Spring Bear Hunting Tips

As the owner of Bone Quest Outfitters in Saskatchewan, Canada with several years of bear hunting experience I have picked up on few techniques which have helped us to be successful in the woods.
First off in order to kill a big bear on a bait the bear has to find the bait.  Increase your draw area by increasing the smell.  Rotting meat, dirty cooking oil, anise oil just to list a few things that will send the stench through the woods.  One product we have found to help us and is easy and clean to deal with is Moultrie's Bear Magnet.  A couple of gobs on the barrel and on surrounding logs every bait rotation will send a strong delicious aroma through the woods.  
Once your bears have found the bait the next thing you will have to do is keep them there and keep them from turning nocturnal on you.  This can be done by having the right bait rotation as well as not overfeeding.  On our sites we will chop up beavers into handful size pieces in order to prevent a bear from grabbing a whole beaver and leaving.    In combination with one five gallon pale of beaver we will dump two five gallon pales of chicken grease flavoured popcorn in a second barrel which is set up as a roller drum.  One inch and quarter hole in this drum will make them spend time and work on emptying the popcorn.  If you make it too easy a small bear can clean you out in a matter of minutes.  
The next thing is baiting time.  If you have the time to bait in the morning that is the best option.  You want to create a competitive atmosphere amongst the bears on your bait.  Make that big boy show up early in order to get his pick of the prime cuts.  
We will bait once every two days to ensure that our bears don't venture too far from home, although we do find that the giant boars can be tough to keep local especially when the rut is underway.  At this time its a no brainer, hunt the sow's with kickoff cubs to increase your odds of a monster showing up.  
If you have access to sweets and pastry's add them to your baits as well.  If you don't some simple white sugar'd beaver will help feed their sweet tooth.  
When it comes to hunting black bears you want to catch them by surprise.  Sneaking into your bait site undetected is very important.  Big  black bears will follow their exact same foot prints in and out every time, so pay attention when your baiting and try to access your stand without disturbing their trail.
www.bonequestoutfitters.com   


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