That's what I can't find this year^^^

I have caramel, peanut butter and chocolate frosting by the pail. Things are heating up thanks in part to the Skunky Backbreaker. Some decent bear are starting to show. I went into Operation Sweet Tooth today to see if I can't get them in there during shooting hours.

Poscoe, keep the sweets to a minimum and add natural grains.
Sweets are great but them alone are not good for the long haul.

Interesting

I wonder if the scrapings from raccoon hides would be attractive to them? Lots of big number coon guys would love a market, even if it were ever so small to make catching them a bit more worthwhile.

They're in the corn where I set up today...
Might need a sweet trail from the corn damage area back to my Bait tomorrow.

Four or five years ago I bought a pallet of chocolate frosting that had 48 five gallon pails on it. The bear blew through it. That was in addition to the bait in the barrel. I think it was trail mix that year. I'd strap the pail near the barrel and they would lick it clean.

I heard chocolate was unsafe for them ...must be an old wives tail.

Down here most use sweet potato

I've heard that as well. I became aware of it after I fed them a literal ton of it. I believe chocolate is outlawed in NH as a bear bait. Maybe Nessy can confirm that.

As to sweets in general, it stands to reason, at least in my mind, that a bear is going to seek out something different than what is readily available in the wild. Especially if they find it palatable. I always incorporate something sweet at my bait sites.

Chocolate was outlawed here a few seasons back. I guess studies have shown it can kill bear, or at least kill some individual bear.

I'm not a bear hunter, but one of my elk hunting buddies is. He says the bait that attracts bears best is anything laced with honey.

Anise oil or paste works well. I usually smear some on the toes of my boots and go for a walk away from my sites in different directions and dab some on limbs here and there to get it on the wind. They pick up the odor on the wind and then will often follow the scent trail I put down with my boots back to the bait.

Several years ago we set a bait out that never did get hit. The following year we moved the site barrel three hundred yards or so and it got hit the first week. It was the way the bear worked that area. It was along a waterway.

Activity is picking up now. I have eight different bear hitting this site near my cabin not including the five cubs accompanying two sows.

Looks Awesome Pasco!
I make an anise paste , put it out today.
Took an Anise soaked rag through the woods to where the bear are in the corn.

On the way through the woods back to my Bait site I drug the anise rag and squirted syrup .

When does your season open? We baited through the entire month of August and our season opened Monday of this week. The young fellow is coming up Friday to see what he can do. No monsters showing up just yet.

Are you holding out for a bigger bear? Whatever it is you're after, good luck.

Our Season opened for baiting Aug.15 but I was too busy

I opened my Bait down by a creek where I've had success before. But just opened it yesterday. We have to buy the $45 bear tag Before we can Bait. So tonight I'll sit on a New Bait

No luck, Scott? A young fellow is coming in this afternoon from downstate to sit this evening. A marginal shooter came in just before dark yesterday and a nicer one came in around midnight. Two two year old bear came in together this morning just after daylight. Been sporadic but I think his chances are decent this afternoon. Hopefully I'll have a picture to post tomorrow morning.

Posco,

No bear had found the Bait site yet. See picture...

So I sat for two hours and 2 tractors came in started Chopping all the corn right beside me. I left after half an hour more Ruckus.

Any evidence of the bear hitting the corn before they harvested it? They will hit the corn here but they also have apples and oats galore to gorge on. I assume you have plenty of odors on the wind. Myself, I don't like sitting a stand until the bear have been hitting it for a few days. You can spend a lot of lonely days looking at a bait barrel waiting for them to finally find it. The more they hit it, the more comfortable they are coming in.

Keep us filled in.

There was... Was bear in the corn yes.

They'll either find and use the Bait location, or they'll move a quarter mile to another corn property.

I was behind the 8 ball this year. And That location down by a creek into a swap. Has always been good ,When they plant corn. Not so much when they're s beans in. But usually they harvest in October and my spot is Quiet.

I'd say 50/50 on bears using it now