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[.50 cal smoke pole]

I have been trying to bait bear for the past few weeks. THere is plenty of fresh bear sign near my site including fresh tracks and scat. I have set out nearly 5 gallons of molasses, a few pints of pure vanilla, a bit of anise oil and 5 Lbs of cooked bacon as an attractant. My primary bait is maple butter granola with beef fat mixed in.There are fresh bear scat and tracks within 50 yards of my site, but no game camera photos of bears AT the bait. I have over 100 photos of raccoon having at the buffet I have set out. The site is about 50 yards from the edge of a field. I'm wondering if the site is the problem. Should I move it farther into the woods? The woods itself is a 200 acre area that is primarily dark and cool evergreens with ample wild berries, clover and wild cherries. I even pay close attention to my scent track while entering and exiting the site. Any hints about what I may be doing wrong would be helpful. Based upon the most recent track I have found, I may even have a bear that is pushing 500#'s in the area. HELP!

[Bushbuck]

Pastery, Pastery, Pastery. Sounds like you have the attractors covered. Did I mention high calorie pastery!!!!

[.50 cal smoke pole]

yeah buck, I've got the calories covered.....beef fat, honey, almonds and bacon...and 5 gallons of molasses dumped on top of the bait barrel...but no bears will touch any of it!

[Bundy]

I have talked to at least a dozen people the past few weeks. All are having some trouble at the bait sites this year. All have stated they have a first strike at the baits, but not many-if any photos. My two cents, all this rain in the Northeast has affected the bait sites. Hopefully this week, some of the standing water will dry up and we can get back to normal. Keep at it!- the berries are almost gone!!! Good Luck.

Bundy

[.50 cal smoke pole]

Thanks Bundy. Glad to know that I'm not the only one with issues. I really cant inagine that I'm doing anything wrong! The damn bears could be eating better than I am if they wanted!(thats if I wanted to have a heart attack or become a diabetic!)

[ADKBEAR]

Real good berry and cherry crops this year. A bear with all the big jucy blue berries he wants is going to be a tough costomer to bring into a bait.

[Bushbuck]

Stick with it 50 cal! I am getting reports of a 50/50 bait hit in some Maine areas right now. Reguardless I will be on stand come Monday afternoon.
Have they started to hit your site yet?

[maineguide]

50 cal, Have you ever used fryier grease? I used it for 10 years and it is the best stuff to get a bear to bait. Sometimes better than sweets. Most resturants will give you all you want to get rid of it. Get some and pore it around your bait and some inside of it (not a lot inside). Find a dead tree by your bait and pore some on it makes a good scent thru the woods. Once you have a bear coming pore a puddle by your bait. He will get it on his feet and track it thru the woods and other bears will find it and come back to the source.
Good luck.

[maineguide]

You don't need a lot of bait at the site. Just enough to fit in a 5 gal bucket.
Another thing get rid of the beef fat it will get ransid and they don't like that.

[.50 cal smoke pole]

Thanks Maine. The grease was one of my next steps. I actually ended up consulting a family friend of mine, Oscar Cronk who writes the "Trap Line" section for The Maine Sportsman. He gave me some of his own stuff called Bear Call Chunk Bait. As far as I can tell it has chunks of pickeled herring, molasses and anise oil in it.....makes a real nice stink bait! I Hung about a pound of the stuff from a tree inside a milk jug that had small holes punched in it. I had 2 differnet bears hit the bait within 24 hours. I was amazed! I now have atleast 6 different bears at the bait on almost a daily basis. I couldnt be happier!

[maineguide]

50 cal.,
Good luck and I hope to see some pictures of a big one. :)

[.50 cal smoke pole]

Here is the first bear that arrived within 24 hours after using the "Stink Bait" Method...