Might be trying a bear bait this fall.  Up here barrel baits chained to a tree seem to be the norm from what I've seen while hunting moose, yet I look on youtube and it appears in the states groundbaits (a dug hole covered up with logs) seems equally common.

I understand you can see a female if they have to stand up to get at the bait with a barrel chained a way up the tree, but I also like the idea of a ground bait since it's less crap I have to haul up and back.  (and pack in and out.    )

Figure on using a mixture of apples, carrots, and grain, a burn of syrup and jello for scent, and I'll keep some filleted fish head/backbone/guts from over the summer to let stew in the sun for a couple weeks before we head up into a stinky soup to spread around the area a bit.

See flaws in my plan?  Alternate suggestions?
thanks.

I am sure it would work fine Bruce the only disadvantage with a ground blind is, is that they will clean you out every time and unless you have a ton of bait it would get expensive. Another thing to think about is unless you can get at the bait every night after a couple days of no food after they clean it out they will loose interest and quit coming. Thats the big thing about a bait barrel, you fill it with junk and make just enough holes in it that they can roll it around and swat it around and get just enough food to keep them interested. Then around the outside of the bait you can tickle them every day with some fruit and and veggies. Grain works the best in the bbl, grain with deep fryer oil or molasses. They roll it around and as they do the grains fall out and they get a treat, as well if you throw a bunch of oil around the site and in the grains the bears walk in it and as they travel around they leave a scent trail that other bears can follow back to the site. A few years ago we started using cheap dry dog food, I would put a few scoopps in a 5 gallon pail every night and man they loved the stuff. Just get the cheapest stuff you can find works great..

Never done it in the fall but from hwat I hear the baits get hit less often and sporaticaly. On the flip side a bear when it comes out of the den in the spring weighs 30-40% less so a bear in the fall even the small ones look big.  Fur is shorter as well on the downside and possibly more rub marks if they have not grown the hair back in from the summer.  Bait can also go bad faster.  Bears do not like real wrotten food like some people think