Finding bait sites Id. Spring bear

Joined
Nov 25, 2016
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10
Location
NC
How long to Establish bait site for Spring bear

I am planning my first Diy spring bear hunt for May this year hunting the reduced tag units in Idaho. It will be my father and I hoping to get it done with our bows. We will be there for 7 days of hunting give or take a day or 2. This hunt will be all on foot (no atv) and car camping at night. Keeping my father's stubbornness in mind lol I am planning to set a bait site/w small barrel and bread/grease with trail camera and honey burns to hunt evenings, while trying to spot and stalk at other times. My questions for you seasoned guys is this.1) Since I'll need to scout and find a bait site upon arrival is it even worth it to set a bait site with such a short hunt time? 2) In grizzly/wolf country how much are you guys hiking at night on and off trails(we will have spray and sidearms)? At the bait site, what are your thoughts on a stick built blind vs 2 man ground blind vs 2 treestands?
 
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lang

Lil-Rokslider
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May 26, 2017
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North Idaho
It is pretty rare that one of our baits will get hit first week unless we've baited that spot for years. It is even more rare for a bait to get hit during shooting hours in less than a week. Bears take time to get comfortable coming in. It has happened, but not often. I would try it, and you'll have all day to spot and if you get hit sit the last couple hours of daylight. Always walking out in the dark, so yes I would always pack spray as first choice, sidearm second choice, and both doesn't hurt. I like tree stands a little more work, but a little more comfortable than sitting on the ground not being able to see behind you. Most bears will come in silent, and it lets me see a little better in every direction. We hunt the panhandle and it is normally pretty thick. We like huge drainages without roads. The other thing is we get a minimum of 1/4 mile off the road and preferably over a ridge to help keep hounds away.
 

nidaho

FNG
Joined
Aug 15, 2016
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79
Location
idaho
i don't think I would worry about a bait site, setting one up and having results in 7 days is a tall order. I would try and concentrate on glassing open hill sides that were greened up and spot and stalk still going to be a tall order depending on were you go. a lot of Idaho is very thick and would be tough glassing and stalking. walking gated forest service roads with lots of grasses would be an option. getting into the bears might be tough depending on snow pack im sure the bears will be on the south slopes and the north sides will probably be snowed in. you might see some hounds come thru at least youll know bears are in the area.
 

Ryan Avery

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Jan 5, 2012
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My average bait site takes 14 days to get hit.


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Joined
Jan 17, 2017
Messages
567
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sw mt
Rough idea where and when? Can be pretty surprising snow levels into the first part of june in some areas. Some times you will get lucky and get a bear on a bait in a couple days or less.....but letting that bear get a little more comfortable usually takes a couple weeks. Shot a bear one time on a new bait that had only been set for a couple days. Was the first year we did it, and didn't have a clue what we were doing. Went in to check the bait on the third morning, and spooked a very large boar off of the bait.
We have always built brush ground blinds, and yes the bears will almost always come in without making any sound.
 
OP
D
Joined
Nov 25, 2016
Messages
10
Location
NC
Thanks for all the info guys. Much appreciated. I have been doing a bit of research on hunting the new grass on logging roads. What kind of mileage do you guys average traveling these roads in a day? Is there alot of pressure in these areas or is it somewhat easy to get away from other people hunting on the logging roads?
 

lang

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 26, 2017
Messages
186
Location
North Idaho
There are a fair amount of guys that do it. It's nothing like fall in the woods though. As snow moves up and more country is accessible it will get easier to get away from everyone.
 

Getnlost

FNG
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Messages
21
Location
Post Falls
A bait site in such a short period of time may work if there are established sites in the area. That means bears are already cruising these sights and might pick up on yours a little faster.
 

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