bear bait

[idahojoe]

well, I put my bait out last friday so the bait has been sitting for five full days, I got the urge to run back up and check it today but I have had nothing hit the bait.... I know bears are in this area but not quite sure what to do now,do I let the bait sit longer? or do I pull it out and move it to a new location?? this is on public ground, in a spot where no one will find the bait unless you walked right into it by chance. What do I do? any advice is appreciated and much needed!

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

Maybe change the bait, but I'm looking for info myself.

 

[nbell]

Both of my bait sites have been hit this year, but until now , May 3rd has been my earliest hit. My first year on bait sites have taken as long as 4 weeks. Once a site has been established for several years the bears find it sooner. If you know there are bears in the area and you have a good spot, make sure it smells ( a lot of smell ) and it should be a matter of time. Bears find food with their nose, and getting a lot of skank out there is the key. What elevation is the bait at? If it's real high it could be early still. My second bait didn't get hit until yesterday.

 

[idahojoe]

Both of my bait sites have been hit this year, but until now , May 3rd has been my earliest hit. My first year on bait sites have taken as long as 4 weeks. Once a site has been established for several years the bears find it sooner. If you know there are bears in the area and you have a good spot, make sure it smells ( a lot of smell ) and it should be a matter of time. Bears find food with their nose, and getting a lot of skank out there is the key. What elevation is the bait at? If it's real high it could be early still. My second bait didn't get hit until yesterday.

so you are saying to let that bait sit? not sure on the elevation exactly but it is on the top of the mountain as high as I can go

 

[BRD DAWG]

Let it sit for awhile. Sometimes takes a week or two for them to find it. Something to help speed it up that I do is cook some "Bear Crack" on my bait site. Take a small propane stove, an old sauce pan and dump in a bottle of maple syrup, a package of strawberry jello, a 1 lb of sugar and a bag of mini marshmallows. Stir it all up good and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for awhile and it will emit a sweet, sticky smoke that will stick everything in it's path as the wind carries it away. After you boil it for awhile, dump it all over the ground and on your bait. The bears usually show up pretty quick once you start doing this. When they come in they will also step in it and leave a good scent trail away from the bait for other bears to pick up. Last year I had 13 different bears on camera.

 

[Oldgoat31]

Bear crack should help bring them in. Be careful not to get that smell all over you then climb in your stand. I had a bear about destroy my hang on stand a few years ago when I left a scent trail up the tree into my stand.