It's that time of year again. I thought it might be interesting to share favourite bear baits. In addition to stale pastry I like to use fish and fish offal. I freeze buckets of fresh capelin (small, silvery fish) during the run. I also save fish offal and let it decompose in the sun to make a stink bait. I'll often include popcorn or Old Roy dogfood from Walmart and spritzed with molasses. I also do honey and molasses burns. I used to collect old fryer grease/oil, but since all the fast food chains have "gone green", old cooking fat and oil has become almost impossible to source locally. What do you guys find works best in your neck of the woods?
Bear Baiting on a Budget
- Thread starter X-man
- Start date
I just head to the farmers blueberry fields 30 bears in a small area easy drives peoples nuts sometimes but if you speak with a farmer or 2 they will let you hunt on there land. So if I wanted to hunt black bears I just show up and they prebaited.
Beaver carcass definitely works great. Unfortunately here in Newfoundland the only guys permitted to legally trap them are licensed trappers who were lucky enough to also hold one of a very limited number of beaver trapline permits. The guy in my area only traps the bare minimum of 5 beavers per year and has a lock on the only beaver trapline for 50km. I've had my name on the waiting list for 10 years. Of course, our beaver population is out of control and numerous ponds and brooks have been flooded out as a result. Local hunters generally shoot them on sight, wasting a great resource. If I accidentally catch one in an Otter set, I'm required to turn it over to the local wildlife officer. It's stupidity. I could be cleaning up on beavers if I was permitted. The pelts bring a decent price, you can also do well selling them to fly tyers or you can do "hooped beaver" wall hangings. The beaver castor can be used to make predator lures and the carcass makes for great bear and coyote bait. Just not in Newfoundland...
I use old bread and pancake syrup. My stink bait is sardines in an old sock. I get bear to the bait every year.
I did try cake icing bear bait spray. Brought two bears in less than one hour. One too small and the other very skittish.
I did try cake icing bear bait spray. Brought two bears in less than one hour. One too small and the other very skittish.
Budget? I always found, the most expensive part of baiting bears was the cost of the fuel involved getting there and back.
Grizz
I agree! I probably spend more on my bear hunting than I do on our annual fly-out moose hunt.
achtanelion
Regular
- Location
- Edmonchuck
Got neighbours with an apple tree? Offer to help clean up their mess! As soon as the apples start to ferment a little they can be smelt for miles with a human nose.
J
J
Now that is one option I hadn't thought of. I wonder if crab apples would appeal?
Yeah that sucks
Here in Sask certain municipalities pay you $30 a tail. Kill 4 or 5 a trip and it helps with the cost of fuel plus you get some awsome bait.I think they have pasted Mr. Coyote as public enemy No.1 here.
Cheers!!
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
first time I bait tried a bunch of stuff including fish, as soon as I put down the deep fryer oil...the bait was hit in less than half a day. As far cheap goes I would go with popcorn with sweat flavoring of some sort.
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Kitchen scraps
- Location
- Claresholm Alberta
I've heard great tales about the wonders of honey burn.... Anyone have any experience with it? I was thinking of trying while I'm up north for grouse and rabbit anyways, see if we could maybe bag us a black bear in the weekend....
- Used fryer grease to soak stumps (the scent will keep them coming for weeks). This will cost you a couple of 5 gallon pails and some rope.
- Cheap dog food (TSC sells 40lb bags for $0.40/lb). The downside is that it's heavy.
- Popcorn! Lots and lots of popcorn! Can be had at Walmart for $1.47/kg, and is very manageable because it's so light.
- You can also buy bags of anis stars from Indian food stores and soak them in water for a couple of weeks, then spray them on adjacent trees using a spray bottle.
This was our recipe for success this fall. Took a 300lb boar on opening day who came in from downwind of us. We had lots of action in July and August on the bait with approximately 10 different bears hitting the bait, at least one every day.
- Cheap dog food (TSC sells 40lb bags for $0.40/lb). The downside is that it's heavy.
- Popcorn! Lots and lots of popcorn! Can be had at Walmart for $1.47/kg, and is very manageable because it's so light.
- You can also buy bags of anis stars from Indian food stores and soak them in water for a couple of weeks, then spray them on adjacent trees using a spray bottle.
This was our recipe for success this fall. Took a 300lb boar on opening day who came in from downwind of us. We had lots of action in July and August on the bait with approximately 10 different bears hitting the bait, at least one every day.
I have only hunted bears over bait 2 years. I took a 45 gallon drum with a lid that could be removed and reinstalled, the kind that clamps back down so the bears can't open it. Drilled 6 holes in the sides of the barrel, evenly spread out, the holes are about 1.5" in diameter. For bait, I used the cheapest dog food money could buy. (tsc, co-op, etc) I would only put approx a 5 gallon pail full of food in it at a time, and pour on some molasses, or that jam bear bait stuff. (looks like jelly donut filling) Bears hit the bait within a day or 2 of being put out, and would continue hitting it every day until I quit baiting. I would put in a 5 gallon pail of dog food every 2-3 days. I had cameras on the bait, and had bears stay at it for up to 6 hours, rolling it back and forth, picking up the trail of dog food that trickles out the holes. Makes for a cheap bait, as they can't just empty it out all at once.
Worked good for me.
Almost forgot, when you head into the stand, take a smoking hot fresh bag of microwave popcorn and dump it at the site before climbing your stand.
Worked good for me.
Almost forgot, when you head into the stand, take a smoking hot fresh bag of microwave popcorn and dump it at the site before climbing your stand.
