Make em Hungry

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Mike Foss
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Mike Foss » Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:14 am

john1984 wrote:Good thread. Lots of good bear hunters divided on this competition thing. Clay Newcomb, Bernie Barringer and Dan Infalt all believe the more the merrier.

I would think weight matters also. 10 gallons of fruit loops or popcorn don't weigh hardly anything.


The reason why some are divided on this is they never consistently tried it, where legal to dump unlimited bait it will usually be done! Bear Guide Jim Wallner in Northern Minnesota does this "Make em Hungry" style of baiting is very successful at it and has a high kill success rate.


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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby clandestine.misfit » Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:54 am

I would imagine you wouldn’t want to use this technique in an area where you have competition bait sights
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Mike Foss » Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:56 am

[quote="clandestine.misfit"]I would imagine you wouldn’t want to use this technique in an area where you have competition bait sights[/quote]

Show me an area that doesn't have competition?
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby clandestine.misfit » Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:03 am

Mike Foss wrote:[quote="clandestine.misfit"]I would imagine you wouldn’t want to use this technique in an area where you have competition bait sights


Show me an area that doesn't have competition?[/quote]

Well how hungry are they gonna get when there’s 20 other baits all within a mile? I would imagine they’d ignore your bait as not as consistent as the others.

I’ve never bear hunted yet so i genuinely don’t know anything but find this quite interesting
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Mike Foss » Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:10 am

clandestine.misfit wrote:
Mike Foss wrote:[quote="clandestine.misfit"]I would imagine you wouldn’t want to use this technique in an area where you have competition bait sights


Show me an area that doesn't have competition?


Well how hungry are they gonna get when there’s 20 other baits all within a mile? I would imagine they’d ignore your bait as not as consistent as the others.

I’ve never bear hunted yet so i genuinely don’t know anything but find this quite interesting[/quote]

Fair enough....but until you do it for years then you will understand. My past clients have shot consistently some above-average bears over the years baiting with only 5 gallons of bait so I must be doing something right.
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Bearman13 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:15 am

I have found over the years that baiting every other day with no more then 10 gallons of bait some frosting or peanut butter smeared around has proven to be superior then dumping large amounts of bait down.

I always start cutting back to about 1/2 to 3/4 bucket of bait about 3-4 days out from hunting. I wail also about 5 days out switch over to completely using nuts of some sort. I still use frosting or peanut butter smeared as well.

I am a firm believer in creating competition at a bait site. I fully understand logistics for a DIY hunter traveling long distances and dumping a lot of bait down does work. I have even used this method myself with success.

Now for the kicker. I need my bear accustomed to some human activity but, also have a day of no human disturbance. Since I’m running hunters and not hunting myself I need some sort of human presence at the baits so they become used to people and realize humans are bringing the food.

Dumping a lot of bait down and low human activity at a sight has shown me the bears can be very sketchy of any human disturbance or activity because they aren’t used to it. In. Slow food year it’s not so much an issue but, high mast year can cause issues.

In my opinion having bait there all the time and the bears know they can come and go as they please. Limited bait and it’s just like your pets they race to the food first.

Last year the first week I believe we had 4 bears shot in less then 10 minutes after me dropping the hunters off. In one instance the bear was on the bait and wouldn’t leave. I simply dumped a gallon of bait on the ground and told the hunter I’ll wait on the trail text me when you shoot. Two of the bears scored.

Again just my opinions and observations from many years of baiting. Good luck.
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby clandestine.misfit » Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:46 am

Mike Foss wrote:
clandestine.misfit wrote:
Mike Foss wrote:[quote="clandestine.misfit"]I would imagine you wouldn’t want to use this technique in an area where you have competition bait sights


Show me an area that doesn't have competition?


Well how hungry are they gonna get when there’s 20 other baits all within a mile? I would imagine they’d ignore your bait as not as consistent as the others.

I’ve never bear hunted yet so i genuinely don’t know anything but find this quite interesting


Fair enough....but until you do it for years then you will understand. My past clients have shot consistently some above-average bears over the years baiting with only 5 gallons of bait so I must be doing something right.[/quote]

Please don’t mistake my questions as insinuating that i think you’re wrong or anything. I’m a super logic based type a kinda person so i get really inquisitive when something intrigues me or i can’t figure it out.
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Mike Foss » Wed Jun 09, 2021 4:15 am

clandestine.misfit wrote:
Mike Foss wrote:
clandestine.misfit wrote:
Mike Foss wrote:[quote="clandestine.misfit"]I would imagine you wouldn’t want to use this technique in an area where you have competition bait sights


Show me an area that doesn't have competition?


Well how hungry are they gonna get when there’s 20 other baits all within a mile? I would imagine they’d ignore your bait as not as consistent as the others.

I’ve never bear hunted yet so i genuinely don’t know anything but find this quite interesting

I did not take your comment in a negative way, I’m a straight forward type of person. I love bear hunting discussions but will always admit if I am wrong.
Fair enough....but until you do it for years then you will understand. My past clients have shot consistently some above-average bears over the years baiting with only 5 gallons of bait so I must be doing something right.


Please don’t mistake my questions as insinuating that i think you’re wrong or anything. I’m a super logic based type a kinda person so i get really inquisitive when something intrigues me or i can’t figure it out.[/quote]
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby john1984 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 4:39 am

Jim Wallner wrote:I have found over the years that baiting every other day with no more then 10 gallons of bait some frosting or peanut butter smeared around has proven to be superior then dumping large amounts of bait down.

I always start cutting back to about 1/2 to 3/4 bucket of bait about 3-4 days out from hunting. I wail also about 5 days out switch over to completely using nuts of some sort. I still use frosting or peanut butter smeared as well.

I am a firm believer in creating competition at a bait site. I fully understand logistics for a DIY hunter traveling long distances and dumping a lot of bait down does work. I have even used this method myself with success.

Now for the kicker. I need my bear accustomed to some human activity but, also have a day of no human disturbance. Since I’m running hunters and not hunting myself I need some sort of human presence at the baits so they become used to people and realize humans are bringing the food.

Dumping a lot of bait down and low human activity at a sight has shown me the bears can be very sketchy of any human disturbance or activity because they aren’t used to it. In. Slow food year it’s not so much an issue but, high mast year can cause issues.

In my opinion having bait there all the time and the bears know they can come and go as they please. Limited bait and it’s just like your pets they race to the food first.
Last year the first week I believe we had 4 bears shot in less then 10 minutes after me dropping the hunters off. In one instance the bear was on the bait and wouldn’t leave. I simply dumped a gallon of bait on the ground and told the hunter I’ll wait on the trail text me when you shoot. Two of the bears scored.

Again just my opinions and observations from many years of baiting. Good luck.


Your dog analogy that you used on the bear hunting podcast made logical sense.
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Ol Split ( ) Toes » Wed Jun 09, 2021 5:51 am

clandestine.misfit wrote:
Mike Foss wrote:[quote="clandestine.misfit"]I would imagine you wouldn’t want to use this technique in an area where you have competition bait sights


Show me an area that doesn't have competition?


Well how hungry are they gonna get when there’s 20 other baits all within a mile? I would imagine they’d ignore your bait as not as consistent as the others.

I’ve never bear hunted yet so i genuinely don’t know anything but find this quite interesting[/quote]
This is were a high quality bait comes into play..
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby dan » Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:08 am

john1984 wrote:Good thread. Lots of good bear hunters divided on this competition thing. Clay Newcomb, Bernie Barringer and Dan Infalt all believe the more the merrier.

I would think weight matters also. 10 gallons of fruit loops or popcorn don't weigh hardly anything.

great bump John... I dont think its wrong either way, I suspect in mikes area making them hungry works, in the area I hunt in Minnesota, in conjunction wirh nor hunting till the right day, And in close proximity. to bedding, a pile of food works well. Obviously both of us are seeing success
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Bearman13 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 7:21 am

If something works for you, there’s no sense in changing.
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Freelance Bowhunter » Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:20 pm

I agree with much of what's been said but I disagree with the make them hungry attitude, I think it's impossible to make them hungry when the woods are loaded with food, including mast crops, berries and other baits. How can you make them hungry when food is everywhere? They come to your bait site and don't find something good to eat, they move on, and you might lose them.

My strategy over the past 20 seasons has gravitated towards rewarding them with something good to eat every time they come to the bait site. No exceptions. Having bait there creates competition which is super important. You want competition, interaction, and multiple bears fighting over the site. If you're doing it right, the bigger bears will come in during the daylight, I have seen it many times. They start out in the dark, and once they get comfortable with the site they start coming in earlier until they are there at a time when you can kill them. I have NEVER EVER seen a case where a bigger bear came in earlier because he was afraid there wouldn't be bait left for him. NEVER. I honestly don't think they can even reason that out.

Consistency is also very important. To get bears coming during the daylight, they need to feel safe and comfortable at the site. Consistency is one of the ways you do that. They want to "pattern" you, so don't throw them any curveballs.

Just my opinions.
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby dan » Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:50 pm

I believe my style of giving them plenty of food with a wide variety of foods inter mixed works very good for me in Minnesota because I can only bait once a week... like most hunters... If I could bait every day, or every other day, a different wrought might work better. In Wisconsin my keeping them fed system dont work well cause we are so limited on how much bait we can use... 10 gallons dont last a day, and its hard to keep a bear on bait for 5 or 6 days with no bait when local outfitters can bait every day... In Minnesota by keeping my baits loaded I literally get bears to bed within 100 yards of my bait and guard the bait. I have noticed a trend with my best bait sites there. 1st bears are seen circling the bait and testing it for a day or two, then they start hitting it heavy with lots of bears and eating the bait at a fast rate... Then a bigger boar moves in and guards the bait and the smaller bears start hitting in daylight, then the boar beds real close and shows up on the cameras every time a little bear trys coming in, and he starts hitting all hours of the day... In the many years I have hunted MN our group of 3 to 4 hunters has always tagged out in 3 to 4 days. My last bear aged 12 years old, and the one before that 15 years old... So, I guess for a guy who can only bait once a week, it seems to work for me to keep them fed. I will say too, that there have been a few times over those years when bait did run out and it was very hard to get the bears back when they went to other peoples bait piles. Last time up there that happened when it was 8 or 9 days between baiting and cameras showed the best bait being out of bait completely for a day or two... It took a while to get the good bears back, and we lost the biggest boar completely.
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Re: Make em Hungry

Unread postby Freelance Bowhunter » Mon Jun 14, 2021 10:48 pm

My experience aligns with Dan's pretty closely. I have not hunted Wisconsin where the bait amount is limited, I have tagged along with an outfitter and also with another successful baiter, and had several "Campfire conversations" with experienced Wisconsin baiters and I would still stick with my strategy of free feeding. Bait as often as you have to, even if it's every day. Being self-employed, that's easier for me than it is for most people, but that would be my strategy.

I have quite a few Wisconsin points and I will pull the trigger on a Wisconsin tag in the next couple years. We will see if my opinion changes once I actually do it for myself.


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