Now my thoughts have always been negative when it comes to baiting. Nonetheless, I had never hunted using bait and didnt know any better, but I was open to the idea of trying it. But now that I have used this form of hunting I understand that it has its own sets of challenges and benefits.
Just the upkeep of the baits takes lots of time and money. Being able to hunt over a bait gives you a chance with better mangement of the animals in the area. You have a visual aid for how big a bear truly is and pass up the smaller ones, and you usually have time to decide on a bear to take. You get a very close shot (usually within 20 yards) and generally have the time to choose your shot wisely. And just the fact that lots of bears come in to the bait and hang out does not guarantee that you will have a shooter come in or that one will give the ethical shot you need. You have more close encounters with bears coming up the tree and you get to observe them. That is the one thing that I absolutely LOVED about baiting bears....you could just sit and learn about them and their behaviour. I found myself wishing we could bait back at home so I could just sit in the tree learning them and taking pictures.
I guess the moral of this post is you shouldnt judge the different ways of hunting. Each has their own challenges and benefits. I definitely learned that while in Saskatchewan. It is good to get out and try new things to broaden your horizon and knowledge.
