# Bear bait needed..



## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Hey guys! I'm in need of some more bear bait.

I have a buddy that was supposed to get me a whole bunch of pastries but, I was just informed that he might not be able to get it due to tough times.

I was some what planning on that to happen.

I'v got my certificates and I'm planning on starting my bait drop on this coming Saturday August 1st.

I'm only gonna bait 1 site because of the history of bears in this area. There is no need to bait 2 sites.

here's what I have;
50 bags of marshmallows 
60+ raspberry jello packs
24oz of Anise extract
two 50lb bags of dog food (im getting more)
two 50lb bags of 4-way feed (i'm getting more)
20lbs of blueberry pancake mix for 1 drop (i'm getting more hopefully)
15 gallons of pancake syrup (in 1 gallon jugs)
I'm making a 20lb bear sucker
and im gonna do some honey burns too.

So, I'v got a good pile going but, I wanna make sure I have PLENTY. 
Id also like to have more of a variety.

I have the entire week off this week and I'm doing last minute prep work for this bear hunt that starts on August 15th. So I have the time to pick things up

If you can help me out with bait donations or if you have advise please comment or message me on here.


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## one4fishing (Jul 2, 2015)

What about the guy with that awesome write up with the video? He had a cookie shop. Maybe you could work something out with him. 
Good luck on your hunt.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Have you hit up any of your local grocery stores or bakeries to see if they’ll set aside for you what they would just throw away anyway?


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Vanilla said:


> Have you hit up any of your local grocery stores or bakeries to see if they'll set aside for you what they would just throw away anyway?


I have not done that yet but, I will make some calls. I'v been a little intimidated to do so. I need to just get over it and make a call.

This bear hunt should be in the bag. I'm not going to be extremely picky due to my AZ elk hunt coming in mid September. (gotta save some time off and money for that) but, the first decent bear that comes in is gonna get it! AND between me, you and the fence post, I'm gonna use one of my rifles instead of my bow (reluctantly) so I can just get it done.

TONS of bears in this area. It should happen quick but, you know how hunting goes


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## Ray (May 10, 2018)

goosefreak said:


> Vanilla said:
> 
> 
> > Have you hit up any of your local grocery stores or bakeries to see if they'll set aside for you what they would just throw away anyway?
> ...


What unit are you hunting? I know a guy that owns a pastry shop, I can reach out and ask


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Ray said:


> goosefreak said:
> 
> 
> > Vanilla said:
> ...


South slope/Yellowstone

Yeah, I'll take what I can get!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Do yourself a huge favor and make a buttload of popcorn. You sprinkle the jello packets on it and it is pure bear crack. 

And it is way easier to pack up the mountain than dog food


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Vanilla said:


> Have you hit up any of your local grocery stores or bakeries to see if they'll set aside for you what they would just throw away anyway?


My Nephew has a tag and he's been hording bait for over three months now. I think he had to buy another freezer to keep the pastries.

I talked with him last week and he went to pick up another cart of goodies at a bakery that he'd been getting stuff from for the past months. Because of the COVID they wont give it out anymore. Nephew said people were asking for "bear bait", when in reality they were eating it. So, they said no more.

Johnnycake is dead accurate about the popcorn!!


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

my only problem with popcorn is that its non filling and it restricts my hands from carrying in bait that will last longer.. Thats just my opinion though.

When My buddy had his tag for this area in 2017, we did 3 bait dumps smaller then what im planning on doing and we couldnt keep bears off of this spot. Sometimes it was just once a day but, it was every day.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

You definitely have to keep the station loaded with goodies! Need to keep them interested. They find it empty most the time they'll go to the next canyon that has a bait site and eat that.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

And to celebrate my 2,000 post! Here is what I will be keeping the bears interested with. Should I run out of bait! 

Taxi, I’m not too worried about another bait site. There are too many bears in my area for them to care about that. I keep telling people that where’s I hunt, it is literally a bear factory. I walk up on bears every year in there. Where I will be baiting, there is so much bear poop that it looks like pigeon poop under an overpass and it’s like that every year.. 

I put a camera up on my bait nest when I went up to get GPS coordinates, I’ll bet I have bears on camera from them just moving through the area.

But you are right, gotta keep the bait site loaded. On my buddies hunt, he only dumped 100lbs at a time, maybe and he had bears on his bait every day. Even when it was gone. That’s what the sucker is for! 

I’m gonna dump 200+ lbs on every trip..


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I'm gonna dump 200+ lbs on every trip..

Your half Mule if your taking that much weight in on your back!! If I tried that, I'd be the bait.:shock:


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

taxidermist said:


> I'm gonna dump 200+ lbs on every trip..
> 
> Your half Mule if your taking that much weight in on your back!! If I tried that, I'd be the bait.:shock:


More like half stupid!
I once hauled out both back straps and both front shoulders and 1 hind quarter on an elk I killed. Side hilling 1/3 of a mile to my 4 wheeler, over dead fall. now THAT was heavy! and dumb. crap like that explains why my back and knees always hurt!!

BUT, I'v got a couple guys going to help me and its an easy haul


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

goosefreak said:


> More like half stupid!
> I once hauled out both back straps and both front shoulders and 1 hind quarter on an elk I killed. Side hilling 1/3 of a mile to my 4 wheeler, over dead fall. now THAT was heavy! and dumb. crap like that explains why my back and knees always hurt!!
> 
> BUT, I'v got a couple guys going to help me and its an easy haul


That's why I road hunt from the SXS now. If I cant throw a rock where the critter is, I wont shoot. Oh ya, I wont shoot anything that's downhill of the road.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

goosefreak said:


> my only problem with popcorn is that its non filling and it restricts my hands from carrying in bait that will last longer.. Thats just my opinion though.
> 
> When My buddy had his tag for this area in 2017, we did 3 bait dumps smaller then what im planning on doing and we couldnt keep bears off of this spot. Sometimes it was just once a day but, it was every day.


Heavy, filling baits tend to let bears return less frequently IMO. Some of the nice things about popcorn are that they love the stuff, it takes them a while to chow it down when they are at the site, and they tend to return often as they are still hungry.


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

Try the sweet molasses oats/corn/barley mix from tractor supply. It’s $10 for 40 lbs


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

It's about a 4 hour drive from you, but up in Howe, Idaho there is a bear bait company called master bait (hahaha get it?!). Their website says to contact them for pricing and availability. It must be good stuff. Their website says "you'll have to beat 'em off."

http://www.master-bait.com/


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I wonder if they are associated with a fishing store over here in Colorado named Master Bait and Tackle.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Thanks guys! I was able to get ahold of my buddy who got me truck loads of goodies! 
I was able to legally set bait on Saturday so I did. 
I put out 40lbs of 4-way feed
35lbs of dog food
20lbs of pancakes 
20lbs of pastries 
60 pounds of raw chicken scraps (that stunk like shizz)
15 bags of marshmallows
I dumped 3 gallons of maple syrup all over it, I sprinkled several raspberry jello packs on it and threw 5 lbs of sugar all over it. And a 20lb bear sucker, 
Then I did two honey burns and sprayed Anise oil all over the trees around the site and in two directions up to 100 yards away from the bait. I’m going back up next weekend to repeat the process..


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## Ray (May 10, 2018)

Glad to hear you were able to get situated. My contact said they don’t make excess so there’s never anything they’re throwing away.

You’ll have to post pictures of the bears coming in


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

Being a rookie/newbie/non bear hunter. 

I've seen a lot of bait site pics. Many are covered up so bears have to work harder to get into them.

Did you cover it up? Is there a strategy to to not cover it?


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

caddis8 said:


> Being a rookie/newbie/non bear hunter.
> 
> I've seen a lot of bait site pics. Many are covered up so bears have to work harder to get into them.
> 
> Did you cover it up? Is there a strategy to to not cover it?


 Because in my opinion, it's a waste of time and energy. Every time I've helped with a bait site, the first bear that comes in rips it all the pieces.

The guy that gave me all the pastries, hunts bears more than anybody I know and he told me when he gave me those pastries that he's never been able to keep a bait site covered up.

I figured I would just make it easy, make it comfortable, keep a couple hundred pounds on the site as much as possible and let the Bears have at it


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

the other reason why is because this spot is so thick with timber that I have very little shooting lane. I dont want the bears to destroy the bait site in such a way that they enter in from a different direction..


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

Ok, that makes sense. Learn something new. Clearly I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm excited to see what happens.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

caddis8 said:


> Ok, that makes sense. Learn something new. Clearly I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm excited to see what happens.


I don't think it hurts to cover it up with logs, but every time I've ever been with people baiting bears and we cover them up, they just rip it apart. So my thought is what's the point?

I'll definitely post updates here on this thread but if I kill one I will probably make a new thread


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I think the logs/crib idea is to try to slow down the bear's ability to gobble up all of the bait fast, since UT doesn't allow you to use a barrel/metal/plastic container. 

But my experience is a bear that can't in a few minutes undo hours of careful effort to build a log crib is probably not a bear worth punching your tag on anyway. I like the way you have your site set up goosefreak. Looks good, and I can't wait to see pics!


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

johnnycake said:


> I think the logs/crib idea is to try to slow down the bear's ability to gobble up all of the bait fast, since UT doesn't allow you to use a barrel/metal/plastic container.
> 
> But my experience is a bear that can't in a few minutes undo hours of careful effort to build a log crib is probably not a bear worth punching your tag on anyway. I like the way you have your site set up goosefreak. Looks good, and I can't wait to see pics!


 You're right on all accounts! I hope I can bring you guys some good footage this weekend. There are a lot of bears in this area and with all the anise oil and two honey burns and the rotting chicken scraps, I hope there's enough sent lingering through the forest to bring them in! I'm going to do two bacon burns and two honey burns this weekend, the more sent I can lay down in there the better!

I built my crib around the first part of July, and I left a camera on it and I've got all sorts of elk all over it, but I'm having a hard time posting those pictures I'll see if I can work out those kinks


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

if you want to attract elk in an OTC General Any Bill Unit, just build a bear bait crib.. I have tons of pictures of bulls checking out the new structure! 

Iv got some other pictures I might post on my "trail camera pictures" thread


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

I like the old school Coleman!


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

JerryH said:


> I like the old school Coleman!


Agreed! Some things are better left unchanged!


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Well, I have a Bear on the pile. It took 6 days but, 1 showed up Friday. Honestly, I thought they would have found it sooner because of the amount of bear sign with the history of the area But, I think this bear will open up the gate for more bears to come! 

I have another camera 1/4 mile away from the bait and I'v got 2 different bears on that camera so they should be showing up soon.

I am a Novice Bear hunter but, this bear looks on the smaller side? He seems like he's got a good pelt though. we'll see what else shows up between now and next weekend.

I dumped another 120+ lbs of pastries and did 2 bacon burns while i was there..


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Looks like a younger female in your pile. Might squeak into 5'. 

The other bear looks interesting though


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

I agree. Young bear on the bait. I would like to see more pics of that other one though. Looks mature.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

silentstalker said:


> I agree. Young bear on the bait. I would like to see more pics of that other one though. Looks mature.


That's the best picture I have of that other bear. It was just moving through. 
They better start showing up! I don't have a whole ton of time to bear hunt so, I might have to take what I can get! I'm leaving on September 9 for Arizona to hunt elk and I'll be gone for 2 weeks.


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

Nice. What area you hunting in Az?


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

silentstalker said:


> Nice. What area you hunting in Az?


Unit 27 Archery Elk, starts Sept 11


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

Can’t wAit to see your pics! That should be a fun hunt!


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

My dad was able to go and do a bait drop while I was at work today (8/12/2020)
he dumped another 80 lbs of pastries, did another bacon burn and dumped 3 gallons of grease all in front of the bait pile. I had him pull one of my SD cards while he was there. It looks like a couple more bears have shown up!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

That first bear is a nice one


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## rtockstein (Mar 17, 2019)

goosefreak said:


> if you want to attract elk in an OTC General Any Bill Unit, just build a bear bait crib.. I have tons of pictures of bulls checking out the new structure!
> 
> Iv got some other pictures I might post on my "trail camera pictures" thread


Very nice! What do you think their favorite is? The popcorn with jello packets mixed in? &#128514;


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## super chicken (Nov 5, 2014)

Goose Freak, congrats on getting them to come into the bait. It looks like you have 2 different bears coming into the bait. I think the larger one might be a 5ft bear. i base this on a couple of things, it has long dog like legs and not much of a pot belly. I know it is summer but that is all bears do is, eat, sleep, and breed. your time is short so spend 3 or 4 days at the bait and take the bigger bear. Dont be shocked if it is a sow. I tryed to get a bear to show me his juck once, when I yelled "show me your Junk" HE JUST RAN OFF. good luck


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

super chicken said:


> Goose Freak, congrats on getting them to come into the bait. It looks like you have 2 different bears coming into the bait. I think the larger one might be a 5ft bear. i base this on a couple of things, it has long dog like legs and not much of a pot belly. I know it is summer but that is all bears do is, eat, sleep, and breed. your time is short so spend 3 or 4 days at the bait and take the bigger bear. Dont be shocked if it is a sow. I tryed to get a bear to show me his juck once, when I yelled "show me your Junk" HE JUST RAN OFF. good luck


I dont have a problem shooting a sow as long as its a good looking one!
Defiantly gonna be in crunch time. I'll be there for the first 4 days, I can hunt the weekends too but, trying to limit myself from doing do. If I do that then I wont see my kids for a whole month by the time my AZ elk hunt is over. Oddly enough, having kids has turned me into a softy when it comes to hunting season and being away from them on hunts!!


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

A cheap option would be chicken scratch. 



It is $8 for 40#. 



Other stock feed would work as well. 



It isn't an expensive as dog food. 



From what I have read the tree scent thing is more important than the bait itself. 



The scent brings them in and bears rarely turn down a free meal.


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