HOW I'M PREPPING FOR MY UPCOMING BEAR HUNT

By Dave Hansen

Bear Season Is Coming Fast

Bear season is one of my favorite times of the year. The snow is melting, the hills are greening up, and bears are beginning to roam in search of calories. But putting one on the ground takes more than just luck.

This year, I’m running a focused plan built around three things: a smart scent lure strategy, strategic glassing across canyon lines, and a cellular trail camera setup that keeps me informed without disturbing the site.

Here’s exactly how I’m prepping for my upcoming hunt.

Scent Strategy: Layering for Range, Curiosity, and Confidence

Bears trust their nose more than any other sense. If you want to get them to your bait site, you need to appeal to that instinct in multiple ways.

1. Base Bait: The Calorie Bomb

Start with high-calorie, high-reward bait like pastries, meat scraps (if legal), or grease-soaked bread. I rotate between sweet and savory depending on conditions and response.

• Pro Tip: Use bait that can’t be easily carried off. You want the bear to stay, work the site, and give you shot opportunities.

  
  

2. Long-Range Scent: Stink and Sweet

This is where your bait site gets real reach. I use a combination of:

• Burnt grease, fish oil, or skunk-based scent bombs for deep-penetrating stink

• Vanilla extract, anise oil, and fruit syrups sprayed on logs or tree bark for sweetness

One of the best scent companies I’ve worked with is Baitem 907, based in Alaska. They’ve been great at helping me find the right attractants for this hunt and they offer a variety of scent products that work for all kinds of setups and conditions. Whether you’re hunting tight timber or open ridges, they’ve got something that’ll work no matter the part of the country you are in.

3. Elevated Application for Maximum Drift

I always elevate scent elements. Whether it's a rag soaked in syrup or a cotton ball with scent oil, I place them 6 to 10 feet off the ground, usually in the prevailing wind direction. This takes advantage of thermals and helps carry scent further down ridge lines or across basins.

4. Minimize Your Human Scent

A critical part of my scent strategy is not just about attractants—but about what I leave behind. I always wear disposable gloves when handling bait, scent lures, or checking trail cameras. It’s a simple habit that keeps my hands clean and helps reduce the amount of human scent I’m leaving around the site.

Glassing Strategy: Across Canyon and Out of the Wind

There are two rules I never break when glassing for bears:

1. Never hunt/glass to where your scent blows

2. Never get too close too soon

   
   

My Setup

I find a hillside that’s greening up—often south-facing—and locate the most active trails, benches, or bedding shelves. Then I position myself across the canyon, on a slope with a clear line of sight and thermals that pull away from the bait site.

This lets me:

• Monitor the bait from 100 to 300 yards away

• Avoid contaminating the area with scent or sound

• Observe approach patterns and feeding behavior without pressure

• I run a tripod-mounted spotting scope or binoculars, and constantly monitor thermals using powder or a wind checker. Staying elevated and distant buys me time—and gives me options if a bear shows up.

Cellular Trail Camera Setup: Smart, Discreet, Effective

Trail cameras have changed everything when it comes to monitoring bait & bear activity without the added human presence. But if you’re going to rely on them, you need to place them correctly.

1. Camera Angle and Height

I try to mount my cameras 7 to 10 feet high, angled downward. This:

• Prevents tampering from curious bears

• Captures full-body images and movement around the bait

• Reduces false triggers from brush or sunlight

• More than one camera can be beneficial to capture various angles.

2. Distance from the Bait

Placing them 15 to 25 feet back gives me a wider angle on the bait site and lets me see bears approaching from different directions.

3. Power and Signal Considerations

• I only use lithium batteries—they handle temperature swings better and last longer

• If I can, I’ll run a solar panel kit

• I choose Verizon or AT&T versions based on local coverage

• SD cards are swapped regularly if I’m checking manually

4. Notification Frequency

I limit my alerts to 1 per hour to avoid draining the battery and getting overwhelmed by false triggers. It also keeps the data usage down if I’m running a cellular plan.

What I’m Avoiding This Season

As much as I like to dial things in, there’s value in knowing what not to do. Here’s what I’m skipping this year:

• Checking the bait too often – Cameras do the work for me

• Packing in too heavy – Light setups mean faster, quieter moves

• Hunting in bad wind – Even if I’m tempted, it’s not worth it

• Overeagerness – I’m timing bait drops to match green-up, not just the calendar

Every unnecessary movement, sound, or scent trail costs you opportunities. My approach this year is about quality of execution—not quantity of effort.

Final Thoughts

Bear hunting is a discipline. It forces you to slow down, watch the wind, and think like a predator. There’s no such thing as an easy bear, and baiting doesn’t guarantee success—it just opens the door to more ethical, close-range opportunities if you set it up right.

Whether I tag out this season or not, I’ll walk away better prepared for the next one. Because planning, adapting, and learning in the field is what it’s all about.

More to Come on MTN Outdoorsman

Once my hunt wraps up, I’ll share a full recap including:

• Trail camera footage

• Glassing observations

• Scent reactions

• What gear performed (and what didn’t)

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In the meantime, check out my full setup guide: How to Set Up a DIY Bear Bait Site

And don’t forget to subscribe for future recaps and real-world gear reviews.

Thanks for following along.