Baiting. When to start ?

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vtbuck
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Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby vtbuck » Wed May 04, 2016 2:45 pm

I drew my bear tag for the second time. The first time I only got to hunt 3 days because my house sold so priorities changed but this time I'm planning on getting a lot more time in the stand. When does everybody start baiting?

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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Freelance Bowhunter » Thu May 05, 2016 1:51 am

Here in Minnesota we can only start baiting two weeks prior to the season. If I was in WI, I would put out some bait all summer. Even if you do not have enough bait to keep it full all summer, I would start putting it out now and do it periodically so they get accustomed to checking the site. Then 3 weeks before the season make sure there is bait available all the time.
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby dan » Thu May 05, 2016 4:12 am

Bait the whole time allowable if you can afford it. The funest part of baiting in Wisconsin is checking the cameras in rut when the sows start pulling in monster boars... And its good to know that those big boars now know where your baits are.
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Thu May 05, 2016 10:07 am

vtbuck wrote:I drew my bear tag for the second time. The first time I only got to hunt 3 days because my house sold so priorities changed but this time I'm planning on getting a lot more time in the stand. When does everybody start baiting?

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As soon as you can. If you cant get out there and bait as often as you would like go purchase a good scent gel product such as Bacon Gel or Anise Gel. With a long lasting powerful gel scent like bacon it will keep attracting until you can replenish your bait site. I have been using products from the Bear Scents LLC (www.bearscents.com) company since 1988. They have wonderful attracting scent products that I will swear by.

If you do use a Gel type product, reach as high as you can when you smear it on a tree, this way those bears cant rub all of it off on themselves and it will last longer. As season approaches and with a well established bait station now going, I tend to use there Bacon or Anise oil spray, those bears and other critters get it all over there paws transferring the scent all over and possible attracting other different bears. Early baiting: You will be amazed how many bears you will attract early on, but as season approaches don't get discouraged when these visits can drop off considerably due to the fact you now have competition with other baiters out there. Have fun with your hunt.
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby vtbuck » Thu May 05, 2016 1:49 pm

How often do you freshen your gel scents?

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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Thu May 05, 2016 3:04 pm

vtbuck wrote:How often do you freshen your gel scents?

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On an average I will freshen up each bait station (3 Months time) at least 6 times with the Gel. An interesting note.... Each Spring when I go and check bait stations I had from the following year, you can still smell traces of the bacon and anise.
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Raised in Alaska » Sat Jun 25, 2016 8:39 am

I agree with others who have responded to this post: as early and often as you can. The hardest part of establishing a new bait site is getting on the bear map: or having your new food location recognized by bears as a food source that they can check often. The first step is scent - get a lot out there. Two suggestions about big scent: one make a stink bucket that the bears cannot reach so you always have scent and (where legal) last years deer/elk/moose hide hung up high where bears "cannot get to it" (good luck they are clever).
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Freelance Bowhunter » Sat Jun 25, 2016 11:55 pm

I didn't draw a tag this year but I am already baiting. That should tell you something.
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Blackhorn » Sun Jun 26, 2016 12:38 am

I use alot of molasses. I've got a a 250 gallon tote of it sitting in my hard. Bears track the stuff all over the woods leaving a trail to the bait that a blind man could follow.
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:20 am

Blackhorn wrote:I use alot of molasses. I've got a a 250 gallon tote of it sitting in my hard. Bears track the stuff all over the woods leaving a trail to the bait that a blind man could follow.


Back in the day when our deer population was sky high I used allot of molasses at my bear bait stations but to many deer started coming to the bait stations for the molasses and busting the bear hunter. I stopped using it because of this. But Blackhorn you are right those bears love to role in it and track it all over the place, thus attracting other bears. I should start using it again now that we hardly have deer up here.
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Blackhorn » Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:30 am

Mike Foss wrote:
Blackhorn wrote:I use alot of molasses. I've got a a 250 gallon tote of it sitting in my hard. Bears track the stuff all over the woods leaving a trail to the bait that a blind man could follow.


Back in the day when our deer population was sky high I used allot of molasses at my bear bait stations but to many deer started coming to the bait stations for the molasses and busting the bear hunter. I stopped using it because of this. But Blackhorn you are right those bears love to role in it and track it all over the place, thus attracting other bears. I should start using it again now that we hardly have deer up here.


Not alot of deer in the state land I use it on, plus I don't hunt off the baits. I just use them to start young hounds off of during training season. On a few baits I have on private land where the deer density is higher I do notice more deer in the pics. I thinking about trying some of the gel scents from the website you posted. I like trying new things.
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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:42 am

As much as possible. The best baits are maintained every year.

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Re: Baiting. When to start ?

Unread postby Mike Foss » Sun Jun 26, 2016 2:14 am

Love those Gel scents they last forever. Went to Canada a few years back on a Spring hunt, outfitter never used scents before, I placed the bacon gel on the baits I sat, the outfitter commented on how long the smell lasted and now to this day orders scent each year.


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