Bait right away or wait??

[Boo]

Baiting opens this weekend in MN and I was wondering what everyone does. Do you bait right away or wait a week or two? Is it better to get them coming in right away and try to keep them or let them find it a week or two before the season opens? I don't know how much pressure there will be in the area but I will only be able to bait on weekends. In the past I have had success baiting 1-2 weeks before the season starts on both public and private.
If they eat all the bait before I make it back up the following weekend will they wander to find bait somewhere else? How much bait do you put out if you are only baiting once a week?

[Bearman13]

Load it it up with all sort of goodies. Get some good scent in the air. I bait my atv guided hunts twice a week. I bait super heavy and stay out. I give them 4-6 varieties of food. I also use a lot of fryer oil and grease from a donut shop.

If you can get a couple hundred pounds down you'll be ok. You want as many bears hitting that bait and creating competition. They never forget free handouts.

I have waited a week on some spots. But those were established baits. If your locations are prior established baits I'd start on Friday or Saturday.

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[Bearman13]

I always figure 700-800 pounds a bait site.

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[bowhunter15]

I always figure 700-800 pounds a bait site.

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700-800 pounds in total through the month of August or each time you go out?

[dan]

Im on board with Jim... Get the bait out, scent out, and lots of it right away.

[Bearman13]

I always figure 700-800 pounds a bait site.

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700-800 pounds in total through the month of August or each time you go out?

That would be for August and say a week or less into September. That equates to a 5 gallon pail per site.

Atv baits I put down about 200-250 pounds at a shot.

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[Bearman13]

Boo. I ment if it's not a established bait site I would bait it Friday or Saturday.

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[Boo]

I have baited the sites in years past but the last time was 3 years ago so they are essentially new.
Dan, I saw in one of your other posts that you put out 10 gallons of bait per week. Is that enough?
What does everyone else do if you only bait once a week?

[dan]

I have baited the sites in years past but the last time was 3 years ago so they are essentially new.
Dan, I saw in one of your other posts that you put out 10 gallons of bait per week. Is that enough?
What does everyone else do if you only bait once a week?

No, its not enough, but thats the leagle limit in Wisconsin, and I can only get up there once a week. My baits in MN are way heavier, and last about a week till I get back up.

[Bearman13]

In my area this year the natural foods are non-existent. There's gonna be multiple bears of all varietys on baits. My biggest concern is running out of bait. This is the time low foods they will wander if you don't lock them down. I like to bait every other day too. It gives the bears a day or so of no human activity at the bait. Which I believe helps us with our better then average harvest size.

Even after three years the local bears now those locations.

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[Schultzy]

We bait once a week because we live 4.5 hours away. We load our baits to about 120 lbs. I'd love to put at least 200 out per week per bait but just don't have enough bait every year to do that. Where we hunt we try not to short the bear any bait. Too many other baiters 1/2 mile away to loose our bear too. Kinda sucks. Good luck!

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