Last year I hunted New Brunswick. I started early in the middle of May. I had activity from sows with cubs and other small bears every day. No good boars.
By the time I left it was nearing the end of May so I suppose the rut factor was beginning to kick in. There was also a strong front moving in with a 2 day rain.
Therefore I don't know if it was those factors, or just a coincidence but on the last night we used one of the Bear Bomb scent cannisters and had 2 decent boars come in. 0ne came straight to the spot on the log where I sprayed it.
Interested to see what others have to say about using them or any other sow in heat scents.
I tried one my outfitter gave me just for messing with while in Manitoba in 08' and I don't think it made a bit of difference at all. Bears barely showed an interest. No pun intended. 8~)
I have won 5 or so of them at 3D archery shoots as door prizes. I don't think it hurt my bait area's in anyway by throwing out some more scent. I wouldn't rely on them, but they can put out some good scent on a warm spring night. Late May 2 years ago I did the sow in heat and had a decent boar come right to the can so "Who knows". They are pretty cheap I think and don't hurt.
I've got plenty of experience with the bombs and would ask you to leave them back at camp if you had them. I had someone up at our place a while back and he kept using them at my bait sites that had bear activity on them for a month prior. The scent he used was sow in heat. In short, it killed every one of my baits they set one off in. I mean for 2 weeks those baits were dead Fred.
I have a rule to please leave your attactants in the store and stick with what is working here and the bears are familiar with, please.
Yikes.... glad I asked. I don't know if it's real bear pee in there or what but I've never like synthetic scents.
My clients always wear those HS Scent wafer with cow elk in heat. I tell them all....It smells nothing like elk and gives me a headache. 0n top of that I think the stuff is elk repellent.
You guys should know so I won't argue with that.
How do I go about catching a sow and then figuring out if she's in heat?
An outfitter spends time and money to establish baits that the bear are familiar with.
I do not understand why anyone would want to introduce a new/strange smell, one that may be offensive to the bear, to a bait just because some marketing guy says bear will be drawn to the smell.
I would trust the outfitter who makes a living by harvesting bear LONG before some print or audio advertizing.
Mule Power, how about the wafers that are supposed to smell like dirt, or the peat moss mosquitoe spray?
I went to a bait site that I had my a hunter hunt early in the week and found all this plastic stuff in the bear droppings all over. I wondered what it could be and the guest laughed admitting to throwing bacon flavored wafers at the site when he hunted it. His friend owned the manufacturing company and had asked him to field test them for him. I told him to tell his friend the bears like them and will kill them, they like them so much and leave the rest in the cabin, please.
Marketing guys. I have a friend who guides for an outfitter north of the border. They had a hunter come into camp who worked for an electronic call company. Everyone laughed when he went on about all of the technology that went into the sounds & how it was guaranteed to work.
Sure enough the next day he went out, pushed the button, and pulled the trigger on a 360 bull that couldn't seem to run to the little box fast enough. Biggest bull ever killed by that outfit. Those guys will do anything for a sale.
Hunted with an outfitter in New Brunswick that had a policy "You were welcome to use them, but if you set one off at a stand, that was your stand for the rest of the week."
Needless to say, he did'nt put much stock in them! I personally would not use them.
Do what Bear Track says, don't screw up his baits or other outfitters baits, they make their living doing what they do, and even though I never have hunted with them, I can tell they know their jobs. If you want to use them, wait until you are home and hunting by yourself, I've tried some of those bombs here in West Virginia, Twice, and never again and I was in decent bear country,at the time, they didn't work for me. RULE #(1)Do what the outfitters says, AND NEVER, NEVER, MESS WITH THE BAIT OR ADD YOUR OWN SCENT!
I remember once in Quebec, I was hunting with a buddy and another group of "hunters" showed up. I don't know if they ever bear hunted before or if they were plain ignorant! After almost a week had gone by, I over heard one boosting, just before the hunt, "I didn't like the position of the bait barrel so, last night I moved it close to my stand." DUH ! And another one said"I was wonder what was in the bait barrel so yesterday afternoon, when nothing was moving, I walked over tto the bait barrel to see what was in it" Duh!
So don't believe everything you read and only half of what you see! I wouldn't give you a wooden nickel for one of those bombs, by the way, those that I tried were given to me.
The one we tried was given to us too. And we decided not to use it. But then on the last day we figured a Hail Mary effort was ok. Two boars came in and 1 literally b-lined straight to it and even licked it.
That's why I asked.
They weren't old boars though. 200 pounders at best.
I don't use an outfitter.
I am an outfitter.... you're preaching to the choir.
We may place a camera somewhere this spring far from where we hunt and have nothing there but the scent to see just exactly what happens. If I did decide to use it hunting it would be the same as last year..... the last evening of the last day. Nobody hunts the stand before or after me so it's a bit different.
Trappers live and die by scent. But theirs is real, & fresh.
For now I' happy with the amount of activity at the stand. I think I just need to hunt later so my bait (sows) attracts boars during the rut.
Sure do wonder where and what the boars are eating that keeps them from the bait. There is the odd one here or there at night.
Mule Power. as an outfitter you know that if you get bears hitting on "your" bait, you don't want some of your hunters throwing out scent of their own, because once a bear get use to the everyday scent and a new scent is introduced, bears being bears, will sometime automatic shut down their activity. I don't think there would be any use to use a scent bomb at your bait sites as long as there is activity. I wouldn't use a bear bomb scent on a bait that is being daily checked by an outfitter, that's out of respect for the outfitter. In 24 years of hunting with outfitters, I respect their judgement and let them use what they want,after all they make their living, and baiting is hard work, and I don't want to Scr$%^ up their baits and hard work.
When a person asks a question, I give them an honest answer. I always try to be straight up with people. If you ask questions you will get answers, some you may like ,some you may not. I wouldn't throw away good money on them scent bombs, when you could get cheaper and better products at a grocery store.
Actually the guys doing the baiting are more interested in using it than I am. I prefer to slip in & out anonymously like the shadows & leave no trace.
We talked about dates this afternoon and I told him feedback on the scent thingys wasn't very good.
He did tell me they were going to hang a couple beavers this year which I've heard some have done well with.
I know one thing... I'm ready to climb up fire up the thermacell and see what shows up! I obviously don't outfit for bears or have much experience with them and I find it a little addictive. Heck of an early season cure for cabin fever.
Beaver is by far the best bait that;s what they go after first 99.9 percent of the time. Hopefully you get old slaugh foot this spring i wish you the best.
Thanks ; yes we have 13 guys booked for may getting anxious to get at her ; see what the lord brings us for bears. Did you have a good fall with your guys; you hunt deer and elk i think hey. take care
I don't know about the "bombs" but I know a few folks that will go to a honey burn if they have bears that just won't come in during daylight. It's not their first move for sure but if they keep hanging up sometimes they said it can entice em to move earlier. Kind of a hail mary pass when all else is failing.
Beaver has always worked for me too...... brings me right into the bait.....
