The way I operate my bait crib is that I know and realize that bears will eat just about anything, including rotting, maggot infested, meat/carion. Keeping that in mind, however, I try to keep my bait site as clean and fresh as possible. I re-stock my bait site once a week. If its been a week of bad weather and the bread and dog food, etc is all soggy and bloated I'll take a shovel and clean it all out before re-stocking. I leave a shovel near the bait site until the end of hunting season. I scoop out whatever is really looking bad and just wing it off into the brush. You don't have to throw it far. The main thing in my opinion is to have as fresh a bait site as possible. The bears do work on the stuff that I've discarded from the crib. Thats just additional bait to bring them into the area, but if they want the good stuff they have to open the crib. Good luck!

has your bait been hit lately? I have two piles one the old nasty stuff and one new nasty stuff the newest one is all meat and another bait that is down the trail farther that my buddy hunts. ya I don't know what they want now have to wait till it cools down a bit, 85 is a little warm. thanks for the input

I sure cant figure it out. My bait has been hit 3 times since I have put it out. Some weeks it gets hit some times it dosent. I guess there must be enough natural food for them to eat, but who knows. Sure has been slow.

NW Minnesota

I was told by an 80 year old trouble bear trapper that they lick maggots like it was icecream. i just move the rotten stuff off to the side a few feet.