# Bear bait question



## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

With luck this year, I'll be able to pull another permit. I plan on a DIY hunt on private land that holds good numbers of bears. 

What should I use for bait? I have unlimited access to carp, as I spearfish and bowfish them all summer long, and I've got a giant empty freezer. Are fish any good? Or should I just stock up on sweets and breads in summer around me?

I can use a barrel...How should I set it up if I use one? Or should I just use a log pile?

How often should I freshen the bait before season? Is once a week enough? Or should I get the landowner to fill er up more frequently just before I hunt? 

Thanks in advance for the help!


----------



## tbrent (Aug 6, 2009)

not that i have a wealth of knowledge but my uncle a few years back did a hunt himself we went to local bakeries and and got the left overs then he went to local resteraunts and got the old grease. hope it helps


----------



## hunting fool (Mar 9, 2009)

fish will work good to start thr bait for they smell pretty bad and get the smell out in the air, after the bear find the bait though you will want to go to something sweet to keep them comeing back as far as a barrel cut the top off and place wood over the top make sure there are some holes to let the smell out then a brick for weight to keep out other animals the barrel works good for being able to tell the size of the bear


----------



## thunder river outfitters (Aug 21, 2007)

you might wanna use the fish at first, but switch to something sweet. last season we used the cheapest dog food we could find, mixed that with custard. that seemed to work perfect.


----------



## Pooh Bieri (Jan 19, 2010)

I never like using fish or meat, draws in the damn wolves. Use old cooking grease to get some stink in the air, then keep feeding them sweets, breads, dog food, ect.....


----------



## badjedi (Apr 30, 2008)

Doughnuts, granola & frosting worked the best for me.


----------



## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Here's a link to what bait is legal when it contains grain. Who know; the definition may change by this coming fall. http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=299077&highlight=bear+bait


----------



## sourdough44 (Mar 2, 2008)

I would use whatever bait/food you can scroung up. I would start with sweets though, you can put out the other stuff for when the good stuff is eaten. No, with an active pile once a week is not good. You & the bears need to get a routine. With a hot site bait just about every day the last 7-10 days. If you want to bait yourself maybe you could hook up with some local help. I already have 3 barrels of bait in position for next Fall.


----------



## tsddawson (Feb 26, 2010)

I'd use the fish but switch to the sweets. The sweets worked for me and I hung about 50 lbs of old venision up along with honey burns to get them in. The bald eagles sure liked the venison when I had 3 on the meat pole just before taking the 420lb bear!


----------



## tsddawson (Feb 26, 2010)

Did you get the custard in a 55 gallon drum from somewhere? Someone else in the bear check station was telling me where to get it but I forgot?


----------

