We cant bait in my state so whats a good idea for a bear lure?Could i just pour out some vanilla & anise ,peppermint,etc.flavoring and draw one in by his nose?I need everyone to help me think of a concocsion to work and be legal sorta like baiting with scent but no real bait.I have heard that bears would rub a tree where Mosquito spray -deet-had been sprayed like it attracked them to it or something and they couldnt get enough.Any ideas?Any help on scents or setups,stand locations,etc.would be greatly appreciated.Also what would make a good stink scent and what would be a good deer/bear same time scent?Peanut waffer H.S.Sent scent hangers?Do you usually rule out seeing a deer when bear hunting over hot bear sign?I always figured the deer would smell a bears scent in a area and go the other way?Would the deer be attracked & curious to anise/peppermint scent?Thanks in advance!

We use anise/mineral oil diluted with water, or just anise in mineral oil, pretty succesfully. We put it in a squirt bottle and spray our shoes then walk to where we hunt spraying on the ground while we walk. Then when we arrive at where we intend to hunt, I saturate a stump or log with the stuff. I have seen bears actually eat the wrotten log after it was soaked several times.

I have also hung gallon milk jugs full of the same solution, from a cord tied about 6 or 7 feet high. Then I poke one or two small holes in the jug and let it drip. This might constitute a bait, but in Wyoming it's legal.

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Originally posted by blackbearhunter:
Could i just pour out some vanilla & anise

Yes. 2 top choices right there. In New Brunswick, my guide said anise was hard to come by so I brought him a few bottles. He hasn't used any in a couple years. We tried some at one bait that was a fresh stand, that wan't in use yet and it is designated for next year. 3 drops of anise, and 3 bears that night. The bait site is only 2 days old.

OREOS

Anise, as suggested, is a good lure. Liquid smoke can also work well.

I use anise oil it is one of the better scents out there. I think the bears in Wisconsin know very well that there is free food available when they smell it.

Some of the guides in the Indian Reservations in New Mexico use melted Christmas candy cane candy. They hit the stores after Christmas and buy up ever cane, or stick of the stuff they can find, melt the stuff and pour it into molds about the size of a volley ball. That stuff is more than effective. Tom Purdom

I have used Jello, just the powder open the box and sprinkle it all over use a fruit flavor. The other sucessful thing we used is a "honey burn" put some honey a pound or so into a coffee can and prop it up over a can of Sterno, it will smoke and really lay down a scent trail, I have watched bears come following the smoke.

You need to check your state regs very carefully as ANYTHING you use to attract a bear might be considered bait. I found some stuff at Cabelas that you might want to try. It is burnt like incense. They have different flavors like, Anise, 12 Miles of Dead Fish, etc. It might meet your states requirement, being considered a "cover scent" and not a "bait" since the bears do not eat it. I used it when on my baited bear hunt in Idaho this June. I do not know if it helped, but it did not hurt, as I saw a bear the first 5 days I used it.

They also make it for deer elk and pig hunting. I will be testing it on my deer lease for pigs shortly.

Again check the State Regs very carefully.

Try some anchovy paste.

I went to a pastry shop, (ex: Donkin Donuts) got the 5 gallon plastic pails that had jelly flavors in them. Took the pails with me and added water before splashing it on the trees near where I hunted. We always killed bear, don't know if that had anything to do with it, but I'm not going to stop using it to find out!

Thanks everyone for the great ideas!
I looked up the regs.and found this,what do you think?
Unlawful to use drugs,poisons,chemicals,smoke,gas,explosives,or electronically-amplified sounds to hunt any game species.
I think the honeyburn/incense would fall under smoke right?

I think they were refering to the old way of driving animals from their holes with smoke, I remember that stuff being sold in the Sears catalog in the late 50's and 60's

BlackBearHunter....you know our game wardens will bust you wide open if they catch you....if you put out enough anise oil, etc to attract bears they will smell it as well! Do what my buddies do in Dahlonega that kill em all the time. Find one that is raiding a beehive...it is the best, legal, attractant we have in Georgia. They usually come in at last light as you no doubt know...quite a rush to hear him huffing and puffing coming in to the hive at last light. Do your legwork and find him that way. Or, Plan B, find the white oak acorns and locate the grove of oaks that is bearing the most and you will find your bear. Thats the way we did it when I lived up there....now I live in South GA. We got skeeters down here that could tote off most of the bears I saw up there.

Best of luck.