You make it sound so easy. I have met many people that thought that baiting bears was really that easy, and many of them that tried a method similar to your method, have yet to kill a bear. We have run six to eight baits, some baits have had bears on them in a few days, and some never had a bear on them in a month. I have seen bears clean out a forty five gallon drum in four or five days if multiple bears are using it, so we would never leave a bait barrel go more than a few days without checking it,let alone two weeks. If the barrel is empty for a couple of days, the bears will often go elsewhere looking for food. As to the size of the bears, the average mature boar will go 200 to 300 lbs, but for every mature boar, at least one or two smaller bears usually come to the bait. By the time that we gather enough food to refill each barrel at least a couple of times, and check every bait every couple of days, it adds up to a lot of time and fuel.
As for the cost for an outfitter, he has guides to pay, which usually runs around $150 per day , plus fuel for their trucks. Then he has a cook to pay, and groceries to keep the guides and clients fed. He also has cabins or tents to maintain, as well as a generator and camping gear. In the end, it can cost him $1000 to $1500 in expenses for each hunter, so to turn a profit, he needs to charge a minimum of $2000 to $2500 per hunter.
