Bait for Bear Hunting
Every year hunters across the Northern Midwest set out to achieve the ultimate goal of bagging the trophy black bears. Many deem baiting unfair, giving the hunter a considerable advantage. But contrary to what some would have us believe, it’s far from easy, and holds no guarantees! It's been witnessed that bears sneak in undetected, grab a morsel of meat and disappear as fast as they arrived. I’ve also had bears skulk around the bait for hours, never showing themselves. From time to time you get lucky and have one move in cautiously to inspect the provisions, but this is more frequently the exception than the rule. The biggest advantage to baiting is that, if and when a bruin finally commits to the bait, it allows the hunter an opportunity to assess size and stature.
Contents
Steps
- Place the bait along a bear's natural movement corridor. Location is critical. Bruins hang out in distinct areas where food is available. Heavily timbered forests near agricultural lands often sustain good bear densities. With cereal crops like oats nearby, black bears favor the accessibility and abundance of such forage and often reside in proximity. The same holds true with natural forage such as wild berries and dandelions.
- With the aid of topographical maps, look for streams, rivers and ample low ground to provide damp, dark and cool cover. Beavers are a staple food source in some regions, so areas with spruce and poplar mixed forest near cascading beaver dams can be dynamite locations for establishing a bait site.
- Look for indicators like claw marks on deciduous trees. While rarely do you stumble upon fresh markings, these lasting scars unveil a sign of true presence. Bears commonly travel traditional trails along waterways and natural movement corridors like valleys and ridges. Finding fresh scat can instill further confidence.
- Make sure your bait has a strong odor -- sometimes, the more putrid the smell, the better at least when it comes to attracting them. Bears are omnivorous and will scarf down just about anything from produce to pastries, bread and meat scraps.
- Simplify your bait ingredients by using beaver carcasses hung in trees. Where legal, beavers are a key ingredient. As for bulk, use sacks of cream filled cookies. A pale of rotting fish guts serves as a great stink bait and the final touch is a bucket of grease poured around the base of the bait barrel, particularly the kind discarded by restaurants that use deep fryers. Visiting bears step in the oozing mess and establish their own scent trail to and from the bait.
Tips
- Be alert.
- Scent can be your biggest ally or your worst enemy. Bears are attracted to the aroma of a free meal, but if they catch a whiff of your boot track, you can often kiss them good-bye. Keep your clothing and footwear as scent-free as possible. Approach your stand or blind from the opposite direction that the bear is anticipated to enter the site. Once established, well-worn trails will reveal access points.
- Pay Attention to detail.
- Be on your toes at all times while hunting your bait. You will most often see bears before you hear them. With padded feet, they move with calculated precision. Remember, when they come in to a bait station, they know the treats were left by humans.
Warnings
- Study your state or provincial hunting regulations. Know what you can and can’t do, season dates, licensing guidelines, where baiting is and isn’t allowed, how to properly post warning signs, whether it is unlawful to shoot a sow with young cubs, and so on.
- Know the rules.
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