# How to Break a Nocturnal Bear?



## ninodubes

Let me start by stating that this is my first year bear hunting. I have a very active bait site with around 2-3 bears hitting it daily. The only problem is that out of over 150 pictures, only one is during the daytime. Any ideas on how to break them out of this cycle? I have tried baiting earlier in the day consistently but with no luck.


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## Dubllung4

I know people that have rigged up a door to the hole in the barrel of bait with a timer. That way the bear can only get to the bait during the day, apparently they figure it out real fast but I dont know.


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## Wizard3686

Cut down on the amount of bait you are putting out. Once the first bear comes in and cleans it out the other bears will want to get in before him to get something to eat. 


I have heard that works i have never done it but may have to because some of our baits are the same way. 



Also how long have you been baiting? I know for the first week or two all of our pics were at night now we are getting more and more durning the day.


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## sourdough44

The best thing is to have a location where the bear feels comfortable coming in the daytime. If you don't have that it may be a little late right now. I'd try some 0900 or so A.M. feeding to have it quieted down for that afternoon visit. 

Here's what you want.


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## coyote/dave

on the money sourdough....... you can pull a bear a long way but if the bait is not where he is comfortable or a long way from where he prefers to be he might not get there till dark.....perfect situation for a dog hunter.....


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## mudslinger

I read in one book the guide would put a battery operated radio by the bait at night then remove or turn off during the day once they find a good food source they don't go far

And when you hunt have someone go in with you to the stand and then they would leave and you stay on stand the bear, if close might think it's all clear for dinner time. When I hunted we baited everyday or two at noon- 1pm. Then when it came time to hunt my brother -in-law and I did the two walk in and - stayed on stand the first day and it was about an hour and a half later the bear I got in 08 came in

Hope this helps
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ninodubes

In response to Wizard, I have been baiting since Aug 10 almost everyday. I have been reading up on the subject since I posted and have heard of people placing strobe lights by the bait piles at night then having them shut off during the daytime. Thought I would try this. See if I couldn't blind a bear in the process.


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## Wizard3686

I doubt a strobe will do anything really. I have around 600 pics at night of bears and they dont even look at the flash from the camera.


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## Wizard3686

What time are you baiting and how much bait are you putting out?


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## ninodubes

I am baiting around 2 pm most days and putting around 2-5 gallons of bait out. It is always gone when I come back.


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## Wizard3686

Try baiting around Early 8 or 9 am. We bait around that time and put 5 gallons out but we only bait every 2 days,


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## Mitchell Ulrich

Things I learned from helping out an Ontario Bear Guide for two weeks.

No more than 1/2 of a 5 gallon bucket. This creates competition for the food and the bigger (Trophy) Bear tends to sleep near the bait. In Canada, each outfitter is designated tracts of land that are his alone to guide on. If your bait station has competition from others doing the same, then the (Trophy) Bear will tend to run a circuit hitting each station all night long and sleep all day long. Bears can roam many miles to get to the next bait if they know it's there. 

The bait really needs to be covered and hard to get at. We used large logs that one man had to fight to get on top of the bait in pit. Not only did that keep the wolves out, but where the logs ended up said a lot about the sex and size of the bear. Boars just threw the logs off, sometimes 10 feet away. The sows were more dainty and pushed the logs just enough to get at the bait. He also said that the sounds of falling logs and rocks echoed a little ways though the woods alerting other bears passing by or might be sleeping.

Establish a bait site in the darkest place you can find. If it looks like the suns is setting when it's really high noon, then thats perfect. Bears have the same size eye as a Raccoon and are just as sensitive to light. They feel way more comfortable, and can see much better in subdued light. If your bait isn't in a heavily shaded area, then move it. It's still not to late to do that. Chances are this cover is where they are coming from to get to where your at. This may help you out with your night time problem.

Block off all access to the bait that does not offer you a clear shot. Bears have a knack for working a bait is such a way that it can prevent a clean shot. You need to fence off the bait so they have to walk around to work the bait from one angle giving you a clear shot. (he made wood fences out of dead limbs and screw it all together) He digs a shallow pit and fenced it on one side and usually from the top.

Always bait at the same time. Walk in and out on the same trail. Make only enough noise to reset the logs, then leave. This creates a pattern for the Bears to get on. It's a very effective method for regulation time the baits get hit. 

Park far enough away from the site so that they can not hear your vehicle coming and going. I asked him about this every time I had to walk an extra 1/4 mile just to get to the trail leading in. 2 1/2 pounds of meat gets heavy, particularly when the plastic roller part breaks off the handle and now your carrying the bucket by the bare wire! He had a system that worked and parking far enough away so the Bears wouldn't hear me coming was a part of it, so I followed it. Said that it had to do with when it came time to hunt, the Hunter came in, dumped the bait on top of the logs and climbed up the tree stand. 

This guy had a 90% success rate every year. He knows a lot about Bears. Hope some of this might help you out.

Mitch


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## Capt Kent

I used to help my friend bait bears for hunters in Ontonagon. My suggestions would be this:

1) Bait earlier in the day (as previously suggested) No later than 10-11AM
2) Put down less bait (as previously suggested) A couple of gallons is plenty.
3) If you can find some fresh bear scat from another baited area some distance away, bag it up up and introduce it at your baiting station.

The idea here is that when the bear shows up, there's less food to eat and he smells the presence of another bear. He'll start showing up sooner and sooner in the day thinking there's increased competition for the food at his little honey hole. 

Hope this helps! Good luck with your hunt! I've got a bear a pretty nice bear on my bait waiting for our introductions on Sept 10th!


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## rbol121

On the day of your hunt cook up some bacon and cook it till its just "limp". Place it in a sealed ziploc bag and take out to ur stand on ur hunt. Use rubber gloves ang place the bacon over some branches or bait barrell, if using one. Dump the bacon juices onto the ground and place ur rubber gloves in the ziploc bag, then double bag the ziploc and sneak up into ur stand. This tactic has worked each time we have used it. Something about Bacon, works like a charm.

Or..

get a small spray bottle and place liquid smoke in it and spray the heck out of the surounding area and spray into the air, saturate the area, this smell will travel for a long way. 

Both tactics along with reducing the amount of Bait, can help bring in that nocturnal bear. Good Luck


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## Jowdones

Lots of great advice. I was going to post some suggestions but Capt Kent stated my perspective perfectly. Those three things did two of us well on a do it yourself hunt in Idaho. I took a beautiful cinnamon bear and my buddy took a 450 lb monster of a spring bear off the same stand. Its skull missed B&C by a 1/16 of an inch and had an estimated fall weight of around 600 lbs.


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