# Baiting strategy



## buckman66 (Nov 3, 2004)

With 14pts as a NR, I was selected for Amasa 2nd season. Living 6 hours away and work commitments, I can get up 3 times to bait. The 3rd time will be on 9/13 two days before my season begins. With that said, when should the other two baiting times be?
We do have a lot of bears in my area. I've only shot one bear a 250 pounder. If I get a chance this years bear will need to be as big or hopefully bigger. I won't shoot anything smaller.
I own 80 acres and don't have many other bear hunters close by that I know of.
So with that said, when should my first two baiting dates be? Thanks for your input and opinions.


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## jjlrrw (May 1, 2006)

If it were me I would make the trip the three weekends prior to the hunt, if you already have a good number of bear in the area I would bait with a mix of products not 100% the same type of food.


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## Biggbear (Aug 14, 2001)

I agree with the 3 weekends prior to the hunt, once you have em coming, you want to keep food there to keep em coming. That being said I would use barrels with a small hole cut in the barrel so they have to work to get it out, I use a 3x5 hole at the top of the barrel. Stuff logs or sticks in the hole to keep ***** out until the bear finds it. I would also use old fryer grease if you can get your hands on it, if not, then the places that sell bear bait have pails, or barrels of pie filing, etc. When a bear visits he gets the fryer grease/pie filling on his pads. When he leaves he puts a scent trail through the woods for other bears to trail to your bait. I would also do a honey burn to open each bait, as honey burns it smells like cotton candy and the thick smoke sticks to everything as it goes down wind. I also mix cheap vanilla and a little liquid smoke in a spray bottle and spray it up into trees at the bait site.

That's what has worked for me. I could only bait every other week last year, and once they found it, I had em coming back every day, multiple times a day. I did my best to never let the barrels run out, if they did, activity slowed a bit during that time frame, but they continued to come back and check just not with any regularity. Good luck!!


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## MSURAT (Aug 8, 2014)

If you are looking for bait that lasts we have solid licorice blocks. If you are feeding in a barrel throw one in on the bottom and fill it with other goodies. When the bear eat through the other goodies, the licorice should hold them till you can get up there again. It has worked for other hunters when we ask them. Message me for more info.


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## SWMbruiser (Jan 25, 2012)

MSURAT said:


> If you are looking for bait that lasts we have solid licorice blocks. If you are feeding in a barrel throw one in on the bottom and fill it with other goodies. When the bear eat through the other goodies, the licorice should hold them till you can get up there again. It has worked for other hunters when we ask them. Message me for more info.


Looks like I am gonna have to come back up there now.....


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## buckman66 (Nov 3, 2004)

Thank you for all the suggestions! Those are some terrific ideas, I think I will follow the three week prior baiting game plan. 
I go up through Illinois and Green Bay so I don't think I will be able to swing by and pick up the licorice block.
Thx


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## yooperkenny (Jul 13, 2004)

Personally I'd bait on the first legal day or close to it and then a 2nd time about halfway to your established 3rd date. Just to get em coming in right away and then consistently until season.

I hang a scent ball on a suspended cable about 12 feet above my bait site. Rains melts the hard candy ball so there's almost always sweet stuff on the ground even without me there, and the wind carries the scent a long ways. These guys are out of Wisconsin and offer many flavors; I've had good luck with berry

https://www.jayssportinggoods.com/scent-ball-12-lbs-117482

Also there's a guy out of Powers that has a vast variety and quantities of bear bait. If you're interested I can find his contact info

Good Luck!


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## Bearboy (Feb 4, 2009)

This is how you do it on private land. Get three or more 55 gallon drums. Chain them to a tree ( weld a ring to the barrel and about 15 feet of heavy chain each. Put all the barrels at the same site( close to water and conifers if possible). Drill "one" hole about the diameter of a bratwurst in each barrel about 1/2 up the barrel. Fill each barrel about 1/2 way up with corn and throw in some used fryer grease. Start 8/10 and space your trips evenly. Each time re doing the barrels and leaving a barrel of other bait with a cover and a rock on that barrel so the bear can knock it over. Leave the rest of your bait in sealed barrels at the site were the bear can smell it but not get it...add a different kind of good bait the nite before you hunt and you see bear


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

MSURAT said:


> If you are looking for bait that lasts we have solid licorice blocks. If you are feeding in a barrel throw one in on the bottom and fill it with other goodies. When the bear eat through the other goodies, the licorice should hold them till you can get up there again. It has worked for other hunters when we ask them. Message me for more info.


Bought a couple from you last year. Left one for scent hanging up on a cable between 2 trees about 15 ft in the air. Figured they would NEVER be able to get to it. I was wrong!!! The next weekend the block was gone!!

The ***** liked the loose licorice. Had a young one climb down a tree and take them from my hand.

My brother has a tag this year so we will be stopping by soon!


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## sourdough44 (Mar 2, 2008)

Bob's Bear Bait is right on your way up, should you need more bait. Good luck with the hunt.

http://bobsbearbait.com/


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## Yohann (Sep 15, 2009)

Bearboy said:


> This is how you do it on private land. Get three or more 55 gallon drums. Chain them to a tree ( weld a ring to the barrel and about 15 feet of heavy chain each. Put all the barrels at the same site( close to water and conifers if possible). Drill "one" hole about the diameter of a bratwurst in each barrel about 1/2 up the barrel. Fill each barrel about 1/2 way up with corn and throw in some used fryer grease. Start 8/10 and space your trips evenly. Each time re doing the barrels and leaving a barrel of other bait with a cover and a rock on that barrel so the bear can knock it over. Leave the rest of your bait in sealed barrels at the site were the bear can smell it but not get it...add a different kind of good bait the nite before you hunt and you see bear


I thought it was illegal to use corn until October??


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## BVW (Jul 25, 2002)

Up to 2 gallons on legal areas after September 15.


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## Yohann (Sep 15, 2009)

BVW said:


> Up to 2 gallons on legal areas after September 15.
> View attachment 263838


Thanks for the digest. Kind of confusing. I may need to call dnr for clarification. I have a first season red oak tag. The last line makes it look like I can't start baiting until Sept. 6th???


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## BVW (Jul 25, 2002)

Yohann said:


> Thanks for the digest. Kind of confusing. I may need to call dnr for clarification. I have a first season red oak tag. The last line makes it look like I can't start baiting until Sept. 6th???


 Should be able to August 17 with a Red oak tag.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

BVW said:


> Up to 2 gallons on legal areas after September 15.
> View attachment 263838


2 gallons spread in a 10×10 area. So just don't put it in a pile under some logs like alot if bear baits are placed.


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## BVW (Jul 25, 2002)

DirtySteve said:


> 2 gallons spread in a 10×10 area. So just don't put it in a pile under some logs like alot if bear baits are placed.


 I spoke to the DNR about corn.. it does Not have to be spread, just has to be inaccessible to Deer.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

BVW said:


> I spoke to the DNR about corn.. it does Not have to be spread, just has to be inaccessible to Deer.


That makes no sense at all. If that were true then why would we have to wait until deer baiting rules are in effect if putting it out of accessibility is allowed with out spreading it? The 2 gallon limit shouldn't matter either.


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## BVW (Jul 25, 2002)

DirtySteve said:


> That makes no sense at all. If that were true then why would we have to wait until deer baiting rules are in effect if putting it out of accessibility is allowed with out spreading it? The 2 gallon limit shouldn't matter either.


I agree .


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## Bearboy (Feb 4, 2009)

I never use a corn shaker as I'm never on private land but I seen a few. The rules are not real clear. I would assume a corn shaker is like an automatic feeder that holds more corn than is legal but does not disperse it all at once.


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## Callinalldeer (Jun 25, 2009)

Biggbear said:


> I agree with the 3 weekends prior to the hunt, once you have em coming, you want to keep food there to keep em coming. That being said I would use barrels with a small hole cut in the barrel so they have to work to get it out, I use a 3x5 hole at the top of the barrel. Stuff logs or sticks in the hole to keep ***** out until the bear finds it. I would also use old fryer grease if you can get your hands on it, if not, then the places that sell bear bait have pails, or barrels of pie filing, etc. When a bear visits he gets the fryer grease/pie filling on his pads. When he leaves he puts a scent trail through the woods for other bears to trail to your bait. I would also do a honey burn to open each bait, as honey burns it smells like cotton candy and the thick smoke sticks to everything as it goes down wind. I also mix cheap vanilla and a little liquid smoke in a spray bottle and spray it up into trees at the bait site.
> 
> That's what has worked for me. I could only bait every other week last year, and once they found it, I had em coming back every day, multiple times a day. I did my best to never let the barrels run out, if they did, activity slowed a bit during that time frame, but they continued to come back and check just not with any regularity. Good luck!!


45 gallon barrel with 8-10 , 1/2 inch holes ( shaker barrel ) will make the Bears work for their food. I find if you run out of food the Bears will move on and check periodically. 
I would try and bait three days before you hunt


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