Bear Baiting

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Originally Posted by chris lavoie

Skeeter, I ran out of time for the roller drums. But next year I sure will try them. Thanks for the info.

Greenhorn, I have many other larger bears on camera but you guys see the bear cam pics all the time. I just post the sow and cub pics because they are enjoyable to see on camera.

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NO TIME!

Chris
I just made a barrel for a guy. He brought over the barrel and it took 15 minutes to make the bait hole and drill the cable clearance hole in the bottom.

I wrote earlier that "familiarity breeds contempt" ... The guys that are the hardest to convince are the guys that have success doing what they've always done.

BUT you owe to yourself to improve your system with either bait savings, rebaiting frequency, varmint feeding, etc.
Any business or operation that can run leaner and more profitable with less investment or effort ... is .... self explanatory.

If I lived closer to you I would bring you a barrel and take you by the hand and put it out. Seeing is believing!

PS. You need 2 to 4 (dinner plate sized) sharp edged rocks to add inside.

Every year we camo paint this barrel - within 2 weeks it's yellow again. The ground around it is rototilled by the bears - good enough to plant tomatoes!

Attachment 30164

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I feel like I was just scolded by my french teacher!!

I agree, that to save money, your roller barrel works best. I'll work on one tomorrow for sure. I'll keep you posted.

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Originally Posted by chris lavoie

Attachment 30147Bumper crop of sows with cubs this year. This sow has 2 young ones. I have 16 baits out for the Fall hunt now.

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I went into bait this site at about noon today. When I got to the bait cubs scurried up a dead tree. I went to put the bait in the bucket and the sow charged at me and stopped about 15 feet away. It was so thick behind the bait that I lost view of her but knew she wasn't happy with me.

They say don't run from a bear, but I sure felt like turning and running. I threw the bait at her and walked very fast back to the road with her crashing in the bush. Sounded like she was coming at me but I never looked back till I stepped over a creek and got my boots stuck in the mud. I looked back and she wasn't there. But she was still thrashing and popping her jaws at me.

It was cool!!!

Okay so I am very curious about the different styles of baiting. Skeeter I am assuming you are using a barrel, is it a shaker barrel or fixed to tree. If its fixed to tree how big is the hole?

Chris I am curious about your pails hanging from a tree, what keeps the bear from just ripping it down? How often do you have to fill pail?

Thanks

Donnie

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Originally Posted by chris lavoie

I went into bait this site at about noon today. When I got to the bait cubs scurried up a dead tree. I went to put the bait in the bucket and the sow charged at me and stopped about 15 feet away. It was so thick behind the bait that I lost view of her but knew she wasn't happy with me.

They say don't run from a bear, but I sure felt like turning and running. I threw the bait at her and walked very fast back to the road with her crashing in the bush. Sounded like she was coming at me but I never looked back till I stepped over a creek and got my boots stuck in the mud. I looked back and she wasn't there. But she was still thrashing and popping her jaws at me.

It was cool!!!

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wow! Haha that's some sure power walking you must have been doing hehe

My reason for hanging baits was to keep the bait away from varmints, sexing the bears and for sizing them up. I replenish them every second day. 5 gallons of bait at a time. I have wired tops on each bucket to keep small rodents out such as squirrels and ravens.

Every once in a while they do tear them down, but checking them regularly I can replace them immediately. buckets are free. My job is baiting bears, I have time to visit the sites regularily. Some use barrels because they do not want or have time to check them as often as I do.

I'm not going to comment on the barrels until I give them a try.

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Originally Posted by chris lavoie

I feel like I was just scolded by my french teacher!!

I agree, that to save money, your roller barrel works best. I'll work on one tomorrow for sure. I'll keep you posted.

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I'm glad I got the message across. That's what friends do! And I never said it was the best out there BUT it will be a huge improvement from your current method from what I've seen so far. Keep the hole 2 x 2" or less. any bigger and the little cubs will reach in up to their armpits and will clean you out fairly quickly. Whatever they pull/roll out they will eat. You're pics will also show there will NOT be any bait laying around outside the barrel for varmints.

Also those pictures of 5 bears all feeding beside each other will be a thing of the past. One bear at a time will be the norm. You'll increase the overall bear activity (length of time) that bears will use the site. The longer they're there and the more they roll the barrel (with rocks) the more bears they will call in regardless of wind direction with or without a call lure.

lay out a 2 x 2"pattern on the barrel then make an "x " (zip saw blade) from inside corner to opposite corner. nip off about 1"of the four tips. then using a small adjustable wrench fold the flap inward as far as possible. place a sledgehammer on the outside and pound the flap flat to the interior. wear ear plugs! you will end up with a nice 2 x 2 hole with folded over edges. will not harm any paws or tongues.

drill a 1/4"hole dead center of the bottom. get 8 to 10 feet of 3/16" or 1/4" cable. insert one end of 3/"16" cable add a big flat washer and install a cable clamp. the cable will spin freely in the hole and never bind no matter how much they roll the barrel. use a clamp to attach the other end around a tree or root or pound a good steel rod as a stake. do not fasten securely. loose around the tree is the ticket. you never want the cable to bind or hang up. pick a tree or stake so that the barrel will not wrap around any adjacent trees.


If you need more detail PM me!

:) skeeter

roller in action this is from 2010

http://vid788.photobucket.com/albums...EndofWeek1.mp4

here's another 2010 again a few miles away

http://vid788.photobucket.com/albums...gsBear2010.mp4

I don't want the picture of 5 bears together, to be a thing of the past. Clients love pictures like that. My guides enjoy checking baits every other day, gives us an insight as to whats going on, without cameras. Hanging baits is extremely successfull in bringing multiple bears at once.

Skeeter,I did 3 barrels as you mentioned. Thanks for the videos and indepth info. I put 3 out yesterday on baits that are way back in.