I bait every 3 days because I have a 2 hour drive each way but if it was close you could bait every day. Drive the 4 wheeler right to the bait site if you can. Put out just enough food to last until the next time you are going to bait. If they are coming in after dark they might not be comfortable coming in during daylight, I would add more bait sites to see if that helps. If you can go in and bait when you are hunting with someone else that would help. When you get to the site climb in your stand have your buddy bait then drive off with the 4 wheeler so the bear thinks it was just the normal in and out baiting.
Last year was my first year hunting bears but I have helped my father bait for many years. We usually drive the wheeler as close to the bait as we can get. I've heard some 'pros' advise against this but I don't think it affects them. The two in one out strategy that the previous poster mentioned can be effective. The bear hears the wheeler drive off and thinks it's safe. As for refreshing baits, you want the bear to have food he desires every time he comes in. This means having enough to last between baiting sessions and having the right bait. Different bears like different things. Some like donuts. Some like trail mix. Some like meat scraps. Some like fresh bait. Some like old moldy nasty stuff. It's all part of the challenge. Nocturnal bears are tough. There are a couple tricks but they are usually futile efforts. Radio and/or a scarecrow on the bait is one trick but don't be surprised to come in to a torn down scarecrow and a chomped radio. The best thing for a nocturnal bear is another bear. The competition will get them coming in earlier because they want to beat the other bears to the bait. Like I said I'm not an expert by any means but just some things I've learned from my dad over the years. Good luck to you. Hope you get one.
The guides I know who make a living guiding bear hunters check their baits daily and they drive the ATV all the way to the bait sight. The bears in Saskatchewan didn't pay it any mind and either went up a tree or just went slightly out of sight when the ATV showed up. Once it was gone they were back on the bait. Once you have them interested keep them coming but also make them work for it. They put the bait inside barrels chained to a tree with small holes in them to limit how much and how fast a bear can pull food out. This saves on bait but if it has a lot of action it can still be depleted pretty quick. Also the ATV is a safety precaution as it more than likely can move a lot faster than you if need be.
I usually start out the summer by baiting every 3 days, then about a month before season, I go to every other day (assuming the bait keeps getting hit regularly), and with two weeks to 10 days left, I bait every day. I wore mosquito spray every time and walked about 300 yards in to the bait, only because I didnt have a fourwheeler to use. Once the stump was set I would bang the bottom of my bait bucket and hit the rungs on my ladder stand. It was sort of like their dinner bell. Perhaps what was different for me was that I had a very transient group of bears that traveled around my area, so there was always competition for food, but the bears came in cycles. I had somewhere between 17-23 different bears using my stump two years ago. Hope this helps
