Mainely Outdoors: Making sense of scents for bear hunting

Despite the growing numbers of black bear throughout Maine, the “Black Ghost” is seldom spotted by campers, anglers, hikers, or hunters seeking birds, moose or deer. Bear have good eyesight, great hearing and an acute sense of smell. Most of the time a bruin is aware of a human and avoids an encounter from 100 yards or more away.
Black bear’s outstanding olfactory senses work as both a boon and a bain to regional hunters, guides, and outfitters who can begin setting up bait sites as early as July 27. With the first day of bear season on Aug. 26, baiters have only a few short weeks to entice a worthy size bruin to the food source during daylight hours.
Old-timers used to depend on liquid anise, bacon grease, frying oil or a honey burn spread on bushes or tree leaves to attract bear. Even the slightest breeze carries these pungent aromas through the forest and a bear’s nose will pick them up even a mile away. Once an animal tracks the smell toward the bait site, then the smell of food left in a bucket or barrel takes over and draws them in. Once a bear visits the food container the attractant oils and greases get on the fur or paws and any other bear crossing the first bear’s trail might just back track to the baiting location.
While the old style natural attractants still work to some degree, new technology offers stronger aromas in far more efficient delivery packages, and they require far less time and effort to disperse. My proven favorite based on success for drawing multiple bear to a single location are scented bait balls and flavored pump sprays produced by Bear Scents LLC of Lake Mills, Wisconsin. I’ve experienced great luck with the bacon flavor, but a few of my friends and area guides swear by blueberry, apple, hickory smoke, honey and strawberry scented products. There are over 20 flavors available.
The bait balls should be hung from a tree limb at least 10-feet high, above the reach of even the tallest bear. Warm weather and rain aid the semi-soft ball to evaporate spreading its strong aroma on the wind for over a month. Sprays are applied to fir trees, leaves and on approach trails to attract bruin but also to rub on their fur and feet so other bear can back track to the bait site.
Bear Bomb actually began as Deer Bomb and has expanded to several other game attractants due to its widespread success. The five-ounce scent dispersal cans may be used as a single area fog near a bait location, or spritzed in short bursts on leaves, bushes, near trails for attraction, and also around blinds or tree stands for a cover scent.
Bear Bombs fit easily in a pocket and put out a fairly powerful, far reaching mist that lasts for days, not just hours. The Crofton, Maryland manufacturer offer anise oil, hickory smoked bacon, beaver castor and cake icing. Bear Bomb and Bear Scents are available locally at Ben’s Trading Post in Presque Isle, Mac’s in Houlton and Cameron’s gun shop in Caribou, and if they don’t have the exact scent it can be ordered. For questions or to order direct call toll free 1-888-215-BEAR for Bear Scents or 1-866-850-6653 for Bear Bomb products.
Successfully enticing bear to the location of a tree stand or ground blind is just half of the chore. The difficult trick is to mask your human scent from the bear’s sensitive nose so the animal will actually show itself while you are present. It’s imperative to wash all your hunting clothes in one of several scent neutralizing detergents and then keep them in a sealed plastic bag until it’s time to dress for the hunt. Leaving jackets, hats, boots and other outerwear hanging outside in the open air assures these garments won’t pick up household odors from cooking, pets and other sources.
On top of fresh clothing, use a scent free deodorant, avoid mouthwash, cigarettes, hair care products and especially cologne. Before heading to the stand spray each layer of clothing with scent suppressant and don’t overlook hats, facemasks, gloves, knapsacks, and weapon cases. Light to no wind always proves an advantage, or at least a breeze from the bait site into the hunter’s face rather than vice-versa.
For those outings when the prevailing winds aren’t in your favor, it’s time to engage a couple of tricks to help mask human scents a bit. One of the tactics I’ve found successful actually comes from my deer hunting playbook. I visit the local pharmacy and have them order a small dropper bottle of cedar oil, then I place a cotton ball under one of my lower boot laces and infuse it with two or three drops of the pungent liquid that covers my scent by smelling like the surrounding forest. Cotton balls can be zip-tied to the tree stand or a nearby tree branch and recharged each visit for a fresh natural cover scent.
Another option to mask human scent used in conjunction with proper clothing care involves dousing foliage around the tree stand or ground blind with one of Bear Scent or Bear Bomb sprays I’ve mentioned earlier. The strong aroma works as a attractant and a cover scent, but be sure to apply the same flavor as your bait ball and your spray scent used around the bait site and trails.
Sportsmen never shoot sows with cubs and few are interested in tagging a small black bear. That said, trophy bruin don’t get big by being careless, so regardless of what many inexperienced folks surmise, bagging a bear over bait is no gimme! Last season I had over 15 different bear visit my site and never took a shot. I got a lot of photos and truly enjoyed each outing, but no bear steak on the table. Using current statistics, there’s no way hunters can stem the current increase in Aroostook’s bear population, and some people wonder why there are bear in their back yards. There are plenty of bear throughout The County and it’s time to set up a hunting location, don’t just use hunting sense, use cover and attractant scents for success.