So I am going to NB to bear hunting a few weeks or so, first I have to go and build some stands and do some scouting (not in that order). I am hoping to have two stands, my question... how far apart should they be if we want to get two bears?
Bear Hunting Question For All The MASTERBAITERS on here.
- Thread starter bill c68
- Start date
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I am a little confused by your question. There is no reason why you could not score twice from the same stand on the same bait, so I will assume you are talking about two hunters on different stands overlooking the same bait. I think as long as both stands offer unobstructed views of the bait, the distance between them doesn't matter very much.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
If you build it, they will come!
I would be inclined to use a single bait unless you plan to hunt miles apart. Use lots of molasses to create scent trails for other bears, and let them get comfortable feeding for a few days before you shoot. Keep the bait well stocked to ensure they return.
I would be inclined to use a single bait unless you plan to hunt miles apart. Use lots of molasses to create scent trails for other bears, and let them get comfortable feeding for a few days before you shoot. Keep the bait well stocked to ensure they return.
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Boomer said:
Well it sure is alot less work only having one bait pile. As far as bait, I plan on using deep fryer oil and baked goods. I may also get a bag of oats and molasses (horse feed)
I read somewhere ot get a coffee can or similar and a stovepipe, put this in the ground at about a bears arm length. the oil will get all over their "arms" and create a great scent trail. Plus the used oil and old baked goods are free!
I'd say put them 1K apart, close to a water source. My bears like to travel the ridges between swamps. Build a V shaped wall with any trees that have to be cleared, put your bait in the centre of the V. This forces the bear to give you the opitmal quartering away shot.
I've had young bears come to baits the very next day after a killing...
A little primer for you....
Take your time scouting. You can't just plunk down anywhere and hope to bring bears in. Collect any fresh scat you find. Place it nearby your bait sites. If the bears think there is competition for food, they'll come out sooner / quicker.
I've had young bears come to baits the very next day after a killing...
A little primer for you....
Take your time scouting. You can't just plunk down anywhere and hope to bring bears in. Collect any fresh scat you find. Place it nearby your bait sites. If the bears think there is competition for food, they'll come out sooner / quicker.
Ok... now how do you bait and how often...
I have heard everything from everyday to every 5 days. Some make a pile on the ground, some use a drum with a small hole in the bottom to let the food out slowly.... etc.
I have heard everything from everyday to every 5 days. Some make a pile on the ground, some use a drum with a small hole in the bottom to let the food out slowly.... etc.
I've got eight barrels like the one pictured above. Stink holes drilled in the top, lid cable tied to the barrel. I don't like a big hole cut into the barrel for the bear to stick his head into. Harder to size him up and they can eat too fast. My barrels have to be knocked over and the bears have to reach in to grab some food. Helps keep the little critters for robbing your bait aswell. Be sure to chain the barrel to a tree, or they will make off with it.
Pre season I load my barrels with a lots of food, and make fewer visits. Mostly because I live in southern Ontario, and hunt five hours north. During the actual hunt, I bait every other day and smaller amounts of food. The bears figure this out quickly and realize that if they don't get to the bait in a hurry, there will be none left. A huge pile of food leads to nocturnal bears chowin' down with no shooting light for you.
As for the menu....I mostly keep it sweet. Think carbs! Bread, pastries, sweet crackers etc. Honey, molasses and bacon fat are huge favorites. This year I'm going to try horse feed sweet mix. Dog food is easy to cart around too.
Pre season I load my barrels with a lots of food, and make fewer visits. Mostly because I live in southern Ontario, and hunt five hours north. During the actual hunt, I bait every other day and smaller amounts of food. The bears figure this out quickly and realize that if they don't get to the bait in a hurry, there will be none left. A huge pile of food leads to nocturnal bears chowin' down with no shooting light for you.
As for the menu....I mostly keep it sweet. Think carbs! Bread, pastries, sweet crackers etc. Honey, molasses and bacon fat are huge favorites. This year I'm going to try horse feed sweet mix. Dog food is easy to cart around too.
- Location
- Oromocto, NB
Tim Horton Donuts!!! Make sure they are good and stale or they just might not make it too the bait pile!
Also used fryer grease is easy to come by.
I've actually heard of people banging on a steel drum after they drop off the bait...that way the bears associate the noise with food (kind of like a dinner bell). that way when you go up in your stand you bang the steel drum and sit and wait. this probably only works if your baiting and scouting over a longer period of time though
Also used fryer grease is easy to come by.
I've actually heard of people banging on a steel drum after they drop off the bait...that way the bears associate the noise with food (kind of like a dinner bell). that way when you go up in your stand you bang the steel drum and sit and wait. this probably only works if your baiting and scouting over a longer period of time though
Here's a few tips. If you can get the fryer grease, pour it on the ground around the immediate area of your bait. When a bear finds the bait, he will get his paws coated in it, and when he walks away, he will leave a trail of greasy paw smell that any other bear travelling in the area will home in on as they pass through. They will follow it to the source.
I keep the top of my barrels covered with a lid ( a grate is best to allow the aroma to waft up). One piece of steel hay wire holding it at the front and two pieces sturdily tied in at the back. I chain the barrel to the tree. The bear will pop the top off that barrel like a soda can and eat his fill, but varmints like coons and skunks and squirrels will be SOL. A pack of racoons can eat a lot of bait!
Try black licorice as a treat. It has an anise smell which bears love, and they go crazy for it. The sweets are a good idea too, if you can get them. Tim Hortons around here don't give out donuts anymore due to outfitters arguing over who got them
But fryer grease with bacon drippings and old bread is a real good basic bait. Sardines are good too, as are honey or maple syrup burns.
Bears will become accustomed to your baiting routine and will not go far if the vittles are good. The sound of the bucket banging against your leg on the way out, and the sound of the car door slamming, can stimulate them to come in. Having two guys go in, and one guy staying on stand while the other walks out is a good way to trick a wary bear.
Your cover scent will be critical. They will tolerate your scent during baiting, but if they catch a whiff while you are on stand you are done! The trails to your bait will be well-beaten on an active bait. You may wish to get more than one bait going because even if you get one, to get another shooter (ie male or dry sow) coming in within your time frame may be a tall order. Bears travel for miles so space your baits well. It also may take a long time to establish your bait so get it going ASAP.
Bears are the opposite of deer; they feed and move more the warmer it gets. Today it is forecast for 27 C which is a great bear day! When the green vegetation comes on heavy (fiddleheads, grass etc) the bears will purge and go off the baits entirely for a while. June will probably be your best time to hunt, although the pelts can get pretty scrubby by then.
If you feel confident in your shooting, a neck or spine shot is best. Tracking a bear in the thick stuff after dark is no fun Even a well-hit bear (lungs) can go quite a ways and will leave little blood to follow. The bigger your bore, generally the better. 12 gauge slugs or 45-70 or 444 marlin are about as good as it gets, and at baiting ranges they are plenty accurate.
Good luck
I keep the top of my barrels covered with a lid ( a grate is best to allow the aroma to waft up). One piece of steel hay wire holding it at the front and two pieces sturdily tied in at the back. I chain the barrel to the tree. The bear will pop the top off that barrel like a soda can and eat his fill, but varmints like coons and skunks and squirrels will be SOL. A pack of racoons can eat a lot of bait!
Try black licorice as a treat. It has an anise smell which bears love, and they go crazy for it. The sweets are a good idea too, if you can get them. Tim Hortons around here don't give out donuts anymore due to outfitters arguing over who got them
But fryer grease with bacon drippings and old bread is a real good basic bait. Sardines are good too, as are honey or maple syrup burns.Bears will become accustomed to your baiting routine and will not go far if the vittles are good. The sound of the bucket banging against your leg on the way out, and the sound of the car door slamming, can stimulate them to come in. Having two guys go in, and one guy staying on stand while the other walks out is a good way to trick a wary bear.
Your cover scent will be critical. They will tolerate your scent during baiting, but if they catch a whiff while you are on stand you are done! The trails to your bait will be well-beaten on an active bait. You may wish to get more than one bait going because even if you get one, to get another shooter (ie male or dry sow) coming in within your time frame may be a tall order. Bears travel for miles so space your baits well. It also may take a long time to establish your bait so get it going ASAP.
Bears are the opposite of deer; they feed and move more the warmer it gets. Today it is forecast for 27 C which is a great bear day! When the green vegetation comes on heavy (fiddleheads, grass etc) the bears will purge and go off the baits entirely for a while. June will probably be your best time to hunt, although the pelts can get pretty scrubby by then.
If you feel confident in your shooting, a neck or spine shot is best. Tracking a bear in the thick stuff after dark is no fun
Even a well-hit bear (lungs) can go quite a ways and will leave little blood to follow. The bigger your bore, generally the better. 12 gauge slugs or 45-70 or 444 marlin are about as good as it gets, and at baiting ranges they are plenty accurate.Good luck
One of my most productive mix's is some hot water/mollasses and vannilla extract. Horses oats and mollasses are good too.
One new thing I tried last year is I have started to nail a can of sardines on a tree about 6ft up in the bait area. Then take an axe and split the can a little just to get the juices running. A standing bear beside a known heigh marker gives you a pretty good guess at his size.
The suckers are running right now, get out there and net a bunch. I'm going to try a few suckers this year instead of sardines.
That was exactley my experience last year. Opening day I had my bear shot before the landowner had returned to his house on the atv after dropping me off. I could still hear the bike running when I shot. Only bad part was I knew he didnt hear my shots so I had to walk back out.
One new thing I tried last year is I have started to nail a can of sardines on a tree about 6ft up in the bait area. Then take an axe and split the can a little just to get the juices running. A standing bear beside a known heigh marker gives you a pretty good guess at his size.
The suckers are running right now, get out there and net a bunch. I'm going to try a few suckers this year instead of sardines.
That was exactley my experience last year. Opening day I had my bear shot before the landowner had returned to his house on the atv after dropping me off. I could still hear the bike running when I shot. Only bad part was I knew he didnt hear my shots so I had to walk back out.
Ok... I just got a call from my friend who is keeping my bait stocked up. We set out the barrell on Friday, similar to the one pictured in Caboose's post, except it has a hole in the side for the bear to reach in. We wne t back Saturday and then I came home. Andy today my friend went in with a buddy to check on the bait, chatting away as they walked in and when they got within 65 yds of the barrell they saw a small bear, so within only a few days the bear has found my bread and fryer oil!!!.
They pushed the bear out and put out some more bait!!! I guess Friday I will be back. Hopefully we will get a bigger one in, although, I am known to be terribly picky with size.....
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I know he's small but he was tasty and he was my first bear. Anything over 100lbs and I will be happy.
They pushed the bear out and put out some more bait!!! I guess Friday I will be back. Hopefully we will get a bigger one in, although, I am known to be terribly picky with size.....
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I know he's small but he was tasty and he was my first bear. Anything over 100lbs and I will be happy.
awww hes so cute and cuddly,bill c68 said:Ok... I just got a call from my friend who is keeping my bait stocked up. We set out the barrell on Friday, similar to the one pictured in Caboose's post, except it has a hole in the side for the bear to reach in. We wne t back Saturday and then I came home. Andy today my friend went in with a buddy to check on the bait, chatting away as they walked in and when they got within 65 yds of the barrell they saw a small bear, so within only a few days the bear has found my bread and fryer oil!!!.
They pushed the bear out and put out some more bait!!! I guess Friday I will be back. Hopefully we will get a bigger one in, although, I am known to be terribly picky with size.....
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I know he's small but he was tasty and he was my first bear. Anything over 100lbs and I will be happy.
now wait a few days for momma bear to get a tad pissed off wondering where her baby is
That fella was from two years ago... this year I am hoping for 125-175 lbs. But I will shoot the first reasonably sized bear I see and hopefully bring a friend to get another a week later.SignGuy said:awww hes so cute and cuddly,
now wait a few days for momma bear to get a tad pissed off wondering where her baby is
There are bigger bears and I will take one if I see one, but what the hell am I going to do with such a big bear? I'd hate to have to drag a big fella out of the woods. besides for table fare, 150 lbs is perfect.SignGuy said:
