# Light weight bait?



## Smokin-the-eyes (Jan 4, 2014)

Hi there just wanted to get some thoughts on some light weight baits i am hunting some land in the baraga unit with fairly steep terrain and not accessible by atv the best i can come up with is to start with small amounts of some fish bread and grease and sweets until i get bears showing on camera then switching over to something lighter to get more volume i was thinking popcorn smothered in molasses or raw honey with some granola mixed in 


And do any of you ever have bad experiences switching baits between when u get bait started and the time u hunt? Mab mix some of the lighter baits in the first bait?


Thanks for any response


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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

Popcorn would be useful. I was mixing powdered sugar with it. Also got the vanilla and jams from the dollar store. Caramel lasts along time.

I was mixing baits at different times and once the bait was established the bears were cool with it. I had multiple bears on one bait so the competition was good.

From what you describe, it sounds as though if you got one back in where you're setting up it will be a difficult haul out.


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## j-rock (Dec 17, 2008)

cereal


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## sourdough44 (Mar 2, 2008)

Then you need a plan to get the bear out. Just thinking ahead when that 375 lb boar goes down. You may need 3 friends and cut it up right there, after skinning.


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

You do have to think about getting them out. 

Popcorn Doughnuts, granola, are all pretty light. If you have a decent external frame pack, you can haul a fair amount of bait. Scents that you can spread in the area will help a lot when you have a ways to pack in. Anise oil is popular, and honey or bacon burns are also useful.

How long do you plan to bait before your hunt?


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## Smokin-the-eyes (Jan 4, 2014)

I live ten hours away so not long its my second time bear hunting last time i went up 12 days before hunt baited then went home and came back three days before and baited probably plan on doing same thing this time 
got eight guys in camp so i will have help and mostly down hill so that will help my first bear piled up about 30 yards from the two track i hunt off of so got spoiled there
I like the cereal idea may have to look into that some more my biggest worry about cereal and popcorn is the rain


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

So, I guess your planning to haul a great deal of bait in, and do a little advertising. Then bait a few days before the hunt? Eight guys can carry a lot of bait.  Honestly, It might be better to provide a variety of foods. Make the site as interesting to bears as possible. Granola, seems to be something of an exception to this rule. I guess because of the variety of ingredients. But a little meat, and jam along with sweetened cereal might be a good thing.

Are you using a hollow stump? if so, a rock might keep the rain out long enough for the bears to get there.

Good Luck!


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Popcorn, dog food and molasses.


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## Smokin-the-eyes (Jan 4, 2014)

No stump but have some decent size logs to cover with took the time on scouting trip to pile logs and have shooting lanes ready to go just need a stand and bait and i have two other spots as well that are atv accesible

Is it september yet?


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## Callinalldeer (Jun 25, 2009)

I drive right to my baits. the bears know your coming and disappear .After, they hear you leave they wait a while to come in, than I just sneak in and wait. the 4 wheeler acks like a dinner bell. Good luck


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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

The other to keep in mind when setting up a site is try to keep the ***** out of there. Otherwise they will eat you clean if there is something in there they like.


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## Smokin-the-eyes (Jan 4, 2014)

Last time didnt have much problems with ***** but the ravens were a different story they seemed to really like my baits with dogfood


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## Smokin-the-eyes (Jan 4, 2014)

Callinalldeer said:


> I drive right to my baits. the bears know your coming and disappear .After, they hear you leave they wait a while to come in, than I just sneak in and wait. the 4 wheeler acks like a dinner bell. Good luck



I had a small yearling bear that would come in with in a half an hour after i baited like clockwork it was neat to bad he wasnt bigger he must of been bedding really close by


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

If you are that far in or the terrain is that rough picture yourself trying to haul 250 pounds or more of bear out of there. I have found great bear areas with easy access and I don't bear hunt. Many of the great bear areas that I have found are right off from a well traveled roadway. Corn and molasses is a great light weight bear bait. I use a small amount of corn for deer and bears have hit it. By filling up a pop bottle with corn you can tell if you have bears as they will demolish the pop bottle.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

Recovery could be a major issue. There was a rather controversial waste of a 580 lb bear here a few years ago. By the time he rounded up enough help and moved it 3+ miles through rough terrain in was spoiled. All that was salvaged was the skull (#2 handgun, I believe).....have you ever moved a bear over a long distance, they spoil very fast.


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## Callinalldeer (Jun 25, 2009)

When I look for bait areas,I always thing recovery of the animal. I hunt in old growth,so the canopy is full but your able at see a ways. Near swamps /rivers and heavy cover.


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## Smokin-the-eyes (Jan 4, 2014)

Overall distance is less than half mile and mostly down hill i wouldnt attempt it if i didnt feel confident i could get the bear out of there and i am pretty sure i could get an atv quite close but wouldnt want to do it every day to bait


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

1/2 mile down hill? I'll take that any day.

When using a hole in the ground rain can be a concern. Fir branches or something like that, laid on top of the logs might help. Otherwise, if a smaller bear is camping close to your bait. The odds are a larger male bear is not visiting very often. The same can be said for multiple sows with cubs. They'll stay away from baits where a larger male is visiting often. Just something to think about if you have multiple sites, and are seeing these things.

Good luck, and show us some pictures of your set-up, and the bear you get.


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## Rooster Cogburn (Nov 5, 2007)

Killed a bear maybe 2 1/2 miles back in and about 1/2 mile from the Ontonagon River. Skinned it out, quartered it up and covered the meat with the hide. Left a telemerty collar hooked to a tree at the site. Weather was cool so the meat was not going to spoil. Came back with a small flat bottom boat and electric trolling motor and got as close to the bear as possible and packsacked it back out to the boat.

On another ocassion I had followed my 3 dogs on foot for about 3 hours.
Lots of baying and I was able to keep them in hearing most of the time.
Eventually got within a couple hundred yards when they finally treed. Shot the bear out, skinned it, quartered up the meat, covered it with the hide. It was about 45 degrees. So, I again left a telemetry collar at the site and walked out to the nearest road then back to my truck. About 3 miles before getting back to my truck a couple friends happend by and gave me and my dogs a ride the rest of the way. I estimated I had walked at least 20 miles total. Enlisted a friend with a 4-wheeler to help me haul out the meat and hide the next morning.


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## Smokin-the-eyes (Jan 4, 2014)

Nostromo said:


> 1/2 mile down hill? I'll take that any day.
> 
> When using a hole in the ground rain can be a concern. Fir branches or something like that, laid on top of the logs might help. Otherwise, if a smaller bear is camping close to your bait. The odds are a larger male bear is not visiting very often. The same can be said for multiple sows with cubs. They'll stay away from baits where a larger male is visiting often. Just something to think about if you have multiple sites, and are seeing these things.
> 
> Good luck, and show us some pictures of your set-up, and the bear you get.



This is one of the first things i noticed i had a sow and two cubs on my bait the first two days on the third night a large boar came in and chased them off never seen them on camera again on the 5th nite there was two large boars on my bait both around 350 lbs i am guessing


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