Baiting in Idaho

[75johndeere]

So with moving to western Montana this last summer I'm now only 1 hr from the Idaho boarder and was thinking about trying to bait bears this spring in unit 21 or 21a I was up there Saturday at the ski resort (on the border) and there is only 60 somethingish inch base of snow so I'm thinking it should clear out pretty early. I have never hunted over bait so any tips on setup location bait used or whatever would be appreciated. I can't wait and hope to take one on camera with the bow.

[Machias]

I'm not familiar with that Unit so i can't comment on how soon the snow will melt, but you can still get LOTS of snow between now and spring.  If you can get your bait out while the snow is still on the ground, even better, of course in most units you can't set out baits before a certain date, so make sure you know when you can put it out.  Best bait for starting is beaver, hands down my favorite.  You can also do bear crack, there are youtube videos of folks making it, works pretty good.  I like to bait with Sweet COB, clean bait and easy to haul in.  Guys like dog food, old bread, old pastries, bulk candy or icing is good if you can get it cheap.  I like to avoid fish or meats, but some guys like them.  Make sure you are at least the min distance from the roads.  I like to avoid areas where they hound hunt if possible to avoid having them start their dogs off of my baits.  Not always possible.  Try and position your baits so wind currents will carry the scent up the canyon/valley.  I like to set along waterways, make sure you are the min distance from water as well.  Good luck, it's a blast.  Most of my baits take 5 to 10 days before they get hammered and then it's non-stop.

[D-Rock425]

Good luck.  Cant wait to see pictures.

[75johndeere]

I will only be able to make it down on the weekends is once a week enough for maintaining a bait station or do I need to run down on like Wednesdays and refill? In those units you can't place bait until 7 days prior to season if I read it right but I'll check it out again. Does anyone know if you are allowed to place trail cams on your bait sites I haven't found anything to say otherwise but wanted to make sure

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[Blacktail Sniper]

Once you get your bait barrel set-up, take a five gallon bucket of molassas like you get at the feed store or some used restaurant grease and rake out a clean area right in from of the barrel where the bear would stand.  Pour your bucket on the ground covering about a 3' area with a puddle of it.

When a bear walks up to check out the bait, they will get this all over their feet and then track it away when they leave.  You will have them laying a scent trail that leads right back to your bait station for you. 

Another thing I used to do was to wear a teeshirt and get it sweatty and loaded with my scent and hang it in a tree a little ways away, that way, they would get used to my scent lingering in the area. 

I would check the bait about every 3 or 4 days until it got hit, then I would go in everyday or every other day depending on how far away, schedule, etc., at the same general time and add one or 2 new buckets of bait to freshen it up and I also left something a little different each time as a little treat.   Maybe one day apples or pears, another day chicken or meat from the store that was close to or expired, peanut butter smeared around the area on tress, stumps, etc...everything likes peanut butter! 

Good luck and have fun, baiting is one of the best ways to make sure you don't shoot a sow with young cubs and by being able to hunt the spring season, increases your chance at a boar, because they tend to be up and out of the dens before the sows and cubs.

[Machias]

I will only be able to make it down on the weekends is once a week enough for maintaining a bait station or do I need to run down on like Wednesdays and refill? In those units you can't place bait until 7 days prior to season if I read it right but I'll check it out again. Does anyone know if you are allowed to place trail cams on your bait sites I haven't found anything to say otherwise but wanted to make sure

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You would want to make sure they don't run out of bait or they will just go elsewhere.  You will find the urge to run down there mid week, very hard to resist!!  Yes you can use trail cameras, I got lots of photos last year, that was half the fun!!!

[D-Rock425]

Sure wished i lived closer to idaho.

[huntnnw]

they may only have 60" now, but this is when the major amount of mountain snows begin to dump in the Rockies

We only go once a week, but we dump 500lbs a week..biggest thing I see people struggling to have bears on their baits is they don't bait enough..if bears cant rely on your bait they move on to where the food is..and the more food brings more bears and which causes competition for feed and will result in more daytime activity

[Fishaholic]

bread and grease. if you can find a bread store ask  about expired bread i can get a truck load foor 15 buck in my town. and go to the mom and pop stores that have deep fryers you can usualy get grease from them for cheap or nothing...... no chocolate though bears it will make a bear sick i heard. oh and i save baccon grease and but it around the bait so they track it every were ( i think someone said that already) and you have to keep up on the bait barrells ( if thats what your using) because bears will go somewere else to find food. strawberry syrup works very well too. a bear will know when your rebaiting an area so pack a gun bears are smart and will pattern you i have it happen to me before. best of luck and remember double tap the bear when you shoot it.

[Machias]

and remember double tap the bear when you shoot it.

Not trying to be a jerk, but why do you say that?  I've taken 8 bears, never shot more than once and never had a bear go over 60 yards, take out both lungs and they just don't go far.  No reason to be pumping rounds into them.  IMHO.

[D-Rock425]

If i can get a second round in anything i do it now rather safe than sorry.

[75johndeere]

How do you guys setup the barrel chained to a tree standing up? locking lid or just small holes

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[Fishaholic]

with a lid on and one hole big enough so the can get there arm in to scoop the bait to them.

[idaho guy]

I agree with most of the baiting ideas here but would add hanging a stink bait high up in a tree. Rotten meat or fish works great but has to be a trash fish like suckers not trout etc. Keep it in a five gallon bucket with a cheap game bag or burlap sack to hold the bait and let it get pretty rotten and then tie the bag and hang it in a tree. Yes it stinks but I always get bears on my bait a lot faster when I do this. Once you have them hitting they will usally climb up and eat it and no reason to need the stink anymore. Also agree with beavers(I was told they have to be skinned in Idaho) bears love em!   

[Machias]

Instead of a stinky bait, I love using these along with beaver to get a bait started:   http://www.bearscents.com/scentball.html