Baiting blackies

daveg01

daveg01

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OK so I may bait for black bears this year, never done it before.

I have my bait decided on as recommended by my neighbour who has guided/baited for bears many years. I'm going to use a barrel (chained to tree) and cover it with logs so I can tell if it has been hit or not.

The area we deer hunt is farm fields (corn, hay, barley) which backs into mixed woods and then into the swamp. The place were I want to bait is one of the few spots easily reached by truck and is basically an island with a "road" to it. It is surrounded by shallow swamp water bush. The swamp is mostly unpassable a few hundred yards further and goes for miles. I've been told some very big bears have come within a few KMs in similar terrain.

This is really the only spot for a stand on the property as it is far enough away from crops, cattle, etc. The downside is it is 400 yards downwind of the chicken crap pile, and can stink!!

I will be usging a .270 with handloaded 140gr Nosler ABs.

My main question is how far from the bait should I setup a stand? I will be using a 15" metal ladder stand or possibly a climbing stand depending on if I have to setup in the swamp water or not.

Anything I'm not thinking about?
 
daveg01 said:
OK so I may bait for black bears this year, never done it before.

I have my bait decided on as recommended by my neighbour who has guided/baited for bears many years. I'm going to use a barrel (chained to tree) and cover it with logs so I can tell if it has been hit or not.

The area we deer hunt is farm fields (corn, hay, barley) which backs into mixed woods and then into the swamp. The place were I want to bait is one of the few spots easily reached by truck and is basically an island with a "road" to it. It is surrounded by shallow swamp water bush. The swamp is mostly unpassable a few hundred yards further and goes for miles. I've been told some very big bears have come within a few KMs in similar terrain.

This is really the only spot for a stand on the property as it is far enough away from crops, cattle, etc. The downside is it is 400 yards downwind of the chicken crap pile, and can stink!!

I will be usging a .270 with handloaded 140gr Nosler ABs.

My main question is how far from the bait should I setup a stand? I will be using a 15" metal ladder stand or possibly a climbing stand depending on if I have to setup in the swamp water or not.

Anything I'm not thinking about?
Click to expand...

I would advise against placing a bait in an "island" type area. Bears really don't like to cross big openings when approaching a bait. You'd be better served to place the bait on the edge of heavy cover, though I guess that depends on what the terrain will permit in your area.

I'd put the stand 60-80 yards from the bait. The further the better for scent, but keep in mind that it's harder to see near dark the further you're away. Also don't place it so you're looking into the setting sun.

You can also chain the drum to a tree and remove the two bung caps,the bear will always knock the drum over and roll it around to get at the bait. No need to cut holes in the drum or place trees/branches to see if it's hit. They also don't waste as much bait.
 
Sorry, let me clarify - the "island" is a high spot in the wooded swamp. Its the complete opposite of an open area. Its just slightly higher ground there, so it's dry. The woods are thick enough you can't see 40 - 50 yards into the bush. The exception would be the tractor trail back to higher ground. The "island" is maybe 75X100 feet. The swamp is dotted with smaller "islands" only a few feet across.
 
Do you have any bears that hit the crops in the area? I used own land right along Hwy 7, east of Perth and bears were always coming into the oats.

That was when I was just a young lad, before I escaped the mediocrity of Ontario...
 
Demonical said:
Do you have any bears that hit the crops in the area? I used own land right along Hwy 7, east of Perth and bears were always coming into the oats.

That was when I was just a young lad, before I escaped the mediocrity of Ontario...
Click to expand...


Yes - The spot is very close to there, Drummond Center. Bears do hit the crops occasionally. Can there ever make a mess of corn when they want to.
 
tactical870 said:
What do you guys use for tried and true baits? I'll be looking to take my first black bear here in Ontario this season.
Click to expand...

I have never done baiting before, but my neighbour up the road who has baited bears and guided for 20 years said he uses a mix called COB - Corn, Oats, Barely that seems to work for him. I was planning to use this with molasses dumped over it.

Also, used frier grease dumped around the bait is supposed to be good and will get tracked into the bush as bears visit. Apparently a dead beaver in a tree works well to if you can get one.
 
corn, oats , barley , popcorn and molasses with some firer grease mixed in got me a bear last year. If you can get your hands on some pasteries they work better then meat/grains.

Had my stand 25 yards from bait and shot my bear at 40 yards as it was sneeking in. My stand is about 15ft up.
 
Heard that beaver is bear candy although tougher to get a hold of than oats etc. We use popcorn, frier grease, molasses and some candy if we have. The candy's interesting as they spend a fairly long period of time picking up the individual pieces. No matter what you do keep your head up when around your bait...you never know which one will decide you're an intruder and might want to move you away.
 
They like Jello powder as well...I bury it under rocks etc....if the bear is able to move the rock and get the jello powder its for sure a good sized bear. Also use sardines nailed into a tree with a pin hole in the bottom to let the stinky juice drip slowly out...seems to bring em from miles away. And yes...dead beavers drenched in molasses works awesome for me as well.
 
I've used burlap sacks with stale donuts and french fry grease from a chip wagon. Tied the sack between two trees, choose your height. clean the brush away under the sack and loosen the earth to keep footprints. The grease drips from the bag and is tracked forever through the woods bringing in other bears, hopefully. If I can smell the grease from 50 yrds away, imagine how far the bears can smell it from.
Hung one with the bottom 7 feet up (we knew there was a big one around) on a 3/8 nylon rope and cleared three feet under the bag. The bag was shredded, the rope cut it's own width into the tree from being pulled on, and not a single paw print in the 3 ft circle. Must have reached up 7 feet while leaning over the clear patch on the ground. Big. Never did see it though.
 
All good ideas.

I plan on putting a cam out to see what is coming in - if anything. Since this is my first time hunting bears, I'm not too concerned about size. It would be a meat bear anyways, so a younger one would be better for me.
 
daveg01 said:
My main question is how far from the bait should I setup a stand? I will be using a 15" metal ladder stand or possibly a climbing stand depending on if I have to setup in the swamp water or not.

Anything I'm not thinking about?
Click to expand...

Set up as far away as you feel comfortable shooting. But just like shot placement, stand placement is more important than distance to the bait. Bears will dilly-dally A LOT. They'll circle wide, come in, leave, come in again and leave again. Set your stand up with the wind in your face and the sun at your back, even if you have to be closer to the stand. If they wind you, it won't matter if you're 20 yards or 100...they'll be gone. Give them lots of underbrush and other cover to make them feel safe. Don't make them cross open areas to get in to the bait.

Be SILENT when you're freshening your bait: no human sounds. A bit of barrel clanking is ok because they know that it's the same sound those barrels make when they knock them over. No voices, no other sounds. The same goes for when you're entering your stand. Be quiet, because there SHOULD be bears in the area already. Once you've got bears on your bait, they'll never be more than a couple hundred yards from the bait site, always returning for another meal when they feel comfortable and sleeping a couple hundred yards away. If they know you're there during daylight hours, they'll just come in after dark and you'll be hooped.

Remember, for the fall hunt, you'll be competing with other sources of food, so if there are any food sources around, like patches of berries or whatnot, get rid of them. Make your bait the ###iest (and only) thing around. Fryer grease is an excellent attractant and will smell for MONTHS after you pour it around your site. They will rip away at trees and stumps and whatever else you soak it into! It's also free, which is good.

For the spring hunt in QC this year, we were entering and leaving in our stocking feet because the bears were ON TOP of the bait constantly! Pretty fun hunt :D
 
I just picked up a 40lb bag of cracked corn for 10$ at the feed store to mix in with my molasses feed .

the last time I put out the molasses feed, there were two bears on the bait when i came back to refresh it. one of them ran quickly the other one didnt' leave until I got within 30 yards, and then only backed off about another 30 yards from me. That bear was probably in the 250-300 lb range......It got a little tense but he decided against augmenting his diet with .458 400g r. bullets.
 
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