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Spring bear

andrew12gauge said:
I'll be hunting in 39 by late April, I noticed this morning that there is no visible snow remaining on squaw butte(unit 32). I think you'll be safe hunting early as long as you don't go too high


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I am hoping to get up there soon.. thanks for the snow info
 
Made my first 4 bags of bait last night. Pop enough popcorn to fill a 50 pound chicken feed bag. Next 4 cups water, 4 cups sugar, 1 container of koolaid mix. Boil till it is about like a syrup then add to the popcorn. Mix the contents and it makes a tasty popcorn ball. The popcorn in the bag condenses down to about half the size, and fits in my pack with a little room to spare. I think I am going to make about 20 bags for the 10 days I will be out there. Preparing for the hunt is just as exciting as the hunt.
 
hunttrap said:
Made my first 4 bags of bait last night. Pop enough popcorn to fill a 50 pound chicken feed bag. Next 4 cups water, 4 cups sugar, 1 container of koolaid mix. Boil till it is about like a syrup then add to the popcorn. Mix the contents and it makes a tasty popcorn ball. The popcorn in the bag condenses down to about half the size, and fits in my pack with a little room to spare. I think I am going to make about 20 bags for the 10 days I will be out there. Preparing for the hunt is just as exciting as the hunt.
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Ya better not reveal where you put your site...several of us might get to it before the bears and have it consumed already!
 
hunttrap said:
Made my first 4 bags of bait last night. Pop enough popcorn to fill a 50 pound chicken feed bag. Next 4 cups water, 4 cups sugar, 1 container of koolaid mix. Boil till it is about like a syrup then add to the popcorn. Mix the contents and it makes a tasty popcorn ball. The popcorn in the bag condenses down to about half the size, and fits in my pack with a little room to spare. I think I am going to make about 20 bags for the 10 days I will be out there. Preparing for the hunt is just as exciting as the hunt.
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Have you used this bait in the past? What was your success like if so?


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Used it last year. Bears liked it. Reason why I like it is because it does not weigh much, also i smash the bait ball when I get to the baiting location, and break it in a bunch of little pieces so they can't eat it all at once. They eat it kernel by kernel this way . I think the important thing is to make sure you have a loud scent out. Last year I used rotten carp thrown in the trees. The two stations I used the rotten carp were hit within a day. Bears kept coming back as long as I had the fresh popcorn out.
 
hunttrap said:
Used it last year. Bears liked it. Reason why I like it is because it does not weigh much, also i smash the bait ball when I get to the baiting location, and break it in a bunch of little pieces so they can't eat it all at once. They eat it kernel by kernel this way . I think the important thing is to make sure you have a loud scent out. Last year I used rotten carp thrown in the trees. The two stations I used the rotten carp were hit within a day. Bears kept coming back as long as I had the fresh popcorn out.
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I love popcorn for bear baiting. They can't grab it and run! That and grape cool aid
 
hunttrap said:
Used it last year. Bears liked it. Reason why I like it is because it does not weigh much, also i smash the bait ball when I get to the baiting location, and break it in a bunch of little pieces so they can't eat it all at once. They eat it kernel by kernel this way . I think the important thing is to make sure you have a loud scent out. Last year I used rotten carp thrown in the trees. The two stations I used the rotten carp were hit within a day. Bears kept coming back as long as I had the fresh popcorn out.
Click to expand...

Awesome thanks for the idea, I've yet to run any baits and won't have the time for it this year but one of these years I'll be doing it and this honestly sounds like one of the best strategies I've heard.


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I've been drawn on a bear hunt in New Mexico around Ruidosa. Don't know the first thing about bear hunting. We'll be hunting around 7,000 ft in mid august. It's either spot and stalk or if you have a guide they can bait. We haven't decided what we're going to do. Is that too early for acorns?
 
In Idaho unit 39 hunting as I type this. It's day 1, I've seen elk and mullies but no bear sign yet. I'm at about 5400 feet and the snow line is around 6k. Starting to green up nicely but still not a ton of food sources yet.
 
we bait for bears in Wisconsin and are allowed to put out 10 gallons per site. most guys use a mix of chocolate and granola, the best we found was a sticky granola mixture which had some syrup or caramel mixed in. the disadvantage is this, its heavy so the bait sites are near where you can access with a truck or atv. if it was legal here, I would use a burn with grease. years ago the guys use to get leftover syrup from soda factories. another option would be left over fryer grease from a restaurant. really smelly stuff! should have my zone A bear permit next year, got a couple doozies on camera this last hunting season!20160923_192729.jpg
 
We checked our bear baits yesterday and had a picture of this big guy. Now to figure out how to get him.

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Here is a daylight picture after he tipped over the bait box:

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Making me excited seeing these trail cam pics. Hows the snow in Northern Idaho? Has it been warm enough to melt it or has it been a cold snowy spring?
 
silver valley on Thursday may 4th.
Normal mountain snowpack, normal access times.
 

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Any one ever have any luck with peanut butter oil, or use peanut butter oil at there bait station. Wondering if I should use that or fryer grease at my station. I have access to both. Currently I have a few carp rotting in some sealed buckets, and all the popcorn is made. Can't wait to get out there in a couple weeks. Anyone having any luck.
 
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