Bear lick baits
 

This is my 4th year baiting bears so by some of your standards, I'm a newbie. I've found that with my schedule, getting out regularly to restock the baits can be a challenge. Then, I've found that most of what the bears are into, the ravens are too. Each year I've been trying to find better bait and better ways to offer them so that the bears get it, not other scavengers. I've also tried to find things that last longer and keep the bears coming even if the barrels run empty.

I think I've found a winner. This might not be new to some of you, but I found a recipe for hard candy and I've started making bear lollipops. The one I've made so far is cinnamon, vanilla and caramel flavor. They're in a 3 gallon Home Depot pail (2/3 full) so approx 2 gallons total volume. I've cast a handle into them so that I can hang them for the bears to lick. They are rock hard and the smell is unbelievable! I also made a smaller one with molasses. It turned out great as well.

I'm having fun making them and I want to be able to experiment with different flavors but they're not what I'd consider cheap to make. Anyone interested in some? Shoot me a PM if you'd like one. I'll have some pictures up soon.

Sounds like a great idea. I'm looking forward to the update where you post pics of a nice bear on the ground :)

That's a great idea! Would you mind sharing your recipe?

The weirdest thing is I read about this yesterday evening and this morning I dreamt of it!

I've made lots of candy in my time heres what I'd do. I'd use some binder of some kind rolled oats come to mind, and some anise and vanilla becaise Bears like that stuff too. I'd soak the oats with the liquids but not get them wet, let it sit overnight to absorb. Then I'd take some molasses (couple gallons?) add some water (a litre?) and sugar (another gallon?) and boil it in a big pot until it reaches the hardball stage. You should use water because you need the water to dissolve the sugar...then it's boiled until the water is gone. Start with the lid on so the water can boil and dissolve the sugar, then remove the lid and evaporate the water.

Pour it into the oats that are already in a feed pan that you've made of wood because a plastic one will melt I'm sure. Stir it all around then let it harden. Be really careful doing this because a couple gallons of syrup at those temperatures is a deadly thing.

Thanks a lot. I just so happen to have a gallon of anise extract too!

The recipe I've used as a spring-board for what I'm doing was actually here on AO in a thread titled "Bear Suckers" back in 2011. The recipe was posted by a user called Big-River. I've changed an ingredient or two, but it's pretty much the same recipe as that, so go ahead and search the archives.

I've also made one with Molasses that is a much smaller recipe that I used as a first time attempt. I figured that since it was a smaller batch, if everything goes wrong, no big deal. I've done so much reading on candy making lately that I can't remember where I got that recipe, but here it is...

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup molasses
1 tablespoon salt

Combine the ingredients and turn on the heat. Stir as the temperature comes up to completely dissolve everything into solution. You will need a thermometer for this but it really isn't necessary until after it all boils. Once it starts to boil you can stop stirring and you will need to reduce the heat because it will foam up dramatically. Add 3 tablespoons of butter. For some reason the butter calms the foaming down. There will be a lot of steam coming up at this point and if you use your thermometer you will find the temperature is holding steady at 212 degrees F. All the heat is being used to vaporize the water.

You will notice that fairly suddenly, the amount of steam reduces and the temperature starts to climb. All the water is now gone and you are now dealing with candy. Gently stir and allow the temperature to rise to approx. 280 degrees. Have a bowl of cold water handy and let the mixture drip off your stir stick into the water every few minutes. When it cools in the water, it should be brittle and hard, not gooey at all. At that point it's ready to go into the moulds.

I've found that coconut oil is the best mould grease and I am using plastic buckets and they don't melt. They get soft, but they stay together. Pour into the mould (this recipe will yield approx. 32 oz so you don't need a big pail). After a few minutes, insert whatever you want to use for attaching it at your bait. Allow to cool completely.

I've learned three important things in my short career as a candy maker:

1. Pyrex makes a terrible mould. My first Molasses block was moulded in a 32 oz Pyrex measuring cup. Thank God I used a lag bolt as my attaching hardware because the only way I got it out was to thread it onto a 2x4 and just keep turning the lumber which put downward pressure on the top of the Pyrex and with the help of some hot water outside the mould I was able to pull it out but it cracked in the process.

2. Even though every beaker and petri dish we used in high school science was made of Pyrex and we put those on bunson burners without catastrophe, Pyrex does not like fire. I discovered this while I was dissolving 4 boxes of raspberry jello into 1 1/2 cups of water but it started to set up so I pulled out the coleman stove and figured a little heat would help me out. Pyrex explodes on a coleman stove. Seriously...explodes. What a mess, both in my shorts and the garage where I was cooking the candy. And coleman stoves are not easy to clean when there's jello and broken glass in every little crevice.

3. When you're pulling your candy out of the mould, it will require some heat, but hard candy cracks if you heat it too quickly. What you're going for is just enough heat to melt the coconut oil that you used to grease the mould. I used a sink full of scorching hot water and it cracked the block. Use warm water and it will come right out.

Finally, here are some pictures....

This is my first attempt. It's the molasses one.
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...psjymtgibm.png

Here's the finished product. I took it to my friend's place and used the lag bolt I cast into it to attach it to a tree.
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...psagl0kdcr.png

Here's my first big recipe in the turkey deep fryer
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...psra9dfk5d.png

Here's what I cast into it to secure it at the bait. I think just an eye bolt might pull out, so I went a little heavier...
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0cmjpjiw.png

The finished product.
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...pswbpr1ji1.png

Nice work^^^ thanks for taking the time to post

I like to use jello mix in my bear suckers, it works great.

Tried this a couple times. I didn't see a single bear even look at them. Total waste of time and resources. There is no easy solution to baiting, it takes tons of time and effort.

Great thread. Very interesting. Don't mind the naysayers. You'll never know unless you try! Keep us posted.

Well the bears up north will definitely take a look at it

Just sharing my experience, guess it works north of edmonton???

They do work well , ive always had a couple at each bait site and the bears
seem to really like them. Any one that baits bears knows that you need a variety of bait at each station, that keeps the bears coming in consistently.

I wonder if using some sort of initiator would help to get the bears on the lick. Hard candy always smells more when it gets wet. Maybe one could put some molasses or something to help the smell get out.

I'm planning on doing all the usual stuff. Going to have barrels with oats and deep fryer oil, meat scraps etc. I found a kids pool toy called a Max Liquidator that is basically a big NERF syringe. You can suck it full of fryer oil and then shoot it way up into the trees. Once the scent is up 20 feet the wind takes it everywhere. My intent with the suckers is to have something that lasts a long time so if the barrels run empty on Thursday and I can't refill them till Saturday, they haven't gone looking for someone else's bait in those few days. A few guys have told me that in some areas the suckers will be the main event. I'm sure there are bears that will use them as more secondary. I think they will work good and last a long time. Thanks for all the comments. I'm having fun experimenting!

Well, I have no bear baiting or even bear hunting experience, but I'm impressed with your efforts! Seems like it should work well though - especially since you're using a variety of baits.

In particular I'm impressed that: you're making the bear bait yourself, you're being methodical and working the process so you'll definitely find something that works, how much effort you're putting into it, and that you shared what you found with all of us.

Hoping to see a picture of a nice 🐻 on your thread soon!

Has anyone here tried the molasses blocks that they sell in the feed stores? https://www.canadianagriblend.com/

I was really wondering about that idea too

They come in tubs up to 110kg for about $160.00 at Peavy Mart. It should keep a bear licking and nawing for quite some time. The question remains though which kind would be best? Beef, Dairy, Horse, Swine?