Using Scents for Bear Hunting
Boarmasters Wildlife Attractants 04.11.12
What is Bear Bait?
Bear bait is basically a pheromone or flavor scent used to attract bears to specific locations. Baits based off of pheromones can be used to mimic a female bear in heat or the urine smell of another animal. Baits based off of flavors are used to attract a bear by mimicking smells of foods that they like. Bears will eat all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats and breads. This makes flavored based baits the most common product available or made privately at home. Pheromone based baits are usually produced by a company but can yield better results.
The use of bear scents might not be legal in the jurisdiction you’re hunting in. You should review all local bear hunting regulations to make sure you can legally bait bear. You’ll want to also make sure that you’re careful with pheromone bear baits and follow their directions exactly. Pheromone bear scents and attractants can send a bear into a frenzy and make them aggressive.
Pheromone Based Bear Baits
Pheromone-based bear bait can be a very powerful tool when bear hunting. This type of bear lure is designed to attract a bear via their curiosity or sex drive. Pheromone-based bear baits can usually bring out a trophy worthy bear. This is due to the fact that some of these baits will get a bear to not only come into an area but also patrol it and chase out other bears. This means usually the bigger, stronger bears will be the ones hanging on in the baited area.
Depending on the time of year pheromone bear baits can be even more productive. During mating season when male bears are looking for sows they will be more susceptible to pheromone baits. Bear baits made out of pheromones can be spread on logs, trees and brush; you should never apply to yourself or your clothing. You should avoid trying to make your own pheromone bait.
Flavor Based Bear Baits
Flavor-based bear baits are another great tool when your hunting bears. This style of bear attractant is going to attract bears based on their hunger drive. Bears are active eaters and need to eat a lot, so using the hunger drive as a way to attract them to a specific area is a good idea. You’ll find that different types of bear will be more attracted to certain foods and flavors. You can lure out quite a few bears, but the actual size of the bear will vary.
Just like pheromone baits, the time of year will have an impact on how effective flavor-based bear bait will be. During the end of the season and prior to the onset of winter, bears start to eat more to bulk up for hibernation. Flavored bear baits can be spread on logs, trees and brush; you should never apply to yourself or your clothing. Some hunters have secret bear bait recipes that they make at home while others choose to buy a quality commercial product from companies like Boarmasters.
