School me on black bears ***Update page 7: Getting better!

[NBK]

Yep Tom, maybe I will follow through on this one!  Are you shooting tomorrow?  I might actually get away enough to go.

[suburbanirma]

I plan on it, Mike. Dale too.

[Hummer3T]

Mike we have to come up with a solution to slowing down the bears in taking/eating the bait but staying interested

Maybe bigger logs in your setup,  once getting hit start burying it deep and deeper, smaller holes in barrels, cover bait with weights.  Seems like a issue for trad-gangers to solve.

Once you start getting bears, keeping bait around and the bears interested seems to be the challenge. Even though my new bear hunting stand is almost in city limits 1/2 to 3/4 hour drive, going out every day is not an option.

[NBK]

Bigger logs might work but that will mean more chainsaw work.  The way these logs are strewn around I'm pretty sure my back will give out before the bears do!  
Kinda sucks that we can't use barrels.

[J-dog]

Certainly cant school ya on em! not killed one yet with a bow. Been trying hard to get a big eastern NC (or a small one) with my curve for four yrs now. We cannot bait them though I can only use scent.

Wish you the best - post pictures!

[gringol]

Why not chain some of the logs together?

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Rumor has it...... if you put an arrow through their lungs, they slow down real quick...

I think your largest threat is other food sources and other baits starting up in the area.

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

The biggest logs won't slow as bear. Just use lots of grease, oats nand molasses. They will never be able to get it all.

[RedShaft]

Awesome! I wish we could bait or use dogs in pa.. Our rules are so strict And old school.

[NBK]

Baited on Thursday morning and didn't get back until this afternoon.  (Who schedules weddings when I have a bear tag?!    
Only one shooter came in one time.  We had some warmer weather and some storms over the weekend but I'm so used to seeing a bunch of pics and all I had were the little guys and cubs.  Raspberries are kicking full swing right now too and the amount of blackberries I'm seeing on the vine ready to ripen gives me some concern.  
I did pour a gallon of molasses over everything today so we will see.  Some bear also found my bait barrel alongside the cabin as it was knocked over.  It was sealed tight, so no harm done.
Is it normal for bear to "take a couple of days off"?

[NBK]

Time for an update:
Bear activity seems to be in flurries now.
Some days the bait is getting hammered with bear coming in an hour or less after I've baited it.  Then this morning I re-baited and it had only been "nibbled" on since Thursday, bait left in the crib, and only one "shooter" made an appearance once.
I again ask, "Is it normal for bear to take some time off?"
Raspberries have peaked, blackberries are just now starting to ripen, it was low 80's temps, its a "super moon", and we always contend with the possibility of friggin bear hound hunters.

The experienced hunter in me says to relax, they're wild animals that do as they please, don't get worked up over a few off days.  Tough to do when I waited nine years for this tag!    

As mentioned before, the only time I can bait is before work, so I'm hitting the bait station around 6 a.m.  Trail cam pics have shown that three times I've "kicked" bear off the bait.  Is this a problem?  I don't have much choice if it is but I'd still like to know.  

So what's up?  Anything I'm doing wrong or is this the normal/natural course of bear baiting where they'll hit it hard at first, then get more sporadic?

[Cyclic-Rivers]

TTT

I do not have an answer for you but would like to keep this up top. Hopefully someone does.

[Journeymen]

I have been bear hunting over 15 years and now hunt 5 minutes from the house  in southern ontario for the last two years . I found bears on my my trail camera set for deer  . I found  that sent is so important to bring the bears in . I use liquid smoke , which is a artificial smoking liquid used to smoke meat.  I perchance it in a gallon. I learned this from a USA bowhunters  that came to my friend bear camp in Ontario. I would put the liquid smoke in a spray bottle and spray it high into the trees . It has a strong smell and brings them fast.even after a few rains you will still smell it. I also found the bear circle  ponds and swamps . I always set my bait on the trail , which circles the swamp. Last year I started bating 10 days before the season . I found the longer I baited , the later would come in knowing the bait was there even after dark. Last year as soon as I had a hit and say,  it was before  I started hunting right away next day. First hunt  I had passed on a small bear in two hours before dark . The next day sept 9 2014 I had shot shoot a 300 pound bear live weight 4 days into the season . We put the bear on scale.

[Orion]

The bear in your area know your bait is there.  No need for additional attractants, though you do want to give them stuff they like.  (No animal carcasses or by products, or honey, of course.  Illegal in Wisconsin.)  The reduced number of bear can be due to any number of causes.

Dog or other hunters might have set up other baits relatively close to you.

A big sow and cubs may have taken over the bait. For some reason, some sows with cubs tend to be quite possessive of some baits, particularly if you're giving them something they really like.

Wolves moving into the area will also often move the bear out for a while.  

A good berry and/or nut crop will reduce their interest in your bait as well.

These are among the reasons it's a good idea to have more than one bait site.  Wind direction is another.  By the  time season rolls around, bear know you're the one providing the vittles.  They pattern your coming and going, and are even somewhat used to your scent.  But, if the wind is blowing from you to the bait site, they're much less likely to come in.

BTW, because they pattern your comings and goings, a trick that often works is to have someone come in with you when you bait.  That person then leaves and you stay on stand.  Can usually expect action soon thereafter.  Good luck.

[NBK]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Journeymen:  I hear you on the length of time baiting.  I had the most activity at about 2 1/2 weeks of baiting.  If I had to do it over again I'd be sorely tempted to not start baiting until three weeks before the season.
Orion:  Got my first wolf pic of the season this morning.  Just a little one in about 50 minutes before I showed up.

So I tried switching up the bait/scents some to give them something different.  I used raspberry jello mix over the crib and bait, along with some syrup and anise scent sprayed over surrounding vegetation.  Since Tuesday it's picked up again including one bruiser I haven't seen before.  Not totally gonzo like earlier, but definitely UP.  Most certainly the rain slows them down more than anything.  If there's even a chance for showers the activity decreases.  I'll try to post some pics of the bigger guy later today.

[JimB]

I don't bait but have hunted in Saskatchewan over bait and I know they don't do as well with it in the Fall due to the availability of natural food sources.I think what you are experiencing is just natural as food sources are pulling them away.Bears will travel many miles to get to the best,seasonal food source and they know where each and every food source is and when they need to be there.

It sounds like you have a great setup with some good bears.Hopefully things will taper off with the natural food sources and things will pick back up.They won't forget any place where they have gotten a meal.

[Etter]

Thats odd about the rain. I have always seen great bear movement during light rain showers.

[Lone Ranger]

keep the updates and pics coming!!!

L.R.

[NBK]

Etter:  I LOVE a bit of light rain for hunting whitetails, but I'm keeping a journal of bear pics recording time of day, temps, precipitation, etc. and so far rain means less movement. I think some of if has to do with the bait I've been using in that it's primarily cookies up to this point and when they get wet and soggy the bear don't touch them.

****Another observation:  The peak of activity as far as number of bear and frequency of visits was about 2 1/2 weeks after starting the bait.  At that time, the area reeked of bear!  I could smell it from 40 yards off.  There was also a ton of scat piles on the trails leading into the site and around the site.  Now that the bait is more established, there are virtually never any new scat piles despite the bear still being there.  Is that a territorial marking thing?

[Hummer3T]

NBK, "your observation" likely means they were sleeping and staying there to protect bait and now they are moving more.

Keep this going, hope it ends good....