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The past several years I had a donut connection for my bear baits. Well looks like that has dried up. I looking for other options. My area bears like sweets. What have you used and had success with.
Dry kibble, leftover deep fryer oil, and Kool-Aid powder, either cherry or strawberry. Mix the kibble with the oil, then sprinkle the powder on top.
Google lucky seven Bear baits. Buy by the barrel. They can deliver.
Rolled oats mixed with fryer fat.
I use a small barrel that they can’t empty - just for the stink.
Hauling around oats is way cleaner than rotten beavers and other stinky meat stuff.
Luck7 is out of stock of everything I checked them earlier.
there are several places in Maine and New Hampshire selling bait by the barrel. They offer different blends. I am glad it is stored out side or could eat the whole barrel !! It is a mix of cookies and sweet candies and pop tarts.
I had a bag of dog food my dog refused to eat (less than 6 months old). So I dumped it out next to my bait barrel. Nothing has touched it. My friends also report our local bears don't like dog food.
Erik
We tried dog food at one point. Perhaps not surprisingly, it brought in coyotes.
I dumpster dive every night and a few local D and D it’s amazing how excited I get when I get a good haul…Here’s tonight’s take. Tomorrow I’ll clean the papers out and bag them and put them in 55 gallon drums.. I also have a connection at a movie theater where I get each night’s leftover popcorn.
Here’s a few of the better bears coming in.
You use a ladder when dumpster diving, Shug? You know….because of your bad knees and all ;-)
Definitely some fatties on camera!
Troy… I actually use a 5 ‘ gaff. You have to be able to identify the bags you want then then gently gaff the end and twist it till it’s tight so the bag doesn’t tear when you lift it.. It’s a developed talent for sure.. Diid I mention the raccoons ya have to fight off
Shug I was hoping you would chime in. Im heading up to NJ next week to get my baits started. I guess I am going to have to do the same. I had 2 D&D locations that always took care of me. Manager left and new one said he was not allowed to do it. Guess I am back to your method. I also have a theater That Im going to stop by and see about?? popcorn. Do those mafia NJ bears like popcorn? Also you using 55 gal barrels at your sites or smaller ones?
First off let me say… There is no such thing as the Mafia. It’s a lie perpetuated by the government and media to keep fine Italian heritage people down… 55 gallon
Sure that eat popcorn I like it too because it’s much easier to get back in but at the same time I’d think donuts are better liked than popcorn
Not according to what Spike says, Shug….
Appreciate there feedback. Sweets definitely have been the best from my. Ive tried fish and meat before snd never really had good luck, I have not used a barrel in the past but am going to give it a try this year. Was just trying to decide if I want to go 55 or 30 gal.
55 = more donuts My barrels are empty in a few days with a packed drum so it just saves me trips up
A Bear will pick through all the ingredients in our barrels eating our popcorn recipe first. Then eat the rest. Problem is... If all you have is popcorn, they gobble it up and because popcorn is so light, they are still hungry after. So you need filler bait such as donuts to keep bears from wandering off.
Our popcorn mixture competes with berries.
So what is your popcorn mixture. Also do I need a food grade barrel. I am concerned with the smell on some of the others.
I get the drums from a car wash they hold soap… I wash them out real well and dry them
Sweet feed for horse's Tractor Supply 11.50 50 lb bag
Pop corn is easy, can put jello, Koolaid powder etc on it if you want. Pretty sure everything likes it plain or flavored.
A couple other options for donuts/cakes etc is to check with the Local Grocery stores since they dump all the 2 day old bakery goods. Also I had luck with my wife volunteering at a food bank- lots of old cakes, donuts, sweets etc.
In AK dog food works well but sounds like your bears don't like it. I have not had luck on meats in spring, even a beaver is hit or miss
Well I scored three bags of Donuts from Dunkin tonight. 2 nice 30 gallon barrels and two 5 gallon jugs for my fryer oil. Pretty good day. Now to get up to NJ and get those bears off Shug's bait??
I have had the same experience as spike. My first set of the year is 3 30 gallon drums filled with popcorn. I top them off with dog food and roll them around so all space is used.
At the site I cable to the tree with a heavy inline swivel, drill a 2 inch hole in barrel on the opposite side of the cable. Then pour grease in the 2 inch hole and everywhere around the site (about 10 gallons)
On the rebait I put 40 pounds of dogfood and one contractor bag full of popcorn in each one. I’m able to rebait every 3/4 days.
Do you guys pop your on popcorn?
I do, bought a popper like at the movie theater
You-all are crazy! I thought deer baiters were crazy for filling their dump bed at the CO-OP, but you bear guys take it to way new levels!
One of this home made hard candy will keep coming back for a few days
Or maybe dead cow?
Or maybe dead cow?
Hand picked berries work nicely in Colorado mountains.
Can't used processed baits of any kind in NC. But they eat the hell out of deer corn. They also like cattle, goat and sheep corn too.
my guide hooked up with wonder bread guy, apples and cooking fat.
