wy bear

[bnsafe]

I was gonna wait til January to ask this stuff but im to excited. im planning on going to wy this spring for a diy bear hunt. ive got an area picked out so not asking for gps coord, only how to.
first, the regs stated you have to get permission from the local dnr for a spot to bait. I assume your using your gps coord for that but im gonna be driving aways so cant drive several times. how do you guys get your bait spots registered.
second, after you have your spot registered what bait seems to work best for them. I don't have access to a lot of pastries. I may have some rest grease but not positive about that yet. as of right now im planning on using bacon grease an soaking it in cheap dog food. stupid idea? will be using a 55 gallon barrel an plan on taking it up around 10 days before the hunt. putting 150 lbs of dog food an grease in it, setting up stand, then going back during hunting season.
third, what do you guys look for for a good bait spot in wy. im assuming you want to be a couple hundred yds from water but does elevation make a difference.
thanks for any an all info. again this will be a learning experience for me. I don't have to kill anything for this to be successful. it will be successful as soon as I sit in the stand for the first night. I appreciate any insights to cut the learning curve thou.

 

[Craig4791]

I've used a few different things as bear bait and it didn't seem like they preferred any one over the other. To me the key is the location of the bait. From my experience the best baits I have set were in areas that allowed a good wind to carry the scent of the bait.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

First off, bear hunting is something to get really excited so I don't blame you. I am excited myself. As the regs state you must talk to the game and fish before putting out a bait. I believe it is also mentioned that if you have never had a bait site before then you must go to the game and fish personally and sign up for a location. You can't just give them the coordinates and get that site. You will have to see if that place is open. Also, you are only allowed two sites per person. A site is a section (1 mile x 1 mile). You can't bait outside of your section unless you have the adjoining section. It is not easy to get a bait site because most of the good places are kept by the people who have had them. I have had mine for 6 years I believe. My last two bears were taken on some crazy sections. My best section you can't get to until about June unless its a low snow year. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I also forgot to mention that once you get a bear hitting he could easily consume 100 lbs in a couple of days. You need to have the time to dedicate to keeping your bait fed. If you don't have the time then your bears move onto the next bait site. No feed, no bear.

 

[Craig4791]

I also forgot to mention that once you get a bear hitting he could easily consume 100 lbs in a couple of days. You need to have the time to dedicate to keeping your bait fed. If you don't have the time then your bears move onto the next bait site. No feed, no bear.

X2!

I've had them clear out 75 lbs overnight!!

 

[bnsafe]

wow, thanks guys for the info. sounds like I better start stocking up on food.

 

[bnsafe]

so should I just go to the dnr office an ask them what sections are open.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Sadly they won't tell you until, don't quote me on this, March. The game and fish office can tell you better though. There is a date that all hunters who had bait sites the previous year can call to keep their sites. There is the same date when that closes. After it closes then they know which sites are open. My dad and I stood in line at 3 am the first time we got our sites. Are you a nonresident? I am not sure about regs for bait sites for nonresidents.

 

[oct71]

Here in the pinedale regional office, you get from march 1st to the 20th to renew your bait sites from last year. hunters on April 1st can start picking the unclaimed sections.

So you have a 10 day window to look the unclaimed sections over and go look at them to decide what 2 sections you want to try and bait on.

Good luck and bear hunting is a blast!

 

[bnsafe]

thanks again guys, im learning a lot. 3am, is that typical. should I plan on standing in line on april 1st. are there still good spots left or is there a lot more hunting pressure than I was planning on. sorry for so many questions, just trying to wrap my mind around all this. yes Im a non resident an live about 2 hours from where I was planning on hunting but sounds like I may need a backup plan if there are more hunters than I thought.

 

[oct71]

There's usually a long line. Same rules apply to a NR, buy a bear tag and you can get 2 sections for baits.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Thanks for jumping in oct71. I couldn't remember the exact dates, nor can I find my regs. Nice moose in your pic by the way. I would say 3 am may not be typical but the long lines are. As far as good places I am not sure anyone can answer that as it changes year to year. Just to remember....hunting is about luck, trial and error, and effort. To be a successful bear hunter you must have all of these. It's always good to have a backup plan. I will give you my example from June 13. My bait site is 2 sections away from a guy who kills a bear every year so I didn't think I would get a bear. Instead I had more than four hitting. Just because there is hunting pressure doesn't mean they are feeding their baits. If they don't keep it fed then the bears will move on to the next site. Keep asking the questions. It is better to be informed than go in blind.

 

[bnsafe]

again, thanks a ton guys. I would have never dreamed of standing in line. I will plan on being there early, but prob not 3 am beings I have to drive up. keeping the bait stocked might be a problem to with it being so far away, but im gonna go with another guy so maybe we can take turns driving up every third day or so for a couple weeks.
so, 55 gal barrel, a couple hundred lbs of dog food with restraunt greese, rebaited every 3 days for 9 days before season. sound about right?
with that set up im assuming I will be hunting close to a road somewhere, I don't have a 4 wheeler to get in an out.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Be open to using other stuff too! Last season we had it in for two weeks before I had a bear hit. Patients and persistence.

 

[bnsafe]

sounds good, this is not gonna be what I thought I as getting into, but still gonna be a blast an I cant wait. sure glad I ask some questions. im sure I will have several more as the spring pans out an we get closer. thanks guys an anymore thoughts an tips would be greatly appreciated.