Newbie to bear hunting. Judging bear size.

[sawbill]

Yep, that's a yearling. Probably weighs about 70 lbs.

[ShawnL]

So the smallest is a yearling and I assume tge bigger two bears are 2 year old bears?

[Thunderbug]

im saying ya about 16 month old bear if there a lone cub when born they bigger if 2 or 3 cubs then there smaller in size i find where i hunt i find alot the small boar cubs around walking the rds each year this last trip seen 2 70-80 on one n other tops 100 -110 lbs ive seen lots small bears over the years baiting/hunting i use them small bears tho i pour fry grease all over the barrel so as it rolls the barrel it it gets covered n takes n leaves trail in bush for the other bears to find n track the sourse of the smell. ive had small bears be kinda funny to watch just rember is sow around never get betwen them

[ShawnL]

Grrrr....went to check my bait tonight and it has been hit in 3 days. Except for coons. It got hit everyday tge first week but now nothing. Frustrating for sure.

[SK33T3R]

what are you feeding with .... is it starting to sour ? .... other hunters are getting out baiting and if they're close and their bait is better/fresher then yours you could be losing bears to them.

I never have a problem with other hunters around me. I feed fresher and I have better food and ... I have the bears.

Every week I go in to rebait I dump out the contents 20yds away for the ravens and add fresh! I do this because feeding ravens are a great call lure and also to keep them away from tripping my cameras.

and Don't use molasses .. it will sour with time and heat! ... some guys get results with it ???? I never have!

They get bears because a full stomach last longer then bad taste ... but if I'm over the hill I'll own their bears in short order!

don't give up .....!!!

remember do not try to trick them .. just feed them ... if you won't eat it then don't expect them to!

[ShawnL]

I'm using dog food, popcorn(maple syrup,jello and sugar on it) and buns/loaves of bread. I just put it out on the weekend. Only thing I forgot to take was my fryer grease and my mixed koolaid. I don't think there is many bear hunters around me. Im hunting on private property that is surrounded by crown land that tge hunting is restricted to just deer/turkey hunting is allowed. I guess time will tell. I will check it again this weekend. I might try putting some anise out too. Just for the smell. I did hang some fish carcasses from a tree in a bag. I know there is going to be bumps in the road...especially since its my first time. Lol. Just had high hopes after getting hit everyday the first week I had my bait out.

[SK33T3R]

I'm using dog food, popcorn(maple syrup,jello and sugar on it) and buns/loaves of bread. I just put it out on the weekend. Only thing I forgot to take was my fryer grease and my mixed koolaid. I don't think there is many bear hunters around me. Im hunting on private property that is surrounded by crown land that tge hunting is restricted to just deer/turkey hunting is allowed. I guess time will tell. I will check it again this weekend. I might try putting some anise out too. Just for the smell. I did hang some fish carcasses from a tree in a bag. I know there is going to be bumps in the road...especially since its my first time. Lol. Just had high hopes after getting hit everyday the first week I had my bait out.

Shawn I figured for sure you had bait that was souring. From your description that doesn't seem to be the case but at least you got my point about fresh bait. If I was you I would lose the sugar. And as an alternative to the maple syrup a bottle of chocolate syrup could be drizzled on the dog food. (honestly I've never tried maple syrup always had success with dog food using 2 packets of jello and a single chocolate) No more then one bottle per barrel is necessary. You don't need to soak the bait. A drop on one kernel out of 10 is sufficient. Too many guys get excessive. The mentality is if a little is good then a lot more is better. NOT TRUE.
TOO SWEET can turn them off. Some of the biggest bears have the worse teeth. Broken worn down teeth with a few cavities can make a super sweet bait painful. Ever see an old person with bad teeth eat. They eat slow and precise and are very selective!

the nice thing about the roller barrel (with rocks) is that the plain old bread and the bagels (everyone agrees they don't like them) all get pulverized and mixed with everything else. whatever falls out they eat. They work to get food out so they waste nothing. Your big hole is a recipe for a sore back! everything you carry in that gets tossed only goes to varmints or to waste. ALSO if the hole was just the right size and the bears head was the right size you could end up with a bear stuck in the barrel! I've seen it twice so I know it can happen. It only happens with a round hole. square holes are OK.
Anyway I'm only going into detail and being long winded because you're starting out.

If a natural food source just came on you will lose some or all your bears while they eat that source but they will come back. It's hard to beat mother nature .. stay with it.

[ShawnL]

Thanks Sk33t3r. I do appreciate all the info. I know it's like anything....bit of a learning curve at first...but i will hopefully get the hang of it. Right now I'm like a sponge trying to take in all the info I can get my hands on. Lol.