Donald Duck with steaks. Chef Klaus fliping dinner. Our first TrailTimer bear photos.

August 13 - Ahh, the eye opening aroma of coffee drifted through the cabin at daylight. The Duck's first pot was brewing and he was making perfectly round pancakes with Chef Klause's pancake dispenser machine. After breakfast we split into 2 groups to check the baits and TrailTimers.

Fred and I started at Hilltop. The first bait was opened and the food was wiped. 

Not a speck of bait was left. 

Fred dumped the bucket's contents into the bait and covered it with the strewn logs.

The next bait was the same way. We  fixed it up and continued to 28 more baits -- 26 out of 30 baits were hit and we freshened them up.

Fred's Secret Sauce
At several bait sites Fred dressed them up with some special fixins' -- one bought and the other his own concoction.

"I've used Ultimate Bear Lure (from Wildlife Research Center) for over 15 years." I was working as a sales rep for John Burgason and he knew I was a bear hunter and gave me a gallon to try," Fred told me. "I soaked burlap in the lure and put it out. The smell was so strong it sometimes brought bears in the same day I put it out. I use it now every time we go into a new area we haven't baited before. I put the rags up and leave food for the bears. It is a sweet smell and it is long lasting. It gets a bait active quick."

"If nothing happens in a week I'm confident there are no bears in the area an we move to another area."

Then he opened up a sealed 5 gallon bucket. "I smear this on the trees. It's a scent and food lure and it brings the bears in with its strong smell. It helps the bears find the bait."

"What's in it?" I asked.

He just smiled and swiped it on the tree.


We finished the baits and met the Duck and Chef Klaus at 1:00.

FRED'S COMMENTS: 
This is the best year of my 25 years of running a bear camp. Since Ontario closed the Spring season I see more bear sign in the area than ever before. We had 100% shooting last year for our 1 week hunt and ran half as many baits. With extra hunters for this year's 2 week hunt we doubled the baits. I was just astounded that after 3 days of baiting we had 99% of the baits working.

Every year the bears get larger due to lighter hunting pressure. The average age of the bear population is increasing. We are killing more mature bears that are larger in size.

I'm glad to have Kirby and his gang back. They are a bunch of hunters who have gotten bears on previous hunts with me and need no catering. They are fun to be around, and good hunters too. Most are return hunters and it is like a reunion.