First Bait ???

[mattg1500]

I put my first pile out consisting of about 3 doz rolls/bagels 6 doz donuts and 50lbs of corn in an area where I have seen bear in the past month on cam. Went back after a week to swap my cam for my covert wireless and everything was gone and old cam took 476 pics in 8 days. On my way out I jumped 2 bear about 50yds from pile. Cam check showed 0 bears!!!!!!!!!! Coons ate donuts and rolls and even had a doe pickin through there, and deer ate the rest of the corn. Any reason the bear wouldnt be at the pile?

[smoking gun]

probably too hot

[mattg1500]

WTF I eat when its hot!!! Maybe ill throw some burgers, dogs and potato salad in there!

[mattg1500]

I walked up on them at about 430pm. They were hangin in a little stream along some high grass

[Haskell_Hunter]

Bear probably has a better food source.  What's near there that would feed a bear better than your pile?

[Bucksnbows]

Try a bait barrel as well as some of the other suggestions.  It keeps other critters to a minimum and keeps the bears there for much longer while they get to the bait.  That ensures at least some trail cam pix.  Also, that 50 lbs of corn might have been gone in a day.  I use 200 lbs in my barrel each time we re-bait and will begin adding apples this week now that they are available.  Listen to Sugar, he may be the most knowledgeable here on bear baiting.  

 

Once bears are locked in to your barrel, you will have barren ground around it (no vegetation) and bear scat you almost can't avoid stepping in all around the barrel and for many yards in one or more directions.  Those scat "trails" are great areas to set a second cam (or third, fourth, etc.) so you can capture where they are coming from and going to as they hit your bait.   

[mattg1500]

Theres some berries and residential garbage. If I walk around the perimeter of the property I will find ripped apart garbage bags. Other than that I dont get many acorns, no corn fields just thick swamp. I will step it up a bit next week!

[mattg1500]

Im thinking of leaving everything in the bucket to try and keep other animals from getting into it

[rgw]

better chain the bucket up ou they will take it and next weeks post will be some lowlife hunter stole my bear bait. lol lol