In exactly one week Nick and I will be bear hunting. Nick will be the hunter and I am going to be recording it with the video camera. So far, it has been an adventure. We have been baiting the bears for the last couple of weeks and they only seem to be coming out at night. A bunch of nocturnal bears.
We needed to know how to get that pesky bear during legal hunting hours. I did a little research (aka spying on the outdoor forums). Created a power point complete with music and showed it to Nick. Sadly, I did not upload the Power Point to Youtube but I will share what I found with you.
Time of Day Matters
• “Times of the day were not changed with each bait, but generally done earlier in the day if possible, say between 9 and 3.”
• “Consistency regarding your baiting schedule is key.”
• “The guy that helped me (did almost everything ) would be sure not to change a thing in his routine. He used the same truck every time, dove the same speed through the woods, never slammed a car door, and then sang the same song on his way into the bait, and then again on his way out. He would not let others do his baiting for him, and only let select people tag along during bait sessions. It was truly an art, not just throwing bait out in a hole and covering it up.”
• “I refreshed mine early morning like 8 or 9 am. Worked like a champ. my odor was gone by time 2 hunt.”
• “When possible, we bait at 4pm. The usual time we get in the stand is also 4pm. Dinner bell effect? Yes, in fact we “bang” on the five gallon buckets on the way out. Now, perfect scenario, have a buddy bait with you when you hunt and have him walk out banging on the buckets (just like normal), if no one is able to walk ya out, bang on it anyway.”
The “Dinner Bell” technique
• “When I hunted Maine and Quebec both guides beat the barrel or bait stations with a log almost as a dinner bell calling the bear as to speak to the dinner table. “
• “Replenish the bait, bang the bait barrel or bucket…. and walk out with your eyes peeled If a hunter was to hunt a stand on that particular evening…. he/she would be arriving at the stand, exactly at “dinner time”…. and also be instructed to apply the “dinner bell”……. BEFORE …. getting up in the stand…..”
• “I try to bait via a clock and show up every time at the same time. I hunt private land so I can use an ATV. I made a mistake one time and shut it off while I was restacking the logs. I had a young bear come within 10ft of me when I was bent over restacking the logs plus another one inside 30 yards standing up. This was at 12:10 pm that was the last time I shut my ATV off at my bait station. That taught me a lesson to feed at noon, run the ATV into the bait site just prior to hunting, leave and sneak back down to my stand. I can’t tell you how many bear I’ve had come in within the first hour of my hunts. The ATV is the dinner bell so be prepared. Good Luck with your hunt.”
When all else fails..
• “Review YOUR hunting pattern.. I was getting frustrated and bored while waiting so my mind got going and I started thinking of any patterns that I had created in the previous 4 days. The only thing I did consistently every day was to light a cigarette when I exited the stand. So about 1/2 hr before sunset I light one in the stand. 20 minutes later she finally showed herself and I shot her. Maybe it was dumb luck, maybe the bear was laying nearby every night and patterned me by smell, and when she smelled smoke she thought it was safe to approach the bait.”
• “Get a good stink bait going.”
FORCE ‘EM IN
• “We have used battery powered alarm clocks before to get bears in. Set the clock radio to go off about 1/2 hour- hour before your baits have been hit. set it to a talk station. This has worked to force bears in earlier.”
• “Try baiting a lot less. like maybe an ice cream pail size at best. If you put a lot of bait out, bears come at there leisure. but if they get there and the tiny bait is gone, they come earlier, wanting to be the “first bear there”
Other Important Tips
• “The biggest mistake people make is they carry some bait in when they are going to hunt. They put the bait on the pile and then get into their stand. That is like ringing the door bell and letting them know you are there. A bear can smell where you walked from 10-15 feet away. They will smell where you walked into the bait and then your stand without exposing themselves for a shot. Remember, they know where your stand is as well as how you get to the bait from the road and how you get to your stand because every day is like a fresh snowfall to them.”
• “Bait in the afternoon or morning. The bear will smell where you walked in and out of the bait. Use a different approach to your stand. Use an approach that keeps you away from the bait and baiting trail. A lot of times a bear will circle the bait to smell your trail so they can see if you are there. They will smell where you went in and out on the baiting trail. That may get them careless enough that they don’t bother to check your stand.”
• “You will find them only hitting a bait when you are not there. Create a habit of how you bait and hunt. Then change the habit. Get them use to always doing things the same way. Then they get careless because they are use to you and your habits.”
So because of all those tips. Nick decided that I would be the one who baits the bear early in the morning. Since he has a job and all.. At exactly 9:15 am, I carried a pail of granola out into the woods. Hopefully Mr. Bear will come in during the daylight!
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