Bear baiting questions?

The Beast’s of the North woods. Behaviors, Hunting Stories, Pictures, Tactics, Q&A.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


Dthree
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 4:46 am
Status: Offline

Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby Dthree » Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:25 am

I read all of the post on here about using sweets and such for baiting and it's got me curious.
Are there any areas you guys hunt that you're not allowed to use processed foods?

Do any of yall use natural grain in the areas you're allowed to use sweets?

Average number bears on one bait pile?

How much bait do you put out each time and how often?

Here in NC, we're only allowed to use natural bait, nothing can be processed. We use mostly reject peanuts but they can't be salted or anything. Our bear baiting laws are ridiculous but not as bad as they were a few years ago when you couldn't still hunt over any kind of bait.


dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41586
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby dan » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:33 am

I have used shelled corn and apples. They eat corn but they eat the donuts, cookies, and bread 1st. Apples seemed to work pretty good. I know deer hunters baiting with corn have lots of issues with bears when bear hunters are not baiting, so without the donut factor your probably ok with corn and apples... I know guys use oats, but they usually mix them with molasses or syrup which would not be natural.
User avatar
Bearman13
Posts: 455
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 12:24 pm
Facebook: Fall River Outfitters LLC
Location: Northern, Minnesota
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby Bearman13 » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:55 am

Corn has to be cracked corn. It's easier on their guts. Mix some strawberry filling or some flavor like that with it. Mix in oats too. Apples work good too. I also get some from people or go to the compost dump and load up.
User avatar
JAK
500 Club
Posts: 1051
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 5:49 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby JAK » Fri Jun 09, 2017 11:16 am

Oats always worked well for me and a average bait for me would have 5 different bears.. I always topped with molassis but have had some people tell me gives them the runs
mainebowhunter
500 Club
Posts: 3448
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:45 am
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Fri Jun 09, 2017 12:09 pm

Guys here love fish oil.

Cotton candy mix...they loved that.
User avatar
john1984
Posts: 4708
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:08 am
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby john1984 » Fri Jun 09, 2017 1:02 pm

It's too bad your so restricted on what you can use for bait. Are you allowed to at least use liquid scent ,? like to spray up in the trees and stuff ?

I took Jim's advice and used cracked corn mixed with all kinds of stuff. I would haul out a full 5 gal bucket at a time. I started a month before season, had a good one come in a few times in late Aug but then a sow and 3 cubs took over the bait.
User avatar
Bearman13
Posts: 455
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 12:24 pm
Facebook: Fall River Outfitters LLC
Location: Northern, Minnesota
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby Bearman13 » Fri Jun 09, 2017 1:58 pm

Any fruit you can scrounge up works to. Pumpkins, watermelons, oranges, apples, acorns, any of that stuff. I've used lots of fish oil also. Squirt it around. It's salty as they don't like it like food. It's more of an attractive lure
User avatar
Boogieman1
500 Club
Posts: 6587
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:18 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:19 pm

Bear hunting has always been on my bucket list and I have found some relitively inexpensive places to go. I do not have the slightest clue about anything bear related. Is it possible to terrain trap them. I will more than likely only get one in my lifetime and I would prefer that memory not to include sitting on top of a bait pile if that's possible. Any help appreciated
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
-John Wayne-
User avatar
Freelance Bowhunter
500 Club
Posts: 537
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 3:15 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernie.barringer.5/
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby Freelance Bowhunter » Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:20 pm

cracked corn is good if you spruce it up with some used cooking oil, molasses, etc. rolled oats if you can get them are even better. Go to fruit stands and get what they throw away. Bears will eat most fruits but ignore most vegetables. Find access to trail mix and it will change your life in these areas where other baiters are having trouble holding the bears, which will be common when you can't use sweets. You'll have every bear in the area at your bait so you'll go through it really fast.
BassBoysLLP
500 Club
Posts: 9756
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 11:28 am
Location: Central WI
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Fri Jun 09, 2017 2:37 pm

I'd stick with the dry nuts and raw fruit. Almost all the enhancements recommend above are illegal. If you have a good site and law aibiders next to you it shouldn't matter.
Dthree
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 4:46 am
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby Dthree » Fri Jun 09, 2017 3:18 pm

I thought I had already typed a reply but I guess it didn't work...........I'll try again

BassBoysLLP wrote:I'd stick with the dry nuts and raw fruit. Almost all the enhancements recommend above are illegal. If you have a good site and law aibiders next to you it shouldn't matter.
Yeah, I wasn't really asking about what to use. I was more curious about if this is the only area with laws like this and how much and often yall bait. And numbers of bears on one bait.


We hunt on over 10,000 acres of private land bordered on three sides by NWR bear sanctuary and thousands of acres of cropland on the other. We don't really have much trouble getting bears to eat. If anything, we have too many bears. A bunch of 200 pounders make it harder to only get on big bears. We do use some shelled corn but they prefer peanuts and it puts more fat on them. The main reason we bait is just to keep the bears on the property and off the refuge so we can run them with hounds but we do have some areas with baited stands for still hunting and we don't run dogs at them.

On the property we will have 6 or 7 big bait piles and have a bunch of smaller baits scattered between. We will start dumping 60 to 70 buckets a couple times a week in August or September, then a couple weeks before the season start feeding a lot more. Our season is one week in November and two weeks in December.


Are the areas yall bait on private land or do they allow baiting on public land? Here you can't bait on public land.
Dthree
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 4:46 am
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby Dthree » Fri Jun 09, 2017 3:23 pm

Freelance Bowhunter wrote:cracked corn is good if you spruce it up with some used cooking oil, molasses, etc. rolled oats if you can get them are even better. Go to fruit stands and get what they throw away. Bears will eat most fruits but ignore most vegetables. Find access to trail mix and it will change your life in these areas where other baiters are having trouble holding the bears, which will be common when you can't use sweets. You'll have every bear in the area at your bait so you'll go through it really fast.

The only thing in that post that wouldn't be illegal is fruit. Cooking oil, molasses or trail mix would be enough to put us under the jail.
Dthree
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 4:46 am
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby Dthree » Fri Jun 09, 2017 3:43 pm

Boogieman1 wrote: I will more than likely only get one in my lifetime and I would prefer that memory not to include sitting on top of a bait pile if that's possible.
I don't know about the areas these other guys hunt but in eastern NC where I'm at, baiting is about your only chance without using hounds. I'm sure there are places you can spot and stalk but with our terrain it's just not something that would produce results.

Now, if you wouldn't mind that memory including dogs and shooting a bear from only a couple feet away, I can point you in the right direction, lol.
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41586
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby dan » Fri Jun 09, 2017 10:06 pm

Boogieman1 wrote:Bear hunting has always been on my bucket list and I have found some relitively inexpensive places to go. I do not have the slightest clue about anything bear related. Is it possible to terrain trap them. I will more than likely only get one in my lifetime and I would prefer that memory not to include sitting on top of a bait pile if that's possible. Any help appreciated

You can hunt them on natural food... Just like bait. If your not shooting a young in experienced little rat bear, you would be surprised how challenging baiting mature bears can be. People seem to think you just flop out a pile of goodys any old place and sit over it. Don't knock it till you have tried it.
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41586
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Bear baiting questions?

Unread postby dan » Fri Jun 09, 2017 10:10 pm

Dthree wrote:I thought I had already typed a reply but I guess it didn't work...........I'll try again

BassBoysLLP wrote:I'd stick with the dry nuts and raw fruit. Almost all the enhancements recommend above are illegal. If you have a good site and law aibiders next to you it shouldn't matter.
Yeah, I wasn't really asking about what to use. I was more curious about if this is the only area with laws like this and how much and often yall bait. And numbers of bears on one bait.


We hunt on over 10,000 acres of private land bordered on three sides by NWR bear sanctuary and thousands of acres of cropland on the other. We don't really have much trouble getting bears to eat. If anything, we have too many bears. A bunch of 200 pounders make it harder to only get on big bears. We do use some shelled corn but they prefer peanuts and it puts more fat on them. The main reason we bait is just to keep the bears on the property and off the refuge so we can run them with hounds but we do have some areas with baited stands for still hunting and we don't run dogs at them.

On the property we will have 6 or 7 big bait piles and have a bunch of smaller baits scattered between. We will start dumping 60 to 70 buckets a couple times a week in August or September, then a couple weeks before the season start feeding a lot more. Our season is one week in November and two weeks in December.


Are the areas yall bait on private land or do they allow baiting on public land? Here you can't bait on public land.

a bear 200 pounds or better is usually a good bear in most places... As far as how many bears to each bait? That's wide open, from 0 to a dozen. Sometimes maybe more, but usually there are 3 to 6 regular visitors on my best baits and the rest are occasional.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Bear Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 28 guests