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Post by tuketu on Aug 5, 2017 20:46:23 GMT -4
Ok ! So I've always tethered my barrels with a chain, primarily so I don't have to chase after them every time I bait, but it just seems the bears go thru the bait too quickly.This year I plan to anchor my barrels to trees with smaller holes and have one elevated barrel ... a bastardized version of a Skeeter Feeder.
Now I bought small U bolts to act as guides and keep the anchor wraps from sliding ... Question is ... Can I get away with using ratchet straps or should I go with chain? I did buy a couple turnbuckles to properly tension the chain if I go that route . As an experiment I thought I'd do one of each .... Any Thoughts or recommendations ?
tuk
d 1
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Post by losthunter on Aug 6, 2017 7:10:25 GMT -4
Ok ! So I've always tethered my barrels with a chain, primarily so I don't have to chase after them every time I bait, but it just seems the bears go thru the bait too quickly.This year I plan to anchor my barrels to trees with smaller holes and have one elevated barrel ... a bastardized version of a Skeeter Feeder.
Now I bought small U bolts to act as guides and keep the anchor wraps from sliding ... Question is ... Can I get away with using ratchet straps or should I go with chain? I did buy a couple turnbuckles to properly tension the chain if I go that route . As an experiment I thought I'd do one of each .... Any Thoughts or recommendations ?
tuk
d 1
here's what I have found....I'd say for 99% of the bears a couple ratchet straps are more than enough...however, there is always that one azz-hole bear that just want to rip anything it can off lol....but for the last few years a ratchet strap has worked just fine  |
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Post by tuketu on Aug 6, 2017 9:29:44 GMT -4
Good enough for me.
Ratchet straps it is !
Think I'm going to patch my original holes and go with a 6" x 3" semi circle hole on the side at the bottom of the barrel. They'll still be able to paw at food but won't be able to scoop it empty like they have done in the past. Still working on the hanging pendulum barrel idea as well.
tuk
d 1
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Post by skeeter on Aug 6, 2017 23:35:40 GMT -4
WOW! That is a big azz hole in that there barrel.
Why would a bear tear at that barrel with access like that?
A busy body bear could empty that out in a couple hours.
yes I'm back! pot stiring |
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Post by losthunter on Aug 7, 2017 5:40:09 GMT -4
WOW! That is a big azz hole in that there barrel.
Why would a bear tear at that barrel with access like that?
A busy body bear could empty that out in a couple hours.
yes I'm back! pot stiring I'll get 2-3 days out of that barrel....according to my cameras. Sometimes I think the more bears on bait....the slower the bait goes as they spend as much time chasing each other around as they do eating lol. I keep my baiting pretty simple. I dont like shaker barrel approach. I like my barrels to stay put. Seen too many time where a bear ( if he can) will come in and dump barrel and get himself into a no shot position. So I like fixed barrel positioning. And you are correct...smaller holes encourage ripping barrels down lol cuz i think the bruin thinks he will get more if he can manipulate the barrel somehow....I want them to stay put haha. So for me ( and my need for a 12-13 yards shot with recurve bow) I'll give them bigger holes....if they come in and stand where I want and dont maul the barrel too much. Sometimes it works...sometimes it doesnt lol |
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Post by skeeter on Aug 7, 2017 8:41:07 GMT -4
2 to 3 days out of a full barrel is a LOT of bait .... That's 2, possibly 3, barrels per week that those bears/birds/varmints are eating....but if you've got the time, the bait and the strong back and most important it works for you ... then who can argue with that. Obviously you live close to your baits.
My goals are no secret to you. I don't live close to the bear woods. Bait management and presentation has been my quest for a long, long time. Eliminating varmints, eliminating bait spoilage, eliminating sows and cubs, and eliminating non-target bears does manage my bait and extends my baiting refill trips.
I truly love this bear hunting. It can be as simple as dumped bait or elaborate (like mine). HAH!
I guess the important message here is that there is really no wrong way to bait bears. Baiting methods and food offerings are never the same for any 2 hunters. Everyone has their own tweaks trying to tailor their spots to fill their requirements. In your case, hunting with a tomato stake, up close and personal, you need a perfect position ASAP. Preferably with his head in the hole! d 1 |
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Post by skeeter on Aug 7, 2017 9:22:15 GMT -4
it just seems the bears go thru the bait too quickly.
Any Thoughts or recommendations ?
tuk
d 1
Here's my observations over the years. You need to either **** 1, immobilize the barrel totally or 2, give them free yielding movement like a roller barrel.
scenario 1, Barrel attached to a tree. No movement at all! They will pull and tug and soon give up and just work the hole. These barrels tend to have larger holes for paws/heads to fit in. If they get any movement at all then they think they're winning and will continue pulling and tugging from all angles. This sense of winning keeps them at it until they eventually get their way and destroy your setup. Of course small bears are not the problem. I've seen plastic barrels destroyed and would only recommend steel if you want longevity from your barrel. Also the larger the hole the more gentle they are with the barrel. The opposite it true - the smaller the hole the crazier they get. Bait management is a 3 out of 10! There is a design of a shaker barrel with a small hole. It uses a fixed barrel with about 4" of play allowed and it works but you better make sure you use steel and design/secure accordingly. I've never tried this set-up myself because I was worried about bait spoilage with it.
scenario 2, Roller barrels allow the barrel to never be in a position where the bear can exert any direct power to it. When they pull it comes. when they push it goes. Again steel is the way to go. especially if you have small holes. I've seen plastic barrels with small holes that the bears have chewed into larger holes. With smaller holes there is better bait management. I give this set-up a 7 out of ten.
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Post by losthunter on Aug 7, 2017 16:23:19 GMT -4
2 to 3 days out of a full barrel is a LOT of bait .... That's 2, possibly 3, barrels per week that those bears/birds/varmints are eating....but if you've got the time, the bait and the strong back and most important it works for you ... then who can argue with that. Obviously you live close to your baits.
My goals are no secret to you. I don't live close to the bear woods. Bait management and presentation has been my quest for a long, long time. Eliminating varmints, eliminating bait spoilage, eliminating sows and cubs, and eliminating non-target bears does manage my bait and extends my baiting refill trips.
I truly love this bear hunting. It can be as simple as dumped bait or elaborate (like mine). HAH!
I guess the important message here is that there is really no wrong way to bait bears. Baiting methods and food offerings are never the same for any 2 hunters. Everyone has their own tweaks trying to tailor their spots to fill their requirements. In your case, hunting with a tomato stake, up close and personal, you need a perfect position ASAP. Preferably with his head in the hole! d 1 can't disagree with anything in this post....but yup, one stuffed barrel will run me 2-3 days easy. Ive had as many as 3 full barrels to keep them happy lol. PS- I've bought some new property to hunt deer on. Its a gem of a whitetail spot. I have leased out 40 acres to a local corn farmer....so that cornfield will be stinky with bears soon. I'll hunt a bear there if I see one and still have a tag....but I'd rather have none there. All of this to say is I went into a new area ( close to my new property-but not too close haha) and put out a couple brand new baits out in an area totally new to me just a couple days a go. I went back today and one was hammered...not a lick of bait left...and it was about 3/4 full with grain. Trails in and out already. I cammed it up today...hoping there's a shooter there....time will tell. Although it's not too hard to bring bears to a bait...it's still exciting when you go in blind to a new spot...and return to have it smashed..... I'm interested in your barrel system.....mostly just to see if it will condition those big nocturnal bruins to come in shooting light. That would be gold ! Some big bruins will come in light, but have other who for 5-6 years never once showed in daylight....not even close...routinely midnight-4 am.....not even close to dawn or dusk. I finally gave up on them. Now had we had a spring season...or even a cam on the bait during the spring....I might have had some daylight action....maybe haha. |
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Post by skeeter on Aug 8, 2017 0:13:00 GMT -4
I baited last Thursday aug 3 and will not return until aug 21. For me Bait management is crucial, no.. critical!
The goal has been to only feed one bear per site. or if I'm lucky 2 shooters. I've seen hundreds of bears at bait sites and although it's entertaining I really do not want the non shooters around. They consume 90% of the bait and require more rebaits costing me time, money, and effort. I proved out about 4 yrs ago that I can train a bear, or should I say get the bear to train itself to commit to daytime feeding. Problem we had at that time was we had some sows that came 1/2 hr before door open and stayed till 1/2 hr after door close activations. They dominated the sites -all 5 of them. Big boars avoided the baits completely. We've been making changes and the last 2 yrs have had results just short of amazing. Eliminating the sows has been huge. We had huge bears on every site. Last year we had two small athletic sows figure out how to beat us and both those sites went sterile with boars. Lucky for us they discovered the other sites. We made changes again this year across all 5 sites and we hope to h3ll we get it right and finally kick those sows out once and for all. The goal is to bulletproof the system. If the presentation works as we hope then installing the autofeeder and only dealing with the big boys we will find out if we can turn them to daytime. I don't see why we can't. BUT we must only deal with them and only them.
In my opinion if a baitsite is over run with lesser bears, yearlings, sows, cubs then why do I want to waste my time baiting there. If a big boar is 100% nocturnal. AGAIN I do not want to deal with him. A waste of time and bait. Hoping/ wishing/ waiting / for a bear that has a night time history has ruined many a bear hunter.
Like I said earlier, lots of reasons why guys bear hunt .. anyway this is what turns my clock! We'll see what Aug 21 brings. I need the presentation to be bulletproof then will introduce the autofeeder. baby steps I guess is the term. and patience!
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Post by tuketu on Aug 13, 2017 7:58:14 GMT -4
I never thought having too many bears could be a problem, but with the scarcity of available bait this year I need to change things up. I haven't ruled out moving out of the area, but will reconfigure my bait barrel setup . Tethered barrels just isn't working , last year I was going thru 3 barrels in three days, and I just don't have that kind of bait to use this year.  I've closed up the access holes and making smaller semicircular (6"l x 3"h) holes at the bottom side of barrels. With the barrels now being chain fastened to trees the hope is that they will not be able to scoop out the bait as easily as before. I have a plan for an elevated pendulum but I don't take the 4 whlr to bait so the raising and lowering of the barrel is at issue. Thinking right now I'll have 2 barrels , one for sweets and one for apples. Not sure If I'll go with a shaker but I have one ready to go.  tuk d 1 |
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Post by tuketu on Aug 13, 2017 8:33:49 GMT -4
So losthunter ... what exactly are you using for a grain mixture ?
I need to come up with something they will eat and not go moldy in the barrel.
tuk
d 1
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Post by skeeter on Aug 13, 2017 21:12:48 GMT -4
I never thought having too many bears could be a problem, but with the scarcity of available bait this year I need to change things up. I haven't ruled out moving out of the area, but will reconfigure my bait barrel setup . Tethered barrels just isn't working , last year I was going thru 3 barrels in three days, and I just don't have that kind of bait to use this year. I've closed up the access holes and making smaller semicircular (6"l x 3"h) holes at the bottom side of barrels. tuk d 1 Tuk Do yourself a favor - get an old barrel and cut out some 10 x 10 patches. the radius will match your barrels radius, make a 2x2" hole in it dead center ... then bolt that patch on from the inside over those holes of yours. (important) add a couple rocks(pulverisers - bear actuated). maybe sprinkle a packet or 2 of jello powder. you'll have the same bears and the same action. Actually they'll be at the bait longer and the big plus - you won't see any bait strewn all over the place. what they roll out they eat. and your bait will last a lot lot lot longer. I love the bear numbers but I can't imagine the food and effort required. I know you're thinking 6 x 3 is small but we found out 3x4 with a center bar was still too big. For bread /bagels (rocks) 2x2 seems perfect and even smaller if it's grain or dog food.
I'm just trying to help with information from years of failures.
If you have an elevated pendulum barrel that's inaccessible by ATV then make a cheap 2x4 lumber ladder to rebait.
My new design raised barrels use the ATV BUT I also have the option of raising the bait with a pin in the tree and a modified boat hand winch.
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Post by tuketu on Aug 14, 2017 14:33:59 GMT -4
These are what I had initially had set up for barrels Skeeter but I found because the sweets are fresh and gooey and even with rocks inside the bait still clumped up in wads and didn't come out. I thought about a boat winch but wasn't sure I could still raise the barrel by myself.  What ever happened ... life was so much simpler back then ! A barrel, and a fish box with a half barrel lid.  tuk d 1 |
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Post by skeeter on Aug 14, 2017 22:15:30 GMT -4
Tuk I do recall you had smaller holes too gooey really I used fresh Tim donuts that were frozen and thawed on bait day i thought those were gooey and all baits were either empty or 10% left after 8 to 10 days i only ran one barrel per bait my bait was about 50% donuts 30% bagels 20% buns
I have some friends that use crispy creme donuts and those things are all goo small bags weigh a lot
Maybe I just got lucky with the mix ratio with the 50% bread
I always notice there's plenty of bread at your sites maybe the trick is for you to mix 1/2 & 1/2
Only problem I had with fresh gooey moisture laden bait was mold after about a week
Ever since I started sun drying my bait my bait lasts a long time if kept dry
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Post by losthunter on Aug 15, 2017 7:22:08 GMT -4
here's where I'm confused.....if ya can't keep the barrels full ( not enough bait).....how is bait going moldy and conversely , if bait is going moldy....it means its not getting eaten fast enough ( too much bait).
I always ran baits far away from home...closest one was 2.5 hrs from my driveway....some much farther than that. I fed them 2 barrels full at each bait....twice a week....i know sometimes baits were dry for a day or so....but I doubt that really detered the bears from visiting.
I've adopted a keep it simple baiting routine....I now bait when I can, with what I have on hand. worse case is...I dont kill a bear. I'm ok with that haha.
We're killing and seeing as many good bears as we did when I use to stress over it haha.
Speaking of that...off to check a couple bear sites shortly....ones an hr from home and one is back closer to home by about 15 minutes.....I went away for 4 days...so I havent been there since last Thursday.....o well....I bet the bears will return once I stog it up !
I do enjoy this thread tho.....I'm always open to hearing new ideas
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