When bait can go out, when the season runs, and what the permit looks like, for the twelve places Northwoods customers hunt. Every line was read from the agency's own September 2026 regulations. Rules change every year, so confirm with your agency before you set a bait.
United States
| State | Bait may go out | Season over bait | Permit or registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Wisconsin DNR | April 15 Bait may be placed from April 15 through the last day of the bear season. | September 9 to October 13, 2026. No spring season. Zones A, B and D open to bait and other methods September 9 to 15, add dogs September 16 to October 6, dogs only October 7 to 13. Zones C, E and F: bait and other methods the whole season. | Class A bear license and carcass tag to hunt over bait. No bait-site registration. |
| Minnesota Minnesota DNR | August 14 The Friday nearest August 14. Bait may not go out before then, and no station within 100 yards of a site baited earlier. | September 1 to October 18, 2026, all units. No spring season. | Every bait station must be registered (online within 24 hours) and signed. Up to three stations per licensed hunter. You need a 2026 bear license to place bait, or be working under someone who has one. |
| Michigan Michigan DNR | 31 days before the season in your unit For 2026 that is August 9 in the Upper Peninsula and August 12 in the Lower Peninsula. | Upper Peninsula hunt periods September 9 to October 21, September 14 to October 26 and September 25 to October 26, bait allowed all season. Lower Peninsula (Baldwin, Gladwin, Red Oak) September 12 to 22 and October 2 to 8, archery only. No spring season. | A drawn bear license for your unit and hunt period. Up to three bait stations per hunter; one person may tend up to 12. |
| Maine Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife | August 1 Up to 30 days before the bait season opens. No bait after October 31; sites cleaned up by November 10. | General season August 31 to November 28, 2026. Hunting over bait August 31 to September 26, 2026. Dogs September 14 to October 30. Trapping September 1 to October 31. No spring season. | Bear permit to hunt. Landowner permission and a 2 by 4 inch name-and-address tag at the bait. Permits from the regional biologist on Wildlife Management Areas and from Parks and Lands on Public Reserved Land. |
| Idaho Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game | Opening day No bait before the take season opens, except in Units 10, 12, 16A, 17, 19, 20, 20A, 26 and 27 where bait may go out up to 7 days early. Everything removed within 7 days after the season. | Varies by unit. Most fall seasons August 30 to October 31, many to November 30. Most spring seasons April 15 to June 15 or June 30. Bait is prohibited in a list of units and Units 1, 7 and 9 are closed. | A baiting permit from Fish and Game, issued from March 1, is required to place bait. Up to three sites, each with an IDFG site tag. Outfitter clients are covered by the outfitter's permit. |
| New Hampshire N.H. Fish and Game Dept. | September 1 Baiting game animals is prohibited April 15 to August 31, so bait cannot go out before the season opens. | With bait September 1 to 28 in WMUs A, B, C2, D1, H1, H2, I2, K, L, M, and September 1 to October 5 in C1, D2, E, F, G, I1, J1, J2. General season to November 10 or 30 by unit. No spring season. | A free Permit to Bait Wildlife, signed by the landowner, with a map, for every site. Private land applications due by the first Monday in August. State land and White Mountain National Forest applications accepted only between the first Monday in June and the first Monday in August. Two sites per hunter. |
| Alaska Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game | Opening day Stations may be registered 15 days before the season. Bait may not be placed until the season is open. | Spring baiting seasons mostly April 15 to June 15 or June 30 by unit. Some units add fall baiting: Unit 16 July 1 to October 15; Units 19, 21A and 21E August 1 to October 31; Units 21B to 21D, 24B to 24D and 25D August 1 to September 30. | Every station registered with ADF&G. Registrant must be 18 or older and have completed the ADF&G bear baiting clinic. Two stations per hunter. A Bear Bait Station sign with the site number and every hunter's license number. |
Canada
| Province | Bait may go out | Season over bait | Permit or registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources | Not stated The regulations summary sets no earliest date; its bait rules are placement distances during the seasons. | Spring May 1 to June 15 in most units. Fall August 15 to October 31 in units 1A to 45, September 1 to November 30 in units 48, 54 to 63 and 68, September 8 to November 30 in the remaining units. No fall hunt on the Bruce Peninsula. | Residents need no bait registration. Non-residents must hunt through a licensed operator who provides guiding and baiting. |
| Manitoba Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures | Not stated, except GHAs 23 and 23A In GHAs 23 and 23A (Riding Mountain area) bait may not go out until 14 days before each season. Elsewhere no date is stated. | Zone A April 27 to June 30 and August 15 to November 1. Zone B April 27 to June 21 and August 15 to November 1. Zone C April 27 to June 14 and August 15 to November 1. GHAs 13 and 18 fall season August 15 to September 20. | No registration. Baits must carry the name and address of the hunter, guide or outfitter. Non-Canadian residents must hunt with a licensed Manitoba guide. |
| Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment | March 1 (spring) and August 1 (fall) on Crown land On provincial forest, parks and unoccupied Crown land no bait before August 1, or March 1 for the spring bear season. Private land: not stated. | Most zones April 15 to June 30 and August 25 to October 31, 2026. Prince Albert zone and the Duck Mountain, Greenwater Lake and Round Lake parks April 15 to May 31 and September 10 to October 31, archery only. Fort a la Corne April 15 to June 30 and September 10 to October 31. | No registration. On Crown land, forest and parks a durable sign of at least 96 square inches with full name and address. Non-residents must use a licensed outfitter. |
| Alberta Alberta Environment and Protected Areas | Two weeks before the season in your WMU Baiting is restricted to the open season and the preceding two weeks. | Fall 2026 archery August 25 to 31 and general September 1 to November 30 in most bear WMUs. Spring 2027 April 1 to May 31, June 15 or June 30 by WMU. | Baiting allowed only in the listed northern WMUs (no grizzly range). No permit found. Each site needs a sign with the owner's name and phone number, and warning signs for other people. |
| New Brunswick New Brunswick Dept. of Natural Resources | Not stated, except Class II Protected Natural Areas In Class II Protected Natural Areas bait may go out no earlier than two weeks before the season and containers come out within two weeks after. Elsewhere no date is stated. | Spring April 20 to June 30, 2026. Fall September 1 to November 22, 2026, with September 21 to 26 bow and crossbow only. Closed in WMZs 26 and 27. | No bait permit found. Non-residents must hunt with a licensed New Brunswick guide. |
What counts, and how much
| Place | Quantity | Materials and placement |
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | No more than 10 gallons at a site, including liquid scent. | Bait must be enclosed in a hollow log, hole or stump and capped with natural material so deer cannot reach it. No metal, paper, plastic or glass, no feeders. No animal parts or by-products, and the rule defines those as honey, bones, fish, meat, solid animal fat and carcasses. Cheese is allowed. Chocolate is legal but the DNR asks hunters to avoid it because it is toxic to bears. |
| Minnesota | No volume limit. | No mammal carcass more than 25 percent intact, no meat containing bones, no bones, no swine except cured pork, no non-biodegradable waste. Containers may not be left unattended except a registered 30 gallon or larger drum secured to a tree on private land. No chocolate rule. |
| Michigan | Unlimited meat, fish, bakery and confectionery products, and cooked or processed foods. Grains, fruits, vegetables, salts and minerals are capped at 2 gallons and must be out of reach of deer. | No chocolate or cocoa derivatives at a bait station. No melatonin, drugs or stupefying substances. Barrels only on private land. |
| Maine | No quantity limit. | No ingredient bans other than medicinal, poisonous or stupefying substances. At least 50 yards from a road or vehicle trail, 500 yards from a dump, campground or occupied dwelling. Packaging must be removed. |
| Idaho | No volume limit. One metal container of 55 gallons or less, secured; no paper, plastic, glass or wood containers. | No parts of game birds, big game, upland game, game fish or protected wildlife, for bait or scent. Mammal parts must be skinned. No salt in any form, liquid or solid. Sites 200 feet from water, 200 yards from roads and trails, half a mile from campgrounds and dwellings. |
| New Hampshire | No quantity limit found. | No chocolate or any cocoa derivative; white chocolate is allowed. Not within 300 feet of a dwelling, road, path or trail. On state land no non-edible materials, and all containers removed at season end. |
| Alaska | No quantity limit. | Only biodegradable materials. Skinned furbearer and small game carcasses allowed; of fish or big game only head, bones, guts and skin, and no fish at all in Units 7 and 15. One mile from dwellings and developed sites, a quarter mile from roads, trails and listed rivers. |
| Ontario | No quantity or container rule. | Not within 500 m of a dwelling or public building, or 30 m of a road or marked recreational trail. No chocolate rule. |
| Manitoba | On Crown land bait may not exceed 100 kg of meat or fish. | No head, hooves, hide, mammary glands or internal organs of livestock. Not within 200 m of a road or dwelling, 500 m of a cottage subdivision, Crown picnic site or campground. No chocolate rule. |
| Saskatchewan | All bear bait must be in a container of 210 litres (45 gallons) or less that a bear cannot get trapped in or carry off. | Bait means any food, including salt. Salt only in a secured leak-proof container on Crown land. No domestic animal carcasses except butcher trimmings. Not within 500 m of a campground or dwelling, 200 m of a road. Everything removed at season end. No chocolate rule. |
| Alberta | No quantity limit found. | In November only meat or meat products may be used. Livestock that died other than by slaughter may not be used. Not within 1.6 km of an occupied dwelling or of a provincial park or recreation area. Sites cleaned immediately after the season. No chocolate rule. |
| New Brunswick | Not stated. | The provincial booklet sets no material, container or chocolate rule. Border rule: bear bait carried in for personal use may not contain raw meat, fish, eggs or milk products. |
Crossing into Canada
Bait carried across the border for personal use may not contain raw meat, fish, eggs or milk products. That is a federal border rule and applies at every crossing. Ontario also asks hunters to use bait produced in the province.
Checked September 2026. This page is a summary for planning. The regulations booklet in your pocket is the rule.