“The Chamber of Flashbacks” – The Kid In The Candy Shop

Rebecca MorganBucks n Bears, Conservation & Wildlife Management, Hunting Tips & Techniques

…and candy!

Preparing baits for bear camp creates a sweet, sticky mess.  Bears crave sweets and when they’re in the mode to beef up in preparation for hibernation, what better place than the well prepared cookie bait or bait pile.  Procuring bait for bear season begins long before the hunt. Outfitters build relationships with businesses, such as bakeries and restaurants, arranging to have them save their day old or expired goods to use as bait.  Setting this stuff aside may be inconvenient for them, as it takes up space.  So the outfitter is tasked with timely pick up of these food items, often involving excessive travel.  Then there is purchasing bait from specific bait providers, such as Ratajczaks.  And this process moves into overdrive in the months preceding hunting camp.  

The Candy Shop warehouse

 

So fast forward to the kid in the candy shop… I mentioned the sticky part, right?  So let’s take this to the next level as I implore you to take on a visual of Ross Chambers in said candy shop.  Legend has it that no one can spread bait sweets quite like Ross.  Why the skunks have a hey day at night feasting on what has been left scattered in the bait prep zone.  And Ross covered in  blueberry pie filling is a sight to behold, at least for the bear. Perhaps he should be placed in the bait pile. Would Ross get along with the masked bandits that frequent the bait piles?  Could a new title be in store for Ross, as in “Racoon Whisperer?”

Might the candy shop include bacon? Everything is better with bacon, including donuts, a common cookie bait entree.  So it makes sense to include bacon in this smorgasbord.  This is sometimes done through the implementation of a bacon burn.  Did you know that Ross has a special shirt he wears just for this task?  Bacon burns are when the outfitter/guide goes to designated baits with a Coleman 1 lb cylinder portable camp stove and a 1 lb coffee can of bacon grease.  The grease is melted and then carefully thrown in the area of the bear bait, even high into surrounding trees to catch the wind and lure in the bear.  Gary carefully instructed Ross on the process, with Ross quickly saying, “Yea, I get it. Gimme that. What’s the big deal?  How hard can it be?”  Soon after, Ross proceeded with his “bacon burn,” and subsequent perfunctory toss of grease only to catch a large clump of bacon grease on the new shirt his wife had recently gifted him.  Ross was to learn about “Bacon Burn 101” that day.  (Make sure you completely melt the grease first, then toss forward without looping it backwards onto yourself.)  Gary promptly urged him to remove his shirt to avoid burning himself.  But Ross has his own way of doing things.  The temporary burning sensation was to etch a memory in his mind, one that would deter him from future participation in this activity.  

Two of three are not smiling…one is Ross…which one?

Besides bears, coons, and skunks, sweets also attract insects, including bees!  Ross would realize this in a big way when he absentmindedly kicked the bait pile while a downed bear was being retrieved from the area.  It was dark out, so the guys had their head lamps on, a certain draw for the angered bees.  Little by little, they each figured it out… “Turn off your lamp!”  Worked like a charm.  The most affected by the bees was Ross, of course, as he was stung repeatedly.  He continued swatting away, until one of the hunters finally grabbed him, forcing him to turn off his lamp.  The bees instantly ceased their attack, and Ross, now in a rather sour mood, would make his way back to camp.  Another hunting success and another lesson learned.

Rebecca Morgan
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