Anyone planning to hunt bear this fall?

[lightsoutcalls]

I selected a tree to hang my stand on and built a "crib" around a tree where I plan to chain a bait barrel this fall for black bear here in AR.  I plan to go this weekend to clear a trail down the first of 2 benches that I have to drop down to get to my bait site.  The hillside on the first bench is covered with blackberry and raspberry brambles.  They should be about ripe this weekend.  I hope to pick some berries before clearing out a bunch of vines.

I no longer have access to a 4 wheeler, so I plan to get a sled made for dragging ice fishing equipment to get my bait in and hopefully a bear out. 

When I hunted 2 years ago, I had 9 different bears on trail camera.  I used bulk cookies, crackers, cereal from a freight salvage place.  I also added lots of breadsticks that I saved from working at pizza hut.  Everytime I saw fruit trees with fruit laying on the ground I asked the landowners if I could pick up what was on the ground.  I found the bears in my area loved peaches and pears.  I put a 5 gallon bucket of little apples in my barrel.  The bears pulled them out and rolled them aside.  When I went in a couple of weeks ago, I found the leftover peach pits piled up from 2 years ago when I hunted the place. 

One thing I did that I plan to do again was get a super soaker squirt gun and put 1 bottle of liquid smoke and 1 bottle of vanilla extract and a few spoon fulls of cooking oil and spray the mix all over the trees around where I bait.  I also poured a couple of gallons of used fryer oil around my barrel so they would track it back through the woods and attract other bears back to the bait. 

For those who bear hunt, what do you use for bait?  Any tips you don't mind sharing with others?

[redarrow]

I should find out next week if i'm successful in the bear tag drawing here in Michigan . Not likely since it's pretty much accepted that it takes about 9 years between tags.I drew a tag 2 or 3 years ago. I will also know if I'm drawn for an elk tag by next week. That's the one I really hope for.It's tougher to get than a bear tag.
As far as bait ,one thing I learned was don't over bait. Too much and they come in when they want. Usually at night. Less bait they have to come early if they plan on eating before it's all gone. They love marshmallow fluff, raspberry pie filling,peanut butter,pastries,chocolate. The grease is a great idea that another bear hunter told me about too.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

I think next spring we may go to Alberta for some big bruins.

Contemplating it heavily right now but I tend to follow through on these wild ideas when i conceive them...

[RutnNStrutn]

What would you guys do if this happened to you? Would you remain calm?

http://www.freebeerandhotwings.com/b/Bear-Climbs-Tree-Just-To-Say-Hello-To-Hunter-Video/-370022419742251219.html

[Onpoint]

Probably not

[lightsoutcalls]

Yeah, I'm thinking there might be a little bit of extra "scent" in the stand about then... 
Two years ago I had a decent bear sniffing the bottom of my ladder stand.  That was close enough for me.  I assure you my pulse rate was a bit elevated. 

I got out and cleared my trail down to the first bench where I will be hunting yesterday.  The blackberries and black raspberries were starting to ripen up.  I ate a few of the raspberries and looked down on the trail... bear scat.  Woohoo!  I put out my camera and a pound or so of a honey/beeswax mix with some breadstick crumbles (one of the few perks of delivering pizza... free bait).  I will probably go back in a few weeks to check my camera and spray a bit of roundup/brushkiller on my trail going down the hill.  My stand will be about 300 yards from my buddy's house.  This is within 20 yards of where I had pics of 9 different bears 2 years ago.

My buddy's neighbor put out some bait and a camera last season.  He had pics of so many different bears that he decided he didn't want to get in the woods with them. 

[ferocious calls]

Hope to visit WV this early fall bear/dog season. My first was a 296 lb sow and I'm still looking for #2

[Woodsman4God]

I should find out next week if i'm successful in the bear tag drawing here in Michigan . Not likely since it's pretty much accepted that it takes about 9 years between tags.I drew a tag 2 or 3 years ago. I will also know if I'm drawn for an elk tag by next week. That's the one I really hope for.It's tougher to get than a bear tag.
As far as bait ,one thing I learned was don't over bait. Too much and they come in when they want. Usually at night. Less bait they have to come early if they plan on eating before it's all gone. They love marshmallow fluff, raspberry pie filling,peanut butter,pastries,chocolate. The grease is a great idea that another bear hunter told me about too.

Same situation as Red on the Tags, would love to pull either Elk or bear, I have to be gettin close on the bear as I am in 6 or 7 years now

[nflorek]

Popcorn sprayed with koolaid or jello and mixed with marshmallows works good. Put it in a 55 gallon drum chained loose around the bottom of a tree and cut 3 to 4 inch holes in the barrel. Popcorn is light to carry in and it will keep them there for a long time rolling around the barrel.

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

[wisconsinteacher]

My wife has a tag so I will be helping her out.  She plans on using her bow over a bait.  We just bought 2 55 barrels of cookie dough this weekend.  In WI we can not use man made materials to place baits in.  I use a hollow stump with a solid block of wood on top to keep smaller animals out.  We are allowed 10 gallons of bait per site.  I try to bait 2 times per week and the week before season, every day.  I will never bait more than 5 gallons a week total.  One thing I like to use are different toppings.  I like frosting, pie filling, or syrup of some kind.  We can not use animal products so no bacon, meat or honey in WI also.  I have a few tricks that I use that help. 

1. Never walk on a bear trail, just the bait trail in and out.
2. Never change SD cards in a camera with bait on your hand.
3. Every time I bait, I take a spray bottle and spray a strong juice (berry or fruit)  I use it to train the bear that when they smell it from a distance, there is more food. 
4. As I walk in I talk to the bears so they know I am there and as I walk out I beat the buckets and talk as I walk out to let them know they have more food.
5. I set my stands before the bait.  I set one up for a west and one for a south wind.
6. I set blocking around the bait like a trapper would so the bear has to give you a shot when eating.
7. I take a basketball size rock and use it to cover a small hole.  Every time I bait, I dump a quart of fryer oil in the hole and cover it.  If the bear shows up and the bait is gone, they will move the rock and lick the oil.
8. I use a 32" stick near the bait to measure the bear along with a few 6' logs on the ground to help measure. 
9. Use a body bag to drag the bear out of the woods.  They don't come with handles and you do not want to rub the hide.
10. Have fun!!!!  I love bear hunting and all the work.  I also enjoy showing others my game cam pictures and telling them about bear hunting.

Have fun and shoot straight.

[slamman]

I'm not waiting until fall I have an archery tag in Arizona and am still hunting Spring/Summer bear.