Wild life attractant: I have deer, coyotes, Mtn. Lions, and occasionally bears, among other things on my property. I'm going to set up a photo blind. Question- what are the best...

plumbbob1

I have deer, coyotes, Mtn. Lions, and occasionally bears, among other things on my property.

I'm going to set up a photo blind.
Question- what are the best attractants
to bring wildlife to my blind.

Thanks on advance.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Road kill. Any dripping blood.

Make sure you wash hands before gettin in blind.

Cracked corn an mineral an salt licks for deser.
Plant or scatter sorghum seeds for deer. They love it.
Berry bushes for bear.

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

You may want to check your local game laws, they vary greatly fom state to state and are sometimes in effect even if you are not hunting.
In the past, for deer I used apples and corn still on the cob. This was for family viewing and not hunting but it is now illegal where I live. (Central lower peninsula, Michigan)
Good luck and have fun.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Put a sign on the blind in a language Bears and Puma's can understand:

LUNCH INSIDE.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

Be aware that using attractants interferes with the normal activity of the animal and is, in the strict sense of the word, unethical. If you get photographs using his method you should disclose that fact. IMHO

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

plumbbob1 wrote:

I have deer, coyotes, Mtn. Lions, and occasionally bears, among other things on my property.

I'm going to set up a photo blind.
Question- what are the best attractants
to bring wildlife to my blind.

Thanks on advance.

Choose your location so you don't need anything else to attract animals. If you have any open water start near it. No water? Look for any food stuff. You might need to find a path that animals would use. Consider climbing into a tree for a "blind." Think like the animals you seek.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

plumbbob1 wrote:

I have deer, coyotes, Mtn. Lions, and occasionally bears, among other things on my property.

I'm going to set up a photo blind.
Question- what are the best attractants
to bring wildlife to my blind.

Thanks on advance.

Don't use a blind and sit there in a Speedo. The bears and lions should be attracted! LoL
Seriously, if they are game animals or in any way protected, baiting is probably illegal everywhere.
As McVeed said, not to mention unethical.
Find out where those animals hang out and put your blind there!! Good luck!
SS

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

This is looked down upon. If you use a blind, you just have to be patient. That's how the best, natural looking photos are taken. Your best tools are observation of natural habits, patience, and willing to lie on your belly in the mud, or submerged in water, or hanging precariously off a cliff, or whatever it takes to get the shot of the animal in it's natural environment doing its natural thing.

Here are some examples of what I am talking about:

http://www.boredpanda.com/crazy-photographers/

Enjoy!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

plumbbob1 wrote:

I have deer, coyotes, Mtn. Lions, and occasionally bears, among other things on my property.

I'm going to set up a photo blind.
Question- what are the best attractants
to bring wildlife to my blind.

Thanks on advance.

Call any Cabela's store and ask them, they have lots and lots and lots of products for that.

d2b2 Loc: Catonsville, Maryland, USA

Gene51 wrote:

This is looked down upon.

MJKilpatrick Loc: Cape May, NJ

I agree with the others that baiting is frowned upon and will usually produce unnatural opportunities. But very cool you have these animals on your property. If they are there they they are using it for a reason. I suggest studying their natural history and come to an understanding of both the general and local habits. Find out what foods they are naturally using, their movements on the property and why. This type of study should give you insight into when and where to be to get natural photos. A bait pile is not the way to go, it sounds like a productive thing but it does not produce quality natural history photos.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

plumbbob1 wrote:

I have deer, coyotes, Mtn. Lions, and occasionally bears, among other things on my property.

I'm going to set up a photo blind.
Question- what are the best attractants
to bring wildlife to my blind.

Thanks on advance.

From my experience, although not in a good way - garbage cans. :D I've had bears rip open the little structure where I keep the cans. They they take out the plastic bags, rip them open, and make a mess. Sometimes, they bring the bags into the woods to eat at their leisure.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Is baiting animals unethical? In Maine they had a referendum to make it illegal to bait bears - it failed. The Game Warden Association even put up ads on TV urging people to vote against the referendum.

So people leave bait such as donuts and candy to attract bears - and then kill them.

But if you bait deer - oh - THAT is just terribly unethical and against the law. Makes a lot of sense, huh?

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Unless you have a fishing pole in your hand, forget about bait. If you are not sure about what animals are where and when they are there then I suggest you get your hands on a game camera to mount in various locations. This should give you a better idea as to where to place yourself for the shots you want.
If you are dealing with bears and mountain lions then carry some form of protection with you. A pistol, or bear spray. Regardless of the circumstances, these are wild animals. Never make assumptions about their behavior. I never dreamed that a fox would charge across my property to try to attack me. Until one did. Turns out, it had rabies. It seems that real animals have never heard of Walt Disney!

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

If you have bear and mountain lion in your area and you are baiting in any way be sure to carry at least a .357 Mag with you. If for nothing else to scare potential predators away form you. If you are going to bait keep it far away from you and down wind and use a longer lens. The activation of your camera can draw them in and spook them if your not carful. In my experience for the most part wild animals will not bother you but it only takes once to ruin a good day. I've been able to get pretty up close and personal with black bears when I was younger (and dumber) but I wouldn't get anywhere near a lady with cubs, they can turn viscous in a heartbeat. I had a friend mauled by a black bear because he accidently stepped on it. He was just taking a walk in the woods. Living in the mountains of Pennsylvania most of my young life I really never worried about bear and lion I always was more aware of timber rattlers and I saw plenty of them over the years. Just be careful.