No time to bait

[David G Duncan]

What suggestions can you bear hunters give me regarding whether it will be a problem to interrupt my baiting during the time I will be in Colorado elk hunting.

We can start baiting on August 22, but I leave for Colorado on Sept. 5 and will return on about Sept 17. Should I bait up to the time I leave and then start again after I return? Or would it be better to wait and only bait for the five day just before the season opens?



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Trapper Dave

[Yooper]

Do you know anyone who is interested in bear hunting but had never done it? Bring them baiting with you, explaining what to do and maybe they will continue when you are gone. I did this three yrs ago and the next year he got a tag so he was aware of the work and strategies involved.

[David G Duncan]

Yooper:

I take it from your response that you are recommending that baiting for 4 or 5 days before starting my hunt would not be sufficient to get a bear coming in regularly.

I had thought about getting a friend to help me out, but it seems like a big favor to ask.

What do you think about baiting at the beginning and then interrupting the baiting? It seem like the bear could be attracted again, if I had several days to get him coming again. Any thoughts?

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Trapper Dave

[born2hunt65]

I personnaly would not wait to bait 5 days before hunting a stand. Believe me your hunt will be more successful if you bait earlier. I help run bait stands for my hubby's guide service and see the results every year of keeping the baits up. It may be alot to ask of a friend but a true friend will be willing to help you out. If you have your friend bait on the heavy side you could get away with baiting every 2 to 3 days. The closer you are to your actual hunt I would keep bait in the pit, at that time I would bait everyday unless they are not cleaning up the pit. E-mail birdog he can really fill yah in on baiting, good luck.

[birddog]

Beleive me you would want to start your bait as early as you can and keep it baited right up till you hunt.If for some reason you start it and let it go sure you can get bear coming in again but at what time of day,whereas if you keep baiting it they will not have to wonder off looking for food. Trust me on this one i have been baiting bear long enough to know what they are like when it comes to that time of year.

[David G Duncan]

Born2Hunt65 & Birddog,

Thanks for the welcome suggestions and encouragement.

This is the first time for us and I am really excited about trying to get my wife in a good spot to harvest her bear.

Finding some good bear sign, but also some old baiting sites used by other hunters. Baiting does not start until August 22 and I have seen not evidence that any baiting is going on early. But at these old baits there are sure a lot of fresh bear sign. Is this normal?

I am going to try to work three different bait sites and as you suggest I will probably have to get one of my friends talked into helping me out.

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Trapper Dave

[birddog]

Originally posted by David G Duncan:
Born2Hunt65 & Birddog,

Thanks for the welcome suggestions and encouragement.

This is the first time for us and I am really excited about trying to get my wife in a good spot to harvest her bear.

Finding some good bear sign, but also some old baiting sites used by other hunters. Baiting does not start until August 22 and I have seen not evidence that any baiting is going on early. But at these old baits there are sure a lot of fresh bear sign. Is this normal?

I am going to try to work three different bait sites and as you suggest I will probably have to get one of my friends talked into helping me out.


>Yes at old bait staitions you will see fresh bear sign. they remember feeding there from the year before.I run a guide service in the U.P. and i use my stations every year and it seems when i go to start my baits there is bear sign at the site.I would not recomend trying to hunt that station for the reason someone might be going to hunt there again this year.