# Acquiring Bear Bait



## Wasatch (Nov 22, 2009)

So as I'm preparing for my summer bait hunt, I have been poring over post after post and anything else I can find regarding baiting and what to use etc, etc... and have learned a ton, but now I'm wondering where everyone is going to get their bait. Nearly every post says something about old fry grease. Where are people getting it? Do I just walk in to my local McDonald's and ask for it? Do you buy it? Or, just know someone? Same with bread and doughnuts. Where should I go to get it? Where can I go to get these $10 pickup loads of bread that some folks mention? Same with doughnuts? Do you buy them? dumpster dive for them? Are they donated to you? Or do you have to know someone? Is it as simple as just asking a local store for items? Anyway, my ultimate question is where can I go to take advantage of cheap bulk products? Or do I just have to bite the bullet and pay big money for it all? This is my first bear hunt, so I'm learning. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions! Feel free to PM if you'd rather.


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## Wasatch (Nov 22, 2009)

Hmmm, so no one wants to give up any secret suppliers. Holding your cards close....I can respect that. All I want to know is if getting my hands on lots of old bread and doughnuts is as simple as walking into a store and asking for it? Same with Fry grease. Is it just a matter of asking for it at any fast food place that's close by? Because according to a few old posts and due to liability issues, I'm pretty sure no one is just going to give me what they would normally throw out. So how do others who have baited before actually end up getting all the bread, doughnuts and grease?


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I managed the grocery store.........:mrgreen:


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## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

I got my old meat cut pieces for my stink bags from Bowmans in Kaysville. They gladly gave it up. I used big game bags to hang it in. I had a bear break the branch to get to one of them that was about 30' up the tree. I never used the fry grease. Didn't need it. Dog food was the ticket on the North slope. And liquid smoke.


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## Wasatch (Nov 22, 2009)

Thanks 2full and muley, I appreciate the responses! 2full, are you still the manager? And, muley I have the same tag (kamas/North Slope) so maybe dog food and liquid smoke is the way to go? Did you have the summer or fall tag?


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## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

I had the summer tag. There were nine different bears hitting my two bait locations. And they were far enough apart I don't think it was the same set of bear. I also used syrup around the bait sites. (Elk love maple syrup by the way, I have pictures of them licking the trees I had it on).


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

No I don't run the grocery store anymore. After 25 years of running grocery stores I switched to running a farm and ranch store. 
I sell a whole lot of the cheaper dog foods to guys chasing and baiting bears. Works quite well.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I've used popcorn and mix in Jell-O after its popped. Light to carry, and the bears like it. 


Bulk popcorn is cheap. I popped it in a Turkey fryer and mix the Jell-O into it using a five gallon bucket. Don't add the Jell-O until the night before your going to bait. Burnt popcorn worked as well.


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## ISHY (Dec 4, 2015)

Sweet cob is always available cheap, clean, easy to pack, hard for bears to carry off, and will start to sprout after about 3 weeks of use with a little rain. Hang a little stinky old meat in between trees and supplement sweet cob with table scraps and you will be good to go.


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

If you need smelly grease to coat hard old bread with go to a KFC or a WingStop and ask them. I am sure a couple of gallons of that will work. Also, you can go to a Mexican store grocery store that makes carnitas and get the pork grease. It's smells amazing!!!!


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I ran a bait four years ago. The bears preferred bread and molasses over everything else I fed them. I made a few bear lolipops with jello mix, honey, etc... There are recipes on the internet. The bears climbed tall trees and broke big limbs to get those down. 

I bought ripped bags of pig food, chicken food and dog food at discounted prices from IFA, Cal Ranch, etc... Also, about mid season use a Bear Bomb, Sow in Heat. It works at bringing in the big boys once the rut starts.


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## Wasatch (Nov 22, 2009)

Thanks you guys for all the responses! I appreciate everything everyone has shared. Now it’s time to start the stockpiling and hoping that the snow starts melting soon!


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

taxidermist said:


> I've used popcorn and mix in Jell-O after its popped. Light to carry, and the bears like it.
> 
> Bulk popcorn is cheap. I popped it in a Turkey fryer and mix the Jell-O into it using a five gallon bucket. Don't add the Jell-O until the night before your going to bait. Burnt popcorn worked as well.


I've used popcorn too. It worked quite well. We didn't use jello though. We got the kids together one evening and we all had a giant popcorn pop-a-thon. 
We dumped cattle molasses on the popcorn and the logs around the site and they tore that place up! 
Dog food worked well too.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

My buddy scored some bags of rolled oats one time. We poured some molasses over a pile of oats and they tore that place to pieces!


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## elkantlers (Feb 27, 2014)

You can get fry grease at just about any hamburger joint. The places I get my grease from actually like me to take it because they have to pay people to come haul it off.
I also hit the grocery stores and ask for any throw away bread and donuts. Some are real good some aren't. I also buy horse feed with molasses and pop lots of popcorn. 
Also, get several bottles of Anise and vanilla. I pour that stuff around the bait site and it really brings in the bears.


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