouted a few decent looking locations for a site where I know bears have been active in the past.
I'm Seeking some guidance on the following questions:

1. How early should I start baiting? Would 1 month in advance be adequate?
2. How far away from the bait should I place the stand? I like to keep shots as short as possible, without spooking an animal unnecessarily
3. Any thoughts on ground blinds? I have a great location where I can get a ground blind elevated significantly above the bait site, basically replicating a tree stand.
4. I've shot a few deer but obviously a bears anatomy is different. Where is the best place on the animal to put a 180gr. .308 round?

Thanks and happy huntin!
 
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All you need to know is the simple fact that bears are about the dumbest big game animal there is,You put food out they will come,If you want them close spray some vanilla on your treestand steps lol i guarantee they will get close.shoot them in the boiler room same as deer.
 
1. as early as is legal. An established bait gets more bears. Fryer grease on the ground will track out and bring other bears in.
2. that's up to you. when archery hunting we went from 20yds down to 12 to up the "fun" factor. Never used a rifle so your comfy distance it is.
3.ground blinds are fine as long as you are confident a circling bear won't get behind you and bust you.(yer playing the wind right?)
my uncle used to sit on a hill across the creek from his bait...no blind, just a tree to lean against...course he's lazy...
4.same deal but a bears heart isn't as far forward as a deers. You have room behind the front leg.

edit: anyone says that bears are stupid has likely never taken a BIG boar. They are very cautious, but instinct gets the better of them during breeding and where dominance comes into play.
 
BrotherRockeye said:
1. as early as is legal. An established bait gets more bears. Fryer grease on the ground will track out and bring other bears in.
2. that's up to you. when archery hunting we went from 20yds down to 12 to up the "fun" factor. Never used a rifle so your comfy distance it is.
3.ground blinds are fine as long as you are confident a circling bear won't get behind you and bust you.(yer playing the wind right?)
my uncle used to sit on a hill across the creek from his bait...no blind, just a tree to lean against...course he's lazy...
4.same deal but a bears heart isn't as far forward as a deers. You have room behind the front leg.

edit: anyone says that bears are stupid has likely never taken a BIG boar. They are very cautious, but instinct gets the better of them during breeding and where dominance comes into play.
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Ok all the bears i have baited were really dumb, Are you saying the bears you shoot are smart?
 
NShunter1254 said:
Ok all the bears i have baited were really dumb, Are you saying the bears you shoot are smart?
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I'm was only after the smart ones (read BIG). What's the biggest bear you ever took? Be honest.
Anyone can shoot a small/average bear but the BIG ones are plenty crafty, that's how they last long enough to get big.
I only archery hunted bears and the BIG boars were smart.
I bear hunted a long time and know a thing or two about their behavior having watched them up close for many years.
I'm not talking dump or campground bears that are used to people, I'm talking about in the wild bears that mark trees and chomp poplar saplings off at mouth level so the other bears know there's a boomer about.
When the 2 and 3 year old bears start showing up in the afternoon when you are baiting, it's because they're trying to get there ahead of the one that scares the #### outta them.
Had bears that only came in when I parked in a different spot. Had bears lay just outside the bait sight til after dark. Had a bear bring a lost glove to the bait from miles away. Been charged, stalked and had them treed in camp.
Spend enough time with them in their environment and you will know just how intelligent they can be.
The last one I skewered took 2 seasons to get a shot at, and that was only because he couldn't resist the sow at the bait...and, I had to wait for him to make a mistake before he gave me a shot.
I knew he was there the first season, but I never got a look at him. Those big boars are usually nocturnal, showing up after you've left. Even running the bait dry and only adding enough for a couple bears at a sit wouldn't bring him in early. He was a cagey bugger.
The biggest bear I ever had at a bait I never saw. He was big enough to rip 2 chains through the side of a 45 gallon drum full of meat to get it off the tree, and bury it about 70 yards away. It took me and my partner most of a day just to get the barrel back to where it started...70 yards up a slope.
If the bears you hunt are stupid, either they're smaller bears or you are exceedingly clever...
 
BrotherRockeye has some very good advice! Baiting for big bears isn't easy and that's probably why I have yet to cut a tag in 4 season of trying for them. Good luck next fall.
 
Thanks guys keep the advice coming! I figure I'll try for a good sized boar, I'd be very happy with 250lbs. Its a thrill for me to get em on the trail cams, so getting a shot at one will be incredible. Here's another question - The bait sight will only be about 500m from the banin (although down in a small draw near a swamp). You think I'll have any problems around the cabin with bears if I keep an active bait that close? Now keep in mind that occasionally they are looking in my kitchen window and sniffing around anyway.
 
They love cover. The more secluded the better. They love sweets. They move faster then any animal you've ever hunted. They're not blind and they have an extremely steep learning curve. If it's still up hit it again. Don't face stand into setting or rising sun. Baiting is not as easy as it seems
 
DTM5 said:
1. How early should I start baiting? Would 1 month in advance be adequate?
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This can be tricky. Count on 2 weeks for them to get onto a new bait site. Also expect them to be unpredictable as other more/less dominant bears get on the bait. Also count on them cleaning it out. In 2012, I had 2 barrels full of dog food (about 1000 lbs) cleaned right out in 11 days. Because I started baiting 5 weeks before the season, I was at the bait every week keeping it full. In 2013, I started baiting only 2 weeks before opening day, but didn't see a bear on camera until after the season started. It's tough to get this right, because other food sources play a part. If the growing season is good, they may not want to leave other food sources, and safety, because they don't have to.

Personally, I would like to bait only once and not return until it's time to hunt. This keeps human scent to a minimum, and should serve to make them more comfortable coming in.

DTM5 said:
2. How far away from the bait should I place the stand? I like to keep shots as short as possible, without spooking an animal unnecessarily
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With a nose 8x more sensitive than a bloodhound's, there's a very good chance they'll know you're there. It'll be their stomach that gets the better of them. If you're bowhunting, 20-30 yards is about right. If you're this close, make sure you anticipate their route in/out or create one, so they aren't using your trail to get in (because they might catch your scent and leave). I've only seen 2 or 3 bears out of a dozen in the past few years that acted as if they were oblivious to me being there. The rest all looked nervous; like they had a foot out the door.

I've got a rifle bait (ground blind) set up at 115 yards and it has worked beautifully for 2 years. The only drawback is that it's further away, and a little more impersonal :) One thing that seemed to make this site successful is that the bait was set in amongst a stand of thick evergreens and it was quite dark, even at midday.

DTM5 said:
3. Any thoughts on ground blinds? I have a great location where I can get a ground blind elevated significantly above the bait site, basically replicating a tree stand.
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The above-mentioned 115 yard bait was established using a ground blind on a small hill that was naturally elevated about 8 feet above the bait. Really great spot, and it worked just fine, although in 2012 the bear I shot came in from beside me, looking right at me.

DTM5 said:
4. I've shot a few deer but obviously a bears anatomy is different. Where is the best place on the animal to put a 180gr. .308 round?
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A reference point that works well is just behind the elbow, so long as he's broadside and not quartering hard one way or the other.
 
DTM5 said:
You think I'll have any problems around the cabin with bears if I keep an active bait that close? Now keep in mind that occasionally they are looking in my kitchen window and sniffing around anyway.
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Once they start feeding on your bait, they'll probably stay close by. No need to go too far, if a perfectly good food source is available.
 
The impression of many inexperienced bear hunters is that bears are "dumb"... the bulk of their experience is sitting on a bait and shooting a 2 1/2 year old bear that weighs 125-150 pounds... generally the first bear to come in... Not much different than shooting a young buck or doe off an alfalfa field... or a calf moose in a bottleneck between lakes... If it is your intention to harvest a mature boar, expect to put in the equivalent effort that you would for any big game species... as said above, they are big because they are incredibly wary, and have an excellent sense of smell and an acute 6th sense for something being out of place... particularly around a bait site, where their senses are on high alert...

I like my chances of bagging a really big buck OR bull over a really good boar...
 
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hoytcanon said:
a 2 1/2 year old bear that weighs 125-150 pounds...
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This reminded me of a friend's bear from last year whose tooth he sent in to the MNR for their data collection program. The bear weighed 475lbs and we were astonished to learn from the MNR that he was only 6 years old. He captured the entire hunt on video and this bear was very wary. Showed up at last light, and seemed as though he was there unwillingly. Really awesome to see a big, mature animal like that come in. His behaviour was very different from the immature bears mentioned above, who seem to just pile right in, carelessly. Those big ones are really interesting, and impressive. If you see one, you've done something right.
 
Everyone you talk to other than NSHunter1254 will agree that getting big bears (375lbs+) to your bait is no easy task. Getting a 100-350lber to come in is a cake walk compared to getting an actual big boar to waltz in. Try getting bears over 375 to your bait consistently and you'll soon see the challenge in baiting.

One month will usually be adequate, and for the eater sized bear that you're after probably a touch on the long side. The shortest I've done it is about 5 days from the first bait to harvest a 200lb bear. The more time you have to bait the better. However, you need to draw the line where fuel and bait costs equal the value of the bear you're after. If you manage to find a free bait source, start as early in the year as you want to get it well established. Top it up whenever you head up north just to keep some interest. Also, put it on the section of your property thats the absolute furthest away from any human sources.
 
I know some pretty big guys at a local bar near here. Big does not equal smart !

Maybe that's species specific though :) :) :)

(sorry, had to)

Good luck OP. It's very exciting hunting bear.
 
Wow some of you guys have bears being so smart that they should be holding the gun.If it makes you feel better to believe the critter your killing is somehow more intelligent then they are, who am i to burst your bubble.I have only ever shot three bears but i have been video taping them over bait for 25 years,my first video camera was vhs,i have a feeling the original poster will believe the first 200 pound bear he see's at twenty yards is a trophy.Enjoy your hunt op.
 
NShunter1254 said:
Wow some of you guys have bears being so smart that they should be holding the gun.If it makes you feel better to believe the critter your killing is somehow more intelligent then they are, who am i to burst your bubble.I have only ever shot three bears but i have been video taping them over bait for 25 years,my first video camera was vhs,i have a feeling the original poster will believe the first 200 pound bear he see's at twenty yards is a trophy.Enjoy your hunt op.
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Videotaping for 25 years and only shot three... Hmmmmm... Sounds like 12% success rate... Kinda standard for baited bears...
 
hoytcanon said:
Videotaping for 25 years and only shot three... Hmmmmm... Sounds like 12% success rate... Kinda standard for baited bears...
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You don't think i could have pulled the trigger on many others,I have been in the game long enough that i get as much or more enjoyment with the camera as i do with the kill. Only the immature feel the need to shoot every critter they see.
 
After 25 years of baiting, how much video tape do you have of 450+ lb. bears??? The point wasn't shooting every bear seen, the point was being disciplined enough, working hard enough, and getting "lucky" enough to take a real trophy bear... To do that, many, many immature bears will be passed up.
 
Do you see anywhere in the original post that this guy wants his bear displayed at cabellas?For god sake man he wants to setup a bait and see some bears.In my area that means a week of cooking oil covered popcorn,dog food.bread or if you can land some timmies doughnuts they are irresistible.And i will guarantee he will enjoy himself whether he shoots a small one or a large one.
 
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