When it’s 85 degrees and higher in Aroostook County and the humidity feels oppressive, I call it “Africa hot.” That’s how conditions have been much of the last month. I don’t even want to go outside to water the flowers, let alone mow the lawn or wield a chainsaw and loppers to clear trails to my bear baiting sites.
Yes, it’s that time again already. Legal bear baiting started July 27, and hunting season starts in late August.
The big question is, what’s the best bait to attract bear and keep them coming back to your location, and what food source can you easily attain and afford?
Black bear instinctively know that, as summer comes to an end, it’s time to pack on some pounds for their winter-long hibernation. Foods with fats, carbohydrates and certain starches are the best sources. While there are plenty of aromatic products to attract bear to a location, it’s the tasty treats that will keep them returning.
Experienced individual baiters, guides and outfitters all seem to have favorite products or combinations of cuisine that they favor, based on their results from past seasons. From my 30 years of personal experience and input from several professionals, here are some basic choices and guidelines. Remember, affordability and availability are two very crucial factors in every hunter’s final choices.
The general consensus of many seasoned hunters is that pastries — cakes, pies, doughnuts and the like — are by far the most dependable confection to lure bear consistently. They’re also the most expensive and difficult to obtain regularly. If you happen to live near a pastry shop or bakery where day-old goods or outdated returns are for sale in bulk, it’s a wonderful option.
Bread is less costly, readily available and less expensive in bulk quantities than sweets, and many places sell outdated bread and rolls at reduced prices. You’ll need to add some flavoring to make the bland taste more enticing. Honey, molasses or flavored drink concentrates are proven sweetness enhancers.
Used cooking oil or bacon grease from home or deep-fryer oil that restaurants replace and throw away are great bets at little or no expense.
Popcorn is a fairly new innovation as bear bait, gaining more popularity over the last decade due to its relatively inexpensive cost for a lot of volume. There’s also the ease of transport due the light weight of even a full trash bag of popcorn, but the downside is you almost need a commercial sized popper to produce the quantity necessary in a reasonable amount of time.
Also while a tub of buttered popcorn is perfect for date night at the movies, there has to be an added sweet or flavored incentive to draw and keep bruin visiting. Mixing in caramel, molasses, strawberry jam, honey or frosting will do the trick. Adding popcorn to other baked products is another good option.
Something that’s gaining popularity every year is a combination of Pop-Tarts, cookies and pretzels with some candy mixed in. Although this contains a lot of calories and carbohydrates, which the bear are seeking, it can be a fairly dry mixture. Adding a cup or two of sweetening liquids or used cooking oil to each 5-gallon pail will help notably.
Candy alone is a poor choice. There is very little nutritional value despite the great taste, and bear will soon lose interest and travel elsewhere for better food. Note that chocolate is considered harmful to bears, and its use is regulated in some states, though not in Maine. Be sure to mix any candy in small quantities with other products.
Matt Fasciani, owner of M&M Bear Bait in Masardis, has on hand a vast array of food products as well as years of personal experience about what works consistently. At the top of his list is trail mix, and I have to agree that this combo of at least six different nut, candy and grain components keep the bruin coming back for more. Fairly fresh strawberry and blueberry Pop-Tarts are a close second, and peanut butter added to any bait is sure to make it more tasty and attractive, according to Fasciani.
I’d be remiss not to mention two other options to consider. Meat and fresh fruit can work, but can have repercussions. In the spring, bear just out of their dens will gobble up meat and fish for protein. But in the fall, the only meat that really works is beaver. Trappers often freeze beaver carcasses after skinning to use as bear or coyote bait, and black bear are addicts for beaver meat.
Most baiters refuse to use meat of any kind because the odor becomes noxious around the hunting location if it’s not eaten up completely in a few days.
Apples, berries and citrus all have the downfall of rotting and, worse yet, fermenting, in the warm weather and exuding an unpleasant odor. Fruit is okay to mix in as a small part of the other baits I’ve mentioned, but the spoiled alcohol or vinegar remnants are not great for food or aroma at a bait site.
High-quality bait is crucial to success with black bear hunting. It’s better to begin baiting later and use top-rate products. If hunters can’t acquire their own products, several well-stocked, dependable bear bait suppliers throughout the state can help.
Whether you use a camera, gun or bow, you will enjoy success by using the best baits. Serve tasty meals in healthy servings and customers will keep coming back.
