I met a wise old outfitter in the woods one day and after introducing himself to me he smiled and said " I know more about bears then you think you know young man" How true that was. The years of gathering information from books and experiences in the woods made him a very smart outfitter. After going home that night I made a decision to show the old man that in fact I was just as good, if not better than any outfitter in the province of New Brunswick. I will admit that I don't know as much about bears as most outfitters yet I make up for it with hard work and an open mind. It didn't take me long to figure out that the old ways had room for improvement. I also learned that being smart doesn't make you a great bearhunter. Busting your butt and being able to deal with change is just as important if not more important. The abilty to realize that what you know can be affected by many things such as weather, logging operations or another hunter in the area and being able to deal with it to make the hunt work.

Attracting bears to a site is a year round job . finding the site and bringing them in is a start, but regular baiting will keep the bear close and also attract other bear and build activity at your bait site ! As the season changes the bait used must change to hold the bears and keep them from leaving for something better. I have seen baitsites with garbage spread out around the site and used to promote hunting in NB. The result was a bad image painted on the NB outfitting and bear hunting in general. For those baiting bear remember that if a bear can't eat it don't leave it at the baitsite.

So here are some tips for the do it yourself bear hunters. Bait heavy when your not hunting . Cut back a bit on the bait when you hunt the stand but keep baiting regular . Scent attractant is important and can be done without costing a fortune. Bacon or honey burns work but Licorice is cheaper. A bag of licorice sticks can be melted down and boiled at the baitsite and give you the same results. For those who enjoy fishing keep a few trash fish or heads and guts in a pail with a lid for a few weeks in the sun then take it to the baitsite and pour it on the ground near your bait container. Same can be done with any meat. Just dont open till you get to the woods. If you would like more ideas or just want to share some thoughts or pics feel free to email me at,
ellen1@nbnet.nb.ca