That is the same thing I am running into,hot bait then cold as ice! The guys in our area(51) are blaming it on the acorns,some say that if it rains the acorns will turn bitter and the bears will stop feeding on them. One of my neighbors wounded a bear on tuesday , but he didn't find it. I hunted thurs-sat to hot on sunday didnt see a thing. Tree rats didn't come around till 5:30. Some of the guides are having trouble too, one that I know of has only 10 so far. Oh well there's always next weekend.

It is the acorns; we're having a good crop this year. Bear will go along way for acorns. I would suggest that you go over to Gander Mtn. and buy some ACORN cover scent, mix about 25% with a package of Raspberry jello and about half the regular amount of hot water and twice as much sugar. Keep it warm, then when you get to your site, dip unscented Kotex in the juice and hang 'em high all around.
Dan

I have tried that bear lure from wildlife research for 4 days still didn't bring them in neither did that jelly donut scent . ,) I'll try the acorn scent and see what happens. Do you set it out only when in your'e in stand? Or all the time ?
Tampons work great for scents you get 40 for 5.00 and they come with something to tie it to a branch with,and bioderadable!

I've tried that "Ultimate Bear Lure".........I'm not impressed. I have no idea what they put into the mix, but I get the feeling that they have over-stired the pudding and tossed too much stuff into the brew.

Reff my PM..... Bears learn fairly quickly what to look for......and old boars, just like old bucks, pattern hunters. That's why I said, "Think like a Trapper, not a Bear Sniper". Bait and lure accordingly. I have used Acorn and Raspberry and Sweet Corn more than any other scents through the years, whith a fairly high return rate.

Like I told you, I started Bear hunting for bounty. And I've watched the bears wise up to most of the accepted practices used today.

It's a rareBoar Bear of more than five years old that doesn't know that people are responsible for the food. If you use a bait that they like, different from everybody elses, they will keep comming back to see if there is more, even when there is only smell left.

That's one of the reasons I never put out more than fifteen or twenty pounds at a time, even if I only bait once or twice a week. For my base bait I usually use corn or oates mixed with Feed grade Molasses and Karo(sp) corn syrup. Cuz, they can't run off with more than a mouthfull at a time. If a big bear takes a liking to the bait but only showes up at night, He usually only gets a taste, but wants more. It doesn't take long before he comes earlyer and earlyer inorder to get "the Motherload".

I keep the smell going as long as needed, but I freshen it every visit. I also don't go in for building houses out in the woods for bears to rip down. If small animals get their cut, that's OK too! They will track the smell of the bait around only in smaller doses.

What I DO is build a large CUBBY SET. with the bait in a Birch bark bowl, with a Birch bark/ Aspen roof overhead to keep the bait dry from rain etc. I also like to locate neer water, so that I can approach through a stream, edge of a lake, etc. to keep my smell to a minimum. I also wear latex gloves when touching anything in the area. THINK TRAPPER.

That said, I'm going up to Area 51 (I hunt there too) for the first time this weekend. I,m startinf early this year, just for grins 8)
Dan

I've had that problem before. Try sitting different times of day. After your night sit, take the bair right out of the woods. Bring it back in the morning. Try spraying anise & vanilla all over the place each time you go. Sit back and wait. They'll come.

Ive been waiting for five years now!! ,)
I put my vanilla and anise in a one gallon garden sprayer

Sounds like to me that the bear has found better offerings, or he has been shot already.
That is usually what happens here in Maine.
The biggest thing here is a bear will come out at shooting time and then after a week (if you don't shoot it) they come after dark. When they do this we take the bait out of the woods for a few days and try again and sometime it works.
Or a hound hunter has run your bear off of the bait. That happens also.

Good luck

I shot him on sat the 24th wasn't the big one though he went around 200lbs
he came in at 6:00 went past the bait and headed down the trail I use for the atv. when I openend him up he was full of the neighbors bait . my wife said he came in for her raspberry tea burn!!

Hello,
I am new to the forum and want to say you have a great site here!

A good bait is beaver carcass if you can get it. You may want to inquire with your MNR to see if they know of any trappers in your area. We have also put popcorn mixed with a powdered jello mix.

Good luck!