Honey Burn Amounts

[Octang]

I have my bear hunt in the Boundary Waters coming up next week and I think I have everything ready to go. Since we can't leave out bait up there, I will be setting up a honey burn to attract bears each evening.

My honey burn is going to be 1 bottle of honey, 3 packets of Kool Aid, 1 tin of sardines. Are those amounts sufficient for a three hour sit in the stand? Is there any reason I should add any other ingredients to my burn such as marshmallows or bacon grease? I know there a million different ingredients that can be added to a honey burn, so I'm hoping mine is "good enough".

[Mark M]

I've been trying to figure this out also. My setup is a 16 oz can hanging in a paint can using sterno (like the little flames they keep food warm with) to warm the "honey". IMHO there's a lot of variables so I'm just gonna experiment with different mixtures next week. While I'm at it I plan to walk downwind and see just how long it takes the scent to travel I'll post results

[Octang]

I have a single burner Coleman stove I'll use with a camping pot I picked up at Goodwill for a few dollars. I tested it out yesterday and had it smoking pretty good on low. It attracted my neighborhood wasps pretty quickly, hopefully the bears like it just as well.

[Bearman13]

Most people don't realize that you can bait in the BWCA you just have to take it out with you at night. You will be way ahead of the game if you bring a pail of bait in or potatoe sack and hang that with your burn.

Personally I think bacon burns are much better then honey. I would also soak they area in a spray flavor of your choice.

[Octang]

Most people don't realize that you can bait in the BWCA you just have to take it out with you at night. You will be way ahead of the game if you bring a pail of bait in or potatoe sack and hang that with your burn.

Personally I think bacon burns are much better then honey. I would also soak they area in a spray flavor of your choice.

Thanks for the tip Jim. And I believe you are right, you can bait as long as it does not sit out over night. Maybe I'll drag some bait in.

I was originally planning on being on the move, doing a honey burn in a different location each night. However, if I bring in some bait, would you sit in the same spot each day and set out the bait again each morning? I'm just trying to figure out the logistics in my head for the best results since it can't sit overnight.

Curious for some more thoughts on this.

[Mark M]

Thanks for sharing that tip Jimmy, that makes things a lot more interesting! Octang, I think my approach would be put the bait out early, like by 7-8 am, then return for the burn mid-afternoon. I'm going to run a cam, maybe they will develop a pattern.

[Bearman13]

get ahold of the forest service where you plan to hunt. They will point you to areas where they are having problem bears.

If it was me I wouldn't move around.

[Octang]

Does anyone know where to find the exact rules regarding baiting in the BWCA? I looked up the 2017 Bear Hunting regulations for Minnesota and this is the only pertinent info I found:

A person may not establish a bait station within 150
yards of an established campsite. A person may not establish a bait station in
Bear Permit Area 22 (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the portion
of the BWCAW outside of Bear Permit Area 22).
____

Definitions: “Bait” is any material placed for the purpose of attracting or
attempting to attract bears. A bear “bait station” is any location where bait is
placed for the purpose of hunting. Materials that are at all times attended by the
hunter are not considered a bait station.


This would imply baiting is only legal if you are actively sitting over it. I've heard others, outside this thread, also say baiting is allowed as long as it does not sit out overnight but I'm having trouble finding that written anywhere.