Idaho bear baiters

netman

WKR
Joined
Mar 30, 2018
Messages
764
Location
Indiana
My wife and I will be headed west for some spring bear action. Looking at Idaho and Montana. Spot and stalk mainly with baiting in Idaho.
I’m going to see what you guys think about baiting sites in Idaho. I have a friend who is the GM of a large bakery that is well known in the US. I can get a tremendous amount of cookies and cakes that are QC for one thing or another.
Plus I have access to large amounts of rough fish through commercial fisherman.
Then there is the dog food factory about ten miles from my home .
I’m thinking of building some aluminum tubes with a chain attached for my bait dispenser.
Aluminum tubes would be big enough for a football to drop into without touching.
I can freeze the sweets and fish in five gallon buckets and load the dog food in a thirty gallon plastic barrel for the trip.
I read the regs that for one permit you can have three sites. One of the aluminum tubes with dog food for each site chained to a tree along with a scoop of fish and a big pile of sweets.
Am I on track? Thoughts.
Upon looking at the regs I’m thinking unit four.
 

skierhs

WKR
Joined
Jan 23, 2017
Messages
588
Location
Alaska
Double check the regs about using fish products. I know they have a stipulation you can’t use game animals to use as bait so I’m not sure where the fish would fall. The one permit will give you 3 bait tags which you just need to have one tag at each site. With only allowing one metal container (at most 55 gallons) my party has began just leaving the barrels at home and using logs to build a bait crib. I think you’d only be allowed to have one of your dispensers per cite.
 

blfelts

FNG
Joined
Jan 12, 2020
Messages
16
Location
Idaho
Yes - no game fish (salmon, bass, etc.) you’d have to know what kind of fish used in your buddy’s stuff. But if you can’t prove species, I wouldn’t chance it. Not worth it. Sounds like you’ve got a good bait system without it.

You can buy up to 3 bait tags with your hunting license. But yes, you’d only be able to have one mechanism per site with the tag.


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Kgentry

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 31, 2019
Messages
109
Location
Montana
In Idaho last spring I hunted over bait with an outfitter and they just dug a small hole for their baits and covered the bait hole with logs and covered the logs and hole with grease. The bears would dig the holes bigger allowing for more bait.
 
Joined
Jan 17, 2013
Messages
397
Location
Idaho
I often use carp as an attractant when I first put out bait sites. Most of the time the bears do not eat the rotten fish so I would not mix that in with the other bait. I typically take the carp and leave them in a closed bucket for a few days but not more than a week. That's just long enough for them to develop a strong odor but stay solid. Then I hang them on low tree branches around the main bait pile.
 
OP
netman

netman

WKR
Joined
Mar 30, 2018
Messages
764
Location
Indiana
Thanks guys! I’m starting to think the hole with bait and logs covering is the best method.
 

Marmots

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
298
Location
Idaho
I have one other argument for baked goods over rough fish.

No matter how close your baits are to the road, and no matter how hard you try to be careful, you will end up wearing some of it. I would rather be covered in donut glaze than carp emulsion. Don't ask me how I know. :)
 
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