Back in 1974 we were constantly running out of bait for baiting bears. We came up with a reliable source, just was lots of work. Now we have our secret ingredient that is GUARANTEED to work. I'll give the ingredients here.
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Back in 1974 we were constantly running out of bait for baiting bears. We came up with a reliable source, just was lots of work. Now we have our secret ingredient that is GUARANTEED to work. I'll give the ingredients here.
Okay waiting..... don't need the ingredients but like a story with an ending... :)
Attachment 29696We bought 30 bags of popcorn kernels at 55 pounds each bag. Takes us 3 weeks of standing behind our commercial poppers. You thought I was a sitting on the internet all day when I was actually working making bait.
Below the corn is 3500 lbs of assorted licorice and outside I have 5800 lbs of crushed cookies.
Ingredients are strawberry jello, brown sugar, restaurant grease and lots of labour!!
Gotta mix the restaurant oil in to the corn first to get the jello to stick. The jello will keep the kernel from shriveling in the rain. Bears will devour 5 gallons of this bait in 20 minutes.
Fatri, had to find the folder with the pictures.
I find that this bait is great for setting up bait stations in remote areas. It's light to carry in.
That looks like a lot of work....
How many baits are you running and are you fairly successful?
I'll have about 70 baits to run by the end of July.
You have to put filler bait along with the mixed popcorn because even though they love it, it isn't enough to keep them at a site for long as it goes right through them. That's why I use licorice, gummi bears, cookies and home made granola to fill them up.
wow Chris tell me your a guide. 10950 pounds of feed for a few hundred pounds of meat seems disproportionate for a recreational hunter. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with working hard for your sport but man that's hard core.
Because of the blue berries we don't use meat for fall bear. We use all sweets in the fall. It's a lot of work, yes, but we enjoy it.
Nice thing about all the bait we use, the bear has to eat it all right in front of the hunter. Cant grab a mouth of popcorn and run with it, it all dribbles out of his mouth.
We will ultimately still run out of what we got by Sept 1rst. We have more arriving then.
We hang all our baits in trees so the guys can sex the bear before he shoots. Also the hunter can weed out the little guys with this technique.
Will take about 10 days to mix popped corn (1600 lbs kernels) with ingredients.
Popcorn is the answer over here in Nipigon too Chris.They love it.Took a 510 lb ( live weight) boar last year with popcorn mixed with a little fryer grease and they hammer it.I like the weight of it too for the carry into bait sites.
Anyone who needs bait for recreational bear hunting or guides, you can get all kinds of candies, cookies, cookie dough etc from a place in MN. You can google "lucky seven bear baits" or try "Otter Lake Outfitters", from Wis.
I get the corn from Sam's Club in Eau Claire Wi. for $23.00 a bag of 55 lbs. In Winnipeg it costs $58.00 for a bag of 50 lbs.
I tried the popcorn thing as I'd heard it worked great. Bought a used commercial popper and 3 cases of popcorn. They never ever touched one friggin kernel in all the times I used it. So I ended up selling that popper to some other guy who wanted to try it.
When it comes to blueberries, I've had bears walk right through some of the lushest patches ever to get at my meat baits which I had set up in the middle of the patch. I suspect they still need the protein that you don't get from berries.
Just goes to show how unpredictable they can be.
Every bit of popcorn we put out at the baits will be devoured by the bears. Not a kernel left!!!
Most likely our family recipe that brings in the bears!!! GUARANTEED results.
If your bait works sawbill, why change??
Attachment 29705This trophy p&Y bear couldn't resist our recipe!!
That's exactly right. I tried the popcorn because I figured I could haul a pile of the stuff at one time. Even after adding all the known sweets/molasses they still never touched it.
Donuts worked fine but the source I had from Tim's dried up so I stayed with meat scraps and they've never failed me. Its just a messy/smelly job packaging the stuff so that's why I tried alternatives.
It's impossible to find donuts here. That's where bait suppliers in the states are very handy. They deliver to Dryden each July with 1 and sometimes 2 semi loads of all sweets. They will deliver ANYWHERE in Ontario if there's enough of a group that buys from them. Every time I drive through Mn I stop and buy a pellet of some thing from Lucky Seven.
Just because I say I don't use meat in the Fall, doesn't mean it's not a good bait.
What else do you use Sawbill??
Does Timmies still allow people to take their discarded doughnuts? Is Fryer grease from my buddies restaurant fine?
We are also using raw oats with syrup and marshmallows.My buddy took a nice boar with this on Saturday.We get the oats in Thunder Bay at Boles Feeds for $ 12 a bag. Along with the popcorn it really brings em in.We do use lots of fryer grease dumped on and around the barrel.
I've never used barrels for baiting bears. How much do you put in the barrel and how often do you check them in a week?? I've got a bunch of them, might use a few and see how they work.
Tims here don't have much for left over doughnuts. They hardly keep enough on their display it seems!!
i use primarily oats and fryer grease or molasses... cheapest option, and bears here love it... but im also close to farm land with lots of oats, so they eat them standing, as well as i can get them fairly cheap... buying from the store i can get a bag for about $12-13/55lb bag but i buy them straight from a farmer for .16 cents/lb. sometimes i can get lucky and get a couple of totes of bread from a big bakery, 1000 lbs of bread for free, and the bears love it...
its funny how bears in different areas will attract to different things that others wont touch... bears around me, wont touch apples, corn, liquorice just to name a few... picky buggars
This is the first time I'll be using licorice so I hope they eat it!!
herd people have had lots of luck with it... buddy gave me a bag of "bear bait" which he bought at a feed store, that was specifically marketed as bear bait, and it basically smelled like a big bag of liquorice, i poured it in my barrel, after a week of the bears not hitting my barrel i took it back and they came back... perhaps it was just the change that spooked them, but i cetainly wont be buying it lolQuote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
something else to do to get cheap bait is go to a feed store and ask if they have any bag of feed that have gone bad or mice have gotton into, they will ussually sell them to you at about half price, got a bunch of sweet feed last year for $6 a bag...
I will be mixing it in with the rest of the bait, including cherry slurry which is really thick.
Licorice I have now is in pieces, never used solid pieces before. No black licorice this time. Western outfitter swear by it. I also have 2 pellets of boxes of gummi bears.
So, when you use barrels steve, how much do you put in and how often do you have to check barrel baits??
im lucky enough to live close to where i bait (property borders about a million acres crown) so i ussually start with about 10-15 gallons of oats/fryer grease, then after the bears start hitting it, i bait every day at the same time... except i ussually have a back up barrel a long ways away which i hit about once a week with a bag of feed and a jug of grease... its a shaker barrel, so they have to work to get the feed out...
Some put small holes in the barrel out west. Do you find that if they have a hard time getting bait that they just move on??
no they tend to beat the h3ll out of the barrel till they get at it lol heres my shaker... has 3 slots cut into it, works good with oats as they roll the barrely back and fourth the oats fall out, keeps them busy... just have wood bolted ontop and big bears do get ancy and rip the wood clear off... powerfull buggars...
http://www.oodmag.com/community/atta...7&d=1408984186
http://www.oodmag.com/community/atta...8&d=1408984186
I just might try that technique next week. I plan on setting a couple out next week to see how they work. Thanks!
Bet will work great with popcorn in the barrel.
Large barrels work great but I use a 5 gal pail instead.
I cleaned my baitsites thoroughly after the hunt so hauling and storing about 30 or so barrels was not practical.
Sure wish the locals would pick up after themselves at the end of the hunt. The mess they leave in the field is disgusting.
Attachment 29731Our district omnr biologist recommend that bma holders hang their baits in trees, high enough for bears to have to reach to get at the bait. This allows thebma holders clients to sex the bear and determine whether the bear is a lactating female. I have hung my baits in trees for years.
I agree with sawbill. They must be a pain to get them into the site let alone retrieve the greasy thing after the hunt??
Hunting channels in the states are refusing to produce hunting shows where bear hunting sites have unsightly barrels and log stansions. I was just going to try it for the sake of testing them. I have 29 barrels sitting around here.
Your comments will tell me whether I will use them or not.
Attachment 29732A comparison picture. Same bait different bears.
barrel goes on the front of my atv, winch cable over top and off i go... could see how it could get annoying with 30 barrels though lol
We will have to carry our barrels in to the site, none of my sites are accessible by atv. But I will try a couple barrels steves way and skeeter gave me instructions also on how to try a barrel setup. I'll try both ways.
I am wanting to try barrels on my baits way back in. Hoping to maybe fill them right up so not have to check as often as I do.
Wow..... a big difference there...
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
My Family and I are from Kenora originally so to say the least we have a lot of experience with bears. We preferred to run them "dogging" rather than sitting over a bait pile. But what we were most successful with is Fish hanging in a tree.
Attachment 29910Don't have a bear hunt here, but I put 7 baits out 2 weeks ago. Everyone is wiped out by multiple bears. They lovethe popcorn!!
Attachment 29911Another bear hooked on popcorn!!
Chris it's not really fair to say "hooked on popcorn" unless there's a drug added in there. What you're proving is that popcorn in deed works. Bears will eat anything. It's like my son when he opens the fridge door at night. Even if it's something that he marginally likes it doesn't matter. Even 2 or 3 day old food in Styrofoam from a restaurant doggy bag. He'll eat it.Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
Popcorn is fantastic to lug around. You should add another barrel within camera view of the popcorn barrel. add some other bait and see (use camera on video mode) which is the preferred.
We all - ( yes me and you too) think we know everything about bears because we get results BUT do we really??
I run 2 cameras per bait both on video 30 seconds minimum. I go through a shyte load of batteries but the education is worth it.
anyway keep baiting and posting .. I'm following along!
True, but I did put bear crack into my mixture. A commercial product.
I put a 35 pound box of gummie bears that was one solid block out Friday. It will be interesting what it looks like today. When I start baiting all my sites, I will put bulk (gummies, cookies, etc.) into the bait.
One bait I do have other ingredients and they ate all the popcorn and left the oats. Oats are dumped onto the ground. Typical when they are on clover and grasses.
I am also seeing that most bears are coming in the morning to the baits.
I put out olives and yogurt ,the other day,but they didn't eat the small potatoes. Tried pasta yesterday. 37 gallons of food gone in less than a day. A big hit is melons,strawberries ,blueberries.
Skull, lets have a few pictures posted!! I heard on another forum you did real great.
Hi chirs I use barrel myself for many reasons, first of all you can judge the bear compare to the barrel
A 45 gallon drum barrel holds 250 pound so you can stuff the bear into the barrel that is a 250 pound bear
Another good reason you can position your barrel so when the bear comes in will give you a broadside shot
Another reason is that bait you put in there is always dry away from the weather and lost longer
The other reason for me is that I can put as much or as little bait I want is all depends how often you want to go and bait I have burlap bags where I put the grease and the meet
I do not like pails you have to go and bait too often
I have been using licorice for quite a few years now and it works great
I had four guys last week for the spring hunt shot nice bears
This big guy still out there
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps9uemgvra.jpg
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SKULL CONGRAT'S ON THE BEARS!
"big guy still out there"
If we had a nickel every time we spoke or heard that phrase!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SK33T3R
Big bear don't get the big to be stupid
You will never shoot the big one if you shoot the small one first
Lots big bears up this way but you have to put your time in the tree, and not too many people have the time
Congrats on a great year!! Nice pictures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skull
Most don't have any idea how many BIG ones there really are out there.
Any sloppiness by the outfitter or the hunter and you may as well just give him the Stanley cup even before the playoffs start!
Everyone knows how smart a 4 yr old buck is.
Imagine a 15 or 20 year bear and you're sitting at a stationary bait site.
game cameras only reinforce how inferior we are!
I agree. I have a big bear hitting my bait almost every year. He has never made a daylight appearance and will come 2min after dark and leave 5 minute before shooting time..
He's gotta be 300 lbs as he's the only one that can overturn my barrel.....they don't get big being stupid.....he's what gives me motivation to sit in stand all day .....he will screw up one of theSe days. ....or years
I have a really good record on killing big bears, I got trail cameras pictures and harvest photo to prove it, I know a few tricks that I learned over the last 27 yearsQuote:
Originally Posted by SK33T3R
Here is one of many big bears 25 year old bear with 21 in skull
after they close the spring bear hunt 15 years ago a lot less Hunter in Ontario and quite a few big bears this days
SongDog if you want sent me a PM I'll tell you a couple tricks
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps96cc6b6c.jpg
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...psc358f235.jpg
if I ever get attacked by a bear that's the one I want. It'll just be a wrestling match!
that's whatcha call and old gummer! nice bear
WTG nice bear
Hey Chris are you all booked for the fall
Sorry hijacking your thread
Here is another beauty 21" skull
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...psivongapg.jpg
If there is still a spring hunt next year I think my father and I would like to hunt with you Skull. Beautiful big bears congrats.
From the picture I couldn't tell for sure, but don't you have to secure the barrel? Won't the bear just pretty much roll the barrel away. It looked like the barrels in those pictures were just being rolled around the ground.
Some guy's say they use dog food for bait. I was wondering if I could use Heifer replacement meal mixed with molasses I also have lots of fryer grease.
Skull, keep the pictures coming.
I was out checking baits this afternoon. Hung a couple of beavers at each site today. Also set one barrel up at one site and put 3 beavers inside.
For sure they're tied to the tree if not will be gone in no time if you can zoom in to the back of the barrel you'll see the cableQuote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
I try with dog food but no work as great as the popcorn
Hey Skull
are you finding better results / attractiveness with popcorn over dry dog food? Are you adding anything to the popcorn. As we all know, even for humans, popcorn by itself is blah! It's all about the additive - butter - salt whatever.
I've used lots of dog food over the years and tried popcorn for 2 years but it was a huge pain in the azz trying to pop all the popcorn I required in my turkey fryer pot. And when I added in the price of the popcorn and oil and propane and time it was not cheap.
I may have to invent a big continual feed hot air popper
Popcorn is expensive to use and ALOT of work to mix, especially the mixture I use. Get a commercial popper if you use a lot of it. I add in filler bait as popcorn alone wont keep a bear at a site as it goes right through him.
I put grease or used oil from deep fryer so The popcorn won't be so dry
Then all the oil is going to stick to their Paw they will be carrying the sent Trail everywhere they're going and hopefully other bear well pick up The sent coming back into the bait
Yes I do have commercial popcorn machine only way to be efficient with half hour I'll pop 45 gallon drum full
Check Kijijji is Lotta popcorn machine for good price
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...ulls/Jbear.jpg
definately secure the barrel... not only will they roll it away, i have seen pictures from a coworkers camera of a bear standing up walking away with the barrel in his paws...Quote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
almost anything soaked in molasses or fryer grease will work... the fryer grease is the attactant, the feed is the filler... i will use what ever i can get cheapest from my feed store, and just pour the fryer grease on it... last year was a few bags of dairy sweet feed, which already had molasses in it...
Dang Skull, those are some big bears for sure but I am not to sure I would want to eat them , lol. I like the 200 pound tender ones but I gaurantee I would not pass up one of those monsters if I was given the chance.. I have also had good luck with fryer grease and molases poured over corn and oats and I also throw in 4 liters of fruit punch flavor crystals to keep things sweet all in a 55 gallon drum chained to a tree.
Just curious but is that you in the picture? Been huntin 27 years? Assuming thats not you but still...sweet bears!Quote:
Originally Posted by skull
[QUOTE=GrizzlyAdams;904966]Just curious but is that you in the picture? Been huntin 27 years? Assuming thats not you but still...sweet bears![/QUOT]
That is my best friend from London Ontario that I hunt deer together
He wanted to shoot a big bear
I will be giving my left pinky to be young again
Attachment 299845 bears within 10 square feet of each other feeding on my popcorn mixture.
we use popcorn, high scent and light weight to carry in daily.
Looks like a sow and her 4 , 2 year old Cubs.Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
I was thinking the same thing Greenhorn.
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.
Lots of Cubs at the bait here too ,lol. Like to watch the little bandits,eat and run,lol.
Chris did you ever get the roller design out we talked about?Quote:
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
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!
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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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
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
wow! Haha that's some sure power walking you must have been doing heheQuote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
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.
You made 3 barrels? And put them out?Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
I was only kidding. I have never made anything like that.
Those barrels were just an idea I had and was hoping someone else would try them.
Keep me posted if they work! :-)
great news. 3 completed! what did you bait with? your popcorn concoction? Every time you go in to those sites make sure you stand the barrel up. The standing barrel is a great sizing reference tool for your hunters. a dab of syrup on the lid works wonders. any bear coming in will check the lid first every time. If he can lick off the syrup with both front paws on the ground - then call me and I'll be right there to remove that troublesome bear! HAH!
did you put in 2 or 3 dish sized, sharp edged rocks?
a camera with video & sound is awesome! those rocks sound like Indian war drums on a still summer night! I can only imagine how many cottagers lie in bed at night with the windows open, feeling the cool night northern air - hoping to hear a loon call - but all they hear are rocks being tumbled in a 45 gallon drum! HAH! :-)
If you hear the rocks on your way into hunt...........walk carefully or dont go in..........the best one was when skeeter and I had a bear watch us put up a tree stand.............lots thrills hunting bears
I put a weeks worth of bait at just one. Mixture or cookies, dough, soft candies and oats with a thick cherry syrop. I put the other 2 out but don't want to start those sites up yet, too early for those far back ones.
Only thing I didn't do was put rocks in them.
Baits are too far from cottagers to hear.
Rocks in the drum for an audio alarm. That's a good idea. Unfortunately I used a plastic barrel.
curious as to how the plastic barrels survive? always thought they would be easier as they weigh less but was worried about them getting tore up and making a mess.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
the rocks also grind up the food,,,,,,,,and call in the other bears
I had one plastic barrel as an extra at one site,,,,,,,,,,they tore it up
I've been using the same barrel for 4 years. The only damage to it is one of the rings at the top which I use to chain it to a tree has been torn out. The bears seem content to roll it around to get the food out.
Werner I stumbled on to the rocks in the roller barrel years ago. I was having a problem with sticky gooey bait and somehow didn't think the bears could get sub buns, big donuts, bagels out of the smaller holes I was experimenting with. The rocks worked great and pulverized all the big stuff and they also scraped the inside of the barrel on each rotation. The inside of the barrels were silver when you took the lids off. Clean as a whistle. But when rebaiting it was noisy getting the barrel back into position and rebaited. At that time I started thinking about all that extra noise. I came to a conclusion that I should of figured out long ago - feeding bears make noise! doesn't matter if they're flipping rocks or ripping apart a tree for bugs. If any bear has ever been to a barrel or pail site they can figure out what the dinner bell sounds like. Those noisy barrels were the best call lure ever invented next to squawking ravens! But ravens sleep at night - barrels don't! Anyway my bear #'s skyrocketed at the barrel/rock sites!Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
Give'er a try!
I have a simple feeder with corn for bear and the rest ...
Attachment 30198Attachment 30199Attachment 30200Attachment 30201Attachment 30202
So maybe a dumb question, but what do you do when EVERYWHERE in the area you want to hunt seems suitable for a bait site? How do you narrow it down?
I'm going out for bear in 46 this fall. It'll be my first time after Yogi but just past my 20th year hunting in general - upland, waterfowl, deer, moose, coyote and a year in southern Africa. Past three times I've been up there camping I've seen one, and there's bear scat all over the place... tons of berry patches too. I understand the conventional wisdom is to locate close to a water and food source. Great, but up there there's a creek or lake every few hundred meters, and berries, mast crops, etc all over the place. So I'm thinking to pick a spot where they'll be canalized by the terrain and favourable for a good overwatch based on the prevailing wind. Anything else I should be thinking of?
I was going to get a license for the pooch and bring her with me, she's a bird dog so I wouldn't be using her to actually assist, just for company. How skittish are bears around dogs? Will she spook one if she's sitting quietly with me say 150m away from a bear? All the encounters I've ever had were alone, or the bear didn't notice us, so I couldn't really tell LOL.
Funnels between two lakes is perfect place to set a bait. According to the bear hound hunter,a dog with a bell has never been killed by a bear. My dog has a 2 inch cow bell. I used her this year and that night the Bears were back at the bait, actually 15 minutes after he shot and I drove up another bear was on the bait?
You could also hunt an active berry patch instead of bait. Find lots of fresh scat and your good to go.
Thanks. That's what I was thinking; there's a long clearing with a berry patch and oaks at one end, lakes backing two sides to restrict the approaches, and a good spot to sit that'll be upwind for the prevailing Sept - Oct winds. Going up scouting this week so we'll see. How did you use your pooch?
I've never noticed game to be disturbed by gunfire either, unless it's in front of your muzzle and the one you're shooting at.
Last bear I saw ambled right in front of us ten minutes after I'd finished firing a couple of hundred rounds. It walked right by my 200 yd targets, and the last thing I was shooting was my .30-06 LOL. But we all know how tricky it'll be to put one on the table come September. The world's a funny old place.
She goes every where with me. I use her for ducks,geese,Turkey and Bears. if I'm in a blind she sits with me,but in a stand she waits in the truck.she was trained on blood as a pup. It's really funny,I've been around all the hunting sites for over 20 years and none of the outfitters have dogs or even know about their value.
Bears and dogs are mortal enemies. Unless you know your dog real well I think you'd be taking a bit of a chance on spooking her to the point where she may take off on you. Then good luck trying to find her later.
Had a bear charge at me again yesterday. He actually walked towards me as I was filling the bucket. I got half of the bait in the container before I had to vacate the site as he slapped the ground and popped his teeth.
It was at the same bait I had the encounter at the other day.
Went and got some bear spray today.
Nanook is quite tied after running down the logging roads and doesn't want to chase nothing,rabbits and partridge maybe 10 feet,at the bait she wants in the box with all the food. some times I give her a nice fresh steak. I make her run out too. so she enjoys being in the box clipped to a rope. on many occasions we watch young bears. I feed the bears from April to mid November. their use to us riding up baiting and me hitting the barrels and calling to them to feed.
as a pup I trained her not to bark at wild life ( lots on the farm), she does give a small whimper when she wants to chase something, but only if I give her permission most of the time it's a No.
Well, I was more asking about the sensitivity of bears to her. Appreciate the concern, but I've got a pretty good handle on my pooch's temperament and capabilities. Her recall isn't half bad either, if I do say so.Quote:
Originally Posted by sawbill
As it says in my post, we have encountered bears together, so apart from having trained her, I already know how she's going to react. What I don't know is how they'll react, as none of them realized we were there; you can read between the lines on that. My concern is her scaring them off with her presence if they scent her, not the other way around.
Nice. Lola is everywhere with me in the bush too. Wasn't really planning on using her for big game, but maybe I'll do a bit of blood training with her to round things out. She just doesn't like being left out of the action, and she's a pretty darn good early warning system that there's game around... she's got the world's worst poker face LOL.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenhorn
Chipman, know it well... small country. Rode through there many times on my way up to the Acadian coast when I was out at Gagetown. Beautiful part of the world.
Well, a bear is about as good bear sign as you can get I suppose.Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
Vermillion Bay - you're not related to Omer Lavoie by any chance?
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
You finally got some bear spray?! About time doncha think!?
make sure you try it for one short burst. You need to absolutely trust that the one you have works!
NOTE wipe off the tip thoroughly before you put it back in the holster. We had one holster that had some residual spray on it. every time I hunted and wiped my forehead or lips I got a burning sensation. I kept cleaning the tip. BUT it was the holster! One night going out for dinner I moved the bear spray in the truck then wiped my eye going 80 km and had to pull over ASAP I was blinded - no water in the ditch - so I spit on a rag multiple times ... my better half didn't know what to do. She had to drive and when we got to the dinner party I was in the washroom flushin out the eyes.
Awful stuff! My dad always told me to "keep the tip clean" ! HAH!
Getting too old to run from the bears so now I'll have to stand my ground and spray him!! I thought you couldn't even spray it for a second as it looses pressure?
I sent the other baiter in the other day with no incident. Bear just chases me.
Flashman, negative.
NOT TRYING IT IS LIKE HUNTING WITH A NEVER FIRED GUN!Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lavoie
ever see the movie "the ghost and the darkness" val kilmer & Michael douglas
douglas takes kilmer to hunt down 2 man-eaters and kilmer borrows a big gun from someone to use - out come the man eaters and kilmers gun doesn't fire - endangering everyone . douglas goes nuts because he can't believe anyone would trust their life to something they had not "proved" .
most bear sprays will last about 10 seconds of continuous use. a short 1/4 second blast will hurt nothing unless you spray into the wind. I test mine every year when I open the baits. Hang on to 'er because it will jump like a hand gun.
You sent the other baiter in the other day with no incident. Obviously not a friend of yours! :-)
Lol,walking into the bait with bait is a lot of work and foolish. I drive in with my side x side and find when I find a stubborn bear,I'll clap my hands, yell and tell him to move on. To old to lug stuff any run. The bike doesn't bother the Bears one bit as my videos will show. After baiting , I hit the buckets and yell,come and eat,lol. It takes about 30 minutes for them to start feeding.
Can't get a atv to my baits, gotta walk in. We always make some racket walking in. Bear just doesn't care.
Get an argo,lol. Drive the bike as far as you can go then bait. As long as they feel secure they will come in all day long. Once I moved a bait 20 feet. I latter found lots of moose bones in the spot. . The bears felt secure in laying down and eating what ever they had carried away. We use to drive our clients in,and they would get all set up while we were baiting. Retired for now. It's hell getting older for some of us. Make your life easier. Bikes do not bother bears and they come to associate the sound with food. After Sex food is their only concern.Good Hunting