Black bear hunting tips.

[dresnor]

My fiance and I are new to baiting bear. We tried last year and had one, maybe two bear come in once but nothing regular like I hear about.

I am committed to baiting again this season and I want to see if you guys have any tips to share.

Any tips are welcome, bait tips, gear tips, shot placement, field dressing, and any recipes if we are fortunate enough to get one. I see a lot of avatars and trip reports from you guys with great bears so I know the knowledge is out there.

I will be hunting with my 53# @ 28'' recurve with arrows around 530 grains with a 250 grain Cutthroat broad head. Does this sound like it would work?

My ladder stand will be 10-12 yards away from the bait. I have never shot from an elevated position, any tips there? I aim from what I can tell instinctively. Staring a hole in the spot i want to hit and not using anything else for reference. Will that work the same shooting 15' down to the bear? I am concerned with the arc of the arrow at that steep of an angle.

For bait we have a grain mix that comes sweetened for bear made by Blue seal called "Bear snax". We also have some regular oats, 6 one gallon jugs of Moultrie bear magnet savory bacon to put on the ground. I am going to use a scent dripper with anise oil in it to help with the scent trail. We are also going to raid the pantry and freezer for any old berries, jams, or jellies that we and add to sweeten the deal.

I have heard of people using meat or fish to make a "stink bait". Any thoughts on that?

I am really excited and want to harvest something with my trad bow, especially after the let down I had during turkey season.

A bear got into our deer feed pile and I plan on baiting on this same spot. It looks small to me. what do you guys think?  

Any advice is welcome, feel free to add pics or harvested bear as well. I really like seeing them.


Jeremy

[bucknut]

Your gear is for sure enough to do the job. Keep your chin tucked in tight when shooting down. I know a lot of guides use leftover Dough nuts and pies etc. from the local bakeries or gas stations. Some even use dog food. Something that may help is having a closed drum with holes cut in the sides so the bear has to spend more time working the bait. As far as the video goes. You can't be too picky on your first one. Blow an arrow thru him.

[goingoldskool]

There's a whole lot more folks on here that know alot more about bear hunting than I do, but I'll throw a couple things out there that I've come across....

-old fryer grease from a fish fry is a good bait starter.  They will lick a hole in the ground trying to get it...  I would pour it around on logs and such to get the scent out there and then pour a bunch on the bait.

-old pastries are good too. Powdered donuts are a big hit with Ontario bears! Have you ever walked down the cereal isle at the grocery store?  Sweet smelling cereal is always an option as well.

-quartering away shots are the most optimum. It looks like your setup (crib) looks to put them in a good position.  Take your time when he comes in...  if he wants to eat, he will come in and stay. Let him get comfortable and start eating.  This may take several times of him coming in.

-size of your bear....  bears are the most difficult animal to judge size, in my opinion.  I've always heard that if their ears appear to be really long, they are young and the big clues are if the distance between their ears is the same as the distance from ears to nose (equilateral triangle) he's big AND if you can see a definite line/crease down the middle of his head, he's a keeper.

-most of the stands that I hunted from are 8-10 feet off the ground.  That makes for a more level shot and the chances of getting both lungs is greater. A double lunged bear will have a very hard time making it 50 yards.  put your ladder stand up in the yard and practice from it...  You will quickly learn how to adjust for the shot. There is not much arc at 10 yards to worry about.  Just practice it.

- your set up is quite similar to mine, though my arrows are a tad heavier.  I've used meat for bait a couple times...  if you do use it, cut it up real small and don't use any big bones.  He will come in, get a bone and run off with it and chew on it back in the woods like a dog. The down side to using meat/fish is if the wind shifts and you are downwind of the bait... it does NOT make for a pleasant sit.

That's about all I can think of off hand...

Good luck, shoot straight and God Bless,

Rodd

[woodchucker]

Woodchucker's Liquid Bear Bait...
1 Bottle of cheap maple syrup
1 Jar of cheap Honey
1 Large bottle of PURE Vanilla extract
1 Large bottle of Anise

Put an old pot on the stove on very low heat. Stir ingredients together, untill well mixed. Pour warm mixture back into the syrup bottle & the leftover into another container for later. Pour mixture over your bait, after replenishing.

In NY, we are not allowed to Bait Big Game. However, we are allowed to use liquid "attractants"...?? I have poured this mixture over a rotten stump, or log, and came back to find it literally torn apart!!! It works! We've killed Bears using it in the past... Good Luck!!! Shoot Straight!

[MnFn]

As far as set up goes, you are fine as is.
My first bear was shot  (with a 53# recurve and two blade broadhead tipped Sitka spruce arrow) right behind the shoulder centered on body.  Six foot Bear went 60 yards.

My second bear was shot with a 48# recurve, Douglass fir with a two blade Zwickey, right behind the shoulder centered on body. He was just shy of 7 feet squared and he went about thirty yards. I plainly heard the death moan from my stand.

The first bear was slightly quartering away, the second was fully perpendicular to me.

Both arrows completely passed through the bear and stuck in the ground. I was about the same distance as you and about 10 feet or so high.

Some people place a five foot log adjacent to the bait so you can use that to judge the length of your bear.  Having seen about 50 bear while hunting I can say you will know a big bear when he comes in, it is the smaller/in between size bear that are harder to judge.

Best advice I received was do not ever attempt to shoot the bear if he is laying down. It will probably end up in the shoulder- not good so wait him out.

Hit them well in lungs and they don't go far.

Good luck on your hunt and enjoy the journey.
Gary

[Floxter]

We've used a sugar burn to attract bears. Put a quarter inch of sugar in the bottom of a coffee can and place it on top of a lit can of sterno. The smell will draw bears from long distances. Set up your bait in a way to check it without having to actually walk up to it; place it in a hollow stump with a large rock over the opening, or under a pile of large logs, so that if the bear has been hitting the bait you can tell from a distance that its been disturbed. In the fall bears are typically well fattened up from the spring and summer and are really just looking for sweets prior to denning up. Avoid chocolates, but pastries, or dog kibble covered in molasses works well.

[ChuckC]

Some foods are bad for ( can kill ) a bear so maybe research that.  

You probably won't have great luck if you try to bait a bear to a place they don't normally go regularly.  You need to find a place where they travel frequently first, then start with the baiting routine.  

On normal years, bait has competition from real natural food sources.  I have seen bears turn off baits in an entire area when acorns started dropping heavy.  Come up with a food that they not only will eat... but like.   Keep the bait pile regularly ( daily) supplied not just once a week when you hunt.

Make a routine of feeding.  In at a certain time of day, make certain noise ( pounding bait bucket etc), in and out on a certain trail.  I have seen some guides use a bit ( smaller amounts, as enticement) of sweets like frosting or such on the bait or on a log nearby.  This tends to go first and sometimes gets the bear to try to get in first ( earlier, during the hunt).

Try to have someone come in with you to fill the bait, make noise etc, while you are getting up in the stand.  Then walk away.  Helps if they have done it before ( scent).

I don't think "the arc of the arrow" is an issue at 10 to 15 yards, but WHERE to aim and learning to do that from above does matter.  Practice and find out how to do it ahead of time.  

Also, ahead of time.... where do you place the lower limb of your bow when shooting.  Shoot from a stand and you will know what I am talking about.  

Have that figured out ahead of time.  I like to bend at my waist and have the lower limb behind my knees.  Do it as you feel comfy, but figure it out ahead of time.
Good luck

[Kromer]

All solid advice so far, I just have a few things to add. I quit running any meat or grease 3 years ago and will never go back to using it. I run doughnuts, breads, fruit snacks and dog food when I need a filler. I don't have an issue with coyotes, raccoons, skunks or wolves coming in, the bears that we have harvested aren't greasy or smelly, and the meat after eating all those sweets is the best tasting bear meat I've ever had. You'll know a bear is big enough when you see him. Just give both the bear and yourself time to settle down when he comes in. Your set up is plenty adequate IF you hit him right. Third of the way up, third of the way back. Slightly higher from a tree stand. Keep your broadheads sharp and as others have said, put one through the lungs and they don't go far. PM me for any other info you might need.

[Matt Quick]

I watched your video. Yes, that's a small bear. I've never hunted Maine but I've seen pics of a bunch of small bears and very few big ones from ME.  I'm sure they are there though.

A couple of things to keep in mind. Location is the most important thing. You want to put your baits out where bears want to be anyway. I like to bait near water. Bears will follow the water line looking for food that has washed up. I really like being near an old beaver lodge that has been taken over by otters. I think the bears can smell the fish the otters have been eating.

Another thing about location. Are you hunting a particular spot because it's convenient or because there's a good bear population in the areas??  Are there outfitters running baits in the same area you are hunting?  You need to know this. You don't want to be competing with a bunch of other baits.  What does the berry crop look like in your area?  What about acorns?    If it's a bumper crop that can shut down your baits.

If it was me, I would be running baits out of a small boat or canoe. That's a great way to get away from your competition.   Another thing. I'm not sure what the law is but I would run the maximum number of baits allowed by law. Stack the odds in your favor.

[Steve O]

Originally posted by Matt Quick:
I watched your video. Yes, that's a small bear. I've never hunted Maine but I've seen pics of a bunch of small bears and very few big ones from ME.  I'm sure they are there though.

A couple of things to keep in mind. Location is the most important thing. You want to put your baits out where bears want to be anyway. I like to bait near water. Bears will follow the water line looking for food that has washed up. I really like being near an old beaver lodge that has been taken over by otters. I think the bears can smell the fish the otters have been eating.

Another thing about location. Are you hunting a particular spot because it's convenient or because there's a good bear population in the areas??  Are there outfitters running baits in the same area you are hunting?  You need to know this. You don't want to be competing with a bunch of other baits.  What does the berry crop look like in your area?  What about acorns?    If it's a bumper crop that can shut down your baits.

If it was me, I would be running baits out of a small boat or canoe. That's a great way to get away from your competition.   Another thing. I'm not sure what the law is but I would run the maximum number of baits allowed by law. Stack the odds in your favor.

^^^^^^ is some awesome advice.

Think corners. Best bait I ever had was where a power line (full of raspberries), met a swamp and an oak ridge.

[BAK]

On bear, they are not like hunting white tails.  If a deer scents you, he likely is gone.

The bear WILL scent you, he is a predator and often circles the bait site.  He will almost always know you are there.  He comes in cause he don't care.

The idea is to kill him without making him scared, or worse, angry.

[ranger 3]

I hunted Maine bears and one guy with our group took a bear that weighted 508. The guide let it lay over night and the meat spoiled. He also never weighted it with the heart and liver so it wasn't a state record for a long bow. Remember to bend at the waist. Good luck

[Roadkill]

We burned honey, but sugar is probably as good, but honey smells.  Even the black smoke as it burns to a crisps I s good.
To pattern a bear, get sawdust and soak it in grease from a restaurant.  After a week or so, you will find really greasy sawdust scats.  Areas where ther are many is a n area frequently visited and may give you an idea of the bear's rNGE AND PATTER

[Etter]

I have always always added something really smelly to the initial bait setup. Either fish or rotten meat. Helps to bring bears in from a looooong way

[JimB]

You definitely want to practice a lot from that height and distance.

[killinstuff]

Hmmm, rotten stuff isn't what bear in the fall want from what I've seen.  Fall is way different than spring time and dumping donut or using a stinky beaver isn't the best. You'll get possum and crows coming into rotten meat.  If the acorns are heavy it's tough to bring a bear in but meat is the best in in the fall IMHO.  A frozen meatcicle. Wire a bucket to a tree and drop a frozen meat scrap  ball ( a pound or 2 at the most) in the bucket, cover it with a lid and rock on top to keep the crows out.  Apple cider in a squirt bottle sprayed up on the trees and a few apples on the ground keep them coming in.   Keep your site clean, not a garbage dump and you'll get more fall bear.If the meat isn't hit in two days, haul it out and replace it. If you're getting nothing, after a week, try another spot.

   Bear also like a salt lick.  If you can put a block out now, do it.  Everything in the woods will find it including bear.  Put 4 or 5 out scattered around and get a camera on them see what's in your area.  A salt block in a group of oaks that will have a heavy drop is pretty good set up.

[dresnor]

Thanks for all the replies.

I chose this site because we got a bear on the trail camera last year. We just put a camera out to see what we would get with no bait or anything and we got a bear that looked to be bigger the the one in my video in the first post.

The spot is near (less than 80 yards) from a brook and near a large bog. It is on a 300 acre section of family owned land behind our 10 acres. There should be no ones else out there, let alone baiting. There is also a bunch of wild blue berries within sight of the tree stand.

I wish I could canoe to different bait locations, but I don't have access to any land near the river.

I am glad my bow setup will work, I really want to get one with my bow and not a rifle. I have been practicing a lot and was able to increase my draw length by a little more than and inch. Those arrows seem the fly out of there and really hit hard on the target.

Thanks again to everyone who replied. It means a lot. As always, any more advice is welcomed.

Jeremy