"Master Baiters"

[Coveyleader]

I know bear baiting is like fishing, trapping, etc, and knowledge comes over time. I've been baiting for awhile now in easy areas, and in the Mountain West where there can be a bait every mile or less. In terms of call scents, have you seen a difference between say some rotten fish, meat, etc vs these real sweet or high power additives or paste that many companies offer? We all want our baits to get hit fast and sometimes it just takes awhile for a bait to get hit, especially when opening up new spots. Have you seen a difference?

 

[Sask hunter]

When I open up a bait I like to throw a couple packs of jello powder around some icing sugar and I usually put beaver castor lure up in the tree above the bait. I also like to douse the area with liquid smoke. Don’t forget lots of grease around the bait where the bears will step in it. Once you get your first bear there then rest show up shortly

 

[Sask hunter]

If legal hanging beaver carcasses is good too. Obviously doesn’t last long once a bear shows up b it between the scent and the ravens that helps attract bears too

 

[CowboyLeroy]

Cover yaself in mayo and do the worm out there in them bushes and you'll have em

 

[Stocker]

Cover yaself in mayo and do the worm out there in them bushes and you'll have em

 

[Coveyleader]

Funny stuff right there. Loading up barrels, got the "Secret Sauce" in a bag so airtight, the nutty professor couldn't blow through it.

 

[338BearHunter]

This advice might be useless to you as it is regional, but I've had no luck whatsoever with "meaty" bait. The sweets seem to work best.

Two things I always do are 1) Pour the blueberry goop around the bait. That way if the raccoons come in first (50/50 in my experience), they'll track the scent and the bears will soon follow.

2) I use the "Bear Bomb" canisters, specifically Cake Icing flavor. That usually works well.

In 2020 my daughter was hunting bears, but we had nothing but a momma during the bait season. We set out on the weekend after bait season, and I had no choice but to use every good scent I could think of, hoping the bears would think it was still baited. It worked, and she connected!

Out west, you might still want to surround the bait with the scented goop for whatever scent you choose to employ. Maybe not raccoons, but coyotes instead. I dunno.

 

[Fullquiver]

Sweets, granola, donuts and the like are the ticket for bear bait..

 

[hank4elk]

in the 80's I was on the state champion fastpitch C league team, the Masterbatters. Logo was a drunk clown with a bat & 2 balls...carry on.