Tactics and Strategies for Bear Baiting

[Raised in Alaska]

A few years ago I started baiting for bears. It's most certainly been a learning curve. There is a lot of info out there, but you have to wade through a lot to get a few kernels. I made a quick video to share how to set of a bait barrel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C--fViaCr40. I would love to hear other people's tips and tricks for baiting.

[dan]

Nice video... We can't use barrels where I hunt.

[Edcyclopedia]

Gr8 experiences...
Thanks for posting

[ Post made via Android ]

[Freelance Bowhunter]

I covered barrels a lot in my video but I am also still learning. My setup is surprisingly similar to yours although I do not get them off the ground. I am curious how you fastened the barrel to the tree. Also I now put the large hole in the one barrel at the bottom of the barrel to keep the bears using the oldest bait first. Otherwise when you come back and find there is still bait in the barrel, you have to scrape it out or add new bait on top of old then it gets rotten. The only problem with this is that the bears tend to lie down when they feed.

My second barrel is just like yours, with a small hole in the bottom. I use trail mix in that one and it really works terrific. I have seen various barrel setups at many outfitters and I use them here in Minnesota (Private land only) and where I bait in Ontario. It's very interesting that your setup is so similar to mine.

[Blackhorn]

The bar in the barrel that scrapes the bait off the paw is brilliant. You must have some frustrated bears.

[Raised in Alaska]

The barrel is suspended using four 1/2 inch cast I-bolts. Each side of the barrel has a loop of chain that goes from front to back. There is a chain that goes around the tree and then the barrel can be balanced depending on which chain link you use to connect the barrel loop of chain to the tree chain.
I suspended the barrels so the brown bears cannot crush them (the third picture in the "How to Build a Better Barrel" video is of a buddy's steel 55 gallon barrel that the bears had crushed. Additionally, the ability to raise the barrel can regulate the size of bears that can access the barrel: A barrel suspended higher makes it difficult for smaller bears to get into it. Finally, I put a stick into the bait hole after I bait the barrel. This keeps birds and other vermin from accessing the barrel and gives me a visual indicator when I return if I have had visitors since the last baiting. Here is another series of 10 second trail cam videos from this year that show some big bears in on the station. Most of the videos are brown bears - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkXOKUacvgo.

[Blackhorn]

Great videos. I can't believe how those brown bears make the blacks look like midgets.

[Raised in Alaska]

The biggest hear I got on video was one last year. Nearly a 10 foot bear - an absolute beast! Last years video compilation was not as well done as this year's - I am still learning about video production as well. Anyway, if you are interested, it can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyn9quDeXSs. It has been a great learning experience and I have had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to be more effective.