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Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
If your bait site sits quiet night after night, the problem is usually smell, not placement. A bear’s nose does the hunting long before its eyes ever see your barrel, so the right attractant has to throw a scent line far enough downwind that a cruising bear cannot walk past it. The picks below are the ones that actually do that job, from a butterscotch additive you mix into fryer grease to a shaker you dust over corn.
This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
You will see how each option is meant to be used, what it smells like, and where it falls short, so you can match one to your setup instead of guessing. The right black bear attractant depends on how you bait and how far you need that scent to travel.
Top Picks
How To Choose The Best Black Bear Attractant
Bears follow their nose, so the attractant has to put scent where a bear will cross it. The form of the attractant matters as much as the scent itself, because a product you can only sprinkle is useless if your bait site is a grease barrel a quarter mile from the truck.
Match the form to how you bait
A mix-in additive is designed to be stirred into a carrier like fryer grease, which then soaks into the ground and keeps releasing scent over time. A shaker powder is dusted on top of an existing bait pile, so it works best when you already have corn or similar bait down. A paste bait clings to whatever you smear it on and holds up in wet weather. A spray covers brush, trees, and the air around your stand. Pick the form that fits your routine, not the one with the loudest label.
Strength and concentration
Concentration tells you how much you need per trip. A product billed at 500 times sweeter than sugar is meant to be used in small amounts, either blended into a large volume of bait or dusted lightly as a topper. That matters because a container that seems small can still cover many baiting trips if the dosing is measured in fractions of a bottle rather than full pours.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Model | Best For | Form | Aroma | Package Weight | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Rush Bear Bait Attractant Additive★ Best Overall | Mixing into fryer grease | Liquid additive | Butterscotch | 10.4 ounces | Amazon |
| Gold Dust Butterscotch Aroma 500XMost Concentrated | Topping an existing bait pile | Shaker powder | Butterscotch | 5.33 ounces | Amazon |
| Sweet Apple Addiction Deer & Bear Attractant | Drawing deer and bears to the same site | Shaker powder | Apple | 0.23 kg | Amazon |
| Mark June’s Widowmaker Paste Bait | Holding up in wet or dry weather | Paste | Meat and gland | 16 ounces | Amazon |
| Bear Attractant Spray Butterscotch | Covering brush and trees around your stand | Spray | Butterscotch | — | Amazon |
Detailed Reviews
1. Gold Rush Bear Bait Attractant
Our pick — 4.5+★ from 200+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
The one that stretches a single 10.4-ounce bottle across a whole season of grease-barrel baiting
This is the pick for the hunter who runs a grease barrel and wants a scent that keeps working after the first rain. You stir between one and two ounces of this butterscotch additive into five gallons of fryer grease, and the grease carries that sweet smell into the ground where it keeps radiating. That ratio is why a single bottle lasts so long — a splash is the whole dose.
What wins people over most here is the quality of the product itself, with scent running a close second. Buyers describe the smell as sweet and strong without being chemical, and the consensus is that it genuinely improves your odds of seeing bears rather than just making the site smell better. As owners put it: “10/10 recommend this to all bear hunters. Good strong sweet smell and a small splash of this will go a long way.”
The honest catch is availability. The 10.4-ounce bottle is the largest package weight in this lineup — noticeably heftier than the 5.33-ounce shaker it pairs with — and that combination of size and popularity means it periodically sells out. Nobody minds a product selling out because it works, but if you are weeks out from opening day, have a backup plan.
What hunters keep coming back for
- Mixes at just one to two ounces per five gallons of fryer grease, so one bottle covers a lot of ground
- Butterscotch aroma that owners describe as strong and sweet
- Grease carrier keeps the scent working over a long period instead of fading after the first night
- Drawn bears from a distance in owner reports
Where it falls short
- Needs a grease base — it is not a stand-alone sprinkle-and-go product
- Regularly goes out of stock during the season
- You have to mix it properly or the dosing advantage disappears
Built for: hunters running a grease barrel who want maximum scent longevity from minimum product.
Look elsewhere if: you want something you can shake over an existing bait pile without mixing anything.
2. Gold Dust Bear Bait additive
A 5.33-ounce shaker built for hunters who want maximum punch from a light dusting
This powder is 500 times sweeter than sugar, so you use very little — either blend a quarter to a half pound into 1,000 pounds of bait, or lightly dust it over the top of your pile as a finishing topper. The 5.33-ounce shaker is the smaller package in this lineup, and that makes sense once you understand the concentration. You are not pouring this; you are sprinkling it.
The real-world payoff is coverage by transfer. One bear stepping through the powder carries it across a wide area on its paws, which spreads the scent further than you ever could by hand. Bears also park themselves on it directly — the butterscotch is strong enough on its own that a single animal becomes a walking scent trail that keeps working while you are back at camp.
Where this one splits from the crowd is versatility. The same powder pulls in wild boars as reliably as bears, and it holds up on public land where baiting rules force you to work with a light touch. Dust it on a branch or a rotten log and let the animals do the distribution for you.
The concentration math: A quarter bottle placed out brought hogs in within 24 hours in one owner’s account, which tells you how little you actually need per setup.
Worth knowing: That same potency means dosing discipline matters — over-pour it and you are burning through a bottle fast for no extra benefit.
Reach for this if: you want a shaker that works as a bait topper, a branch dust, and a public-land trick all at once.
skip it if: you bait with grease and want a liquid additive instead of a powder.
3. Sweet Apple Addiction Deer & Bear Attractant
The apple-scented shaker for hunters who want one bottle to cover deer and bears
Where the butterscotch shaker in this list leans into a single species, this one is built to pull a mixed crowd. It runs on the same 500-times-sweeter-than-sugar concentration, but the carrier is apple, and apple is what deer find hard to ignore. If you already spread corn, this is the topper that makes that corn smell like the best food source in the woods.
The dosing works the same way as the other powder picks: blend a quarter to a half pound into 1,000 pounds of bait, or lightly sprinkle it over the pile. The apple scent draws deer to the site fastest, and the fragrance itself is strong enough to be noticed from a distance. It is a genuinely small package for what it does — the 5 x 1.9 x 0.8 inch bottle slips into a jacket pocket, which is the point when you are hiking in.
There is one thing worth flagging before you buy. This is listed with deer as the target species, and the bear capability is real but secondary, so hunters chasing a dedicated bear bait should weigh whether they want the apple pull or a straight butterscotch formula. The upside is that whatever else wanders in almost certainly will not ignore it.
Why it earns a spot
- Apple aroma that deer lock onto fast, according to owner accounts
- Sprinkles over corn or any existing bait pile without mixing
- Compact bottle that carries easily to remote sites
- Delivers the same 500-times sweetness concentration as the butterscotch powder
Before you commit
- Listed target species is deer, so it is a hybrid pick rather than a bear-only product
- Powder form needs dry conditions or a covered bait site to stay put
Best match: a hunter with one bait site who is happy to draw deer and bears through the same pile.
Think twice if: your whole season is built around a single bear and you want a scent engineered only for that.
4. Mark June’s Widowmaker Paste Bait 16 oz.
A 16-ounce lanolin-sealed paste bait that stays put when powder washes away
Rain ruins powder. That is the whole reason this paste earns its place here. Made from bobcat meat and mink glands with lanolin holding it together, it is designed to keep releasing scent through harsh wet or dry weather instead of dissolving after the first storm. You smear it on a stump, a log, or down a hole, and it sits there working.
At 16 ounces, this is the heaviest single container in the lineup, and it is a completely different tool from the shakers. Where the powders rely on transferring scent through animal contact, this one is a slow-release source that a curious animal has to come right up to. Down a hole or tucked into cover, it does its job without being seen.
Now the honest part, and it is the same thing the label warns you about: this stuff stinks. It is a meat and gland formula, so the smell is by design and not something you want on your hands, your gear, or your truck seats. That is a real trade-off, not a defect — you are trading pleasantness for persistence, and for a set-and-leave bait site, that is usually the right deal.
Why the lanolin matters: A scent source only works while it is still there, and this formula is built specifically to survive the weather that kills powder baits.
Handle it carefully: Use gloves and store it apart from anything you do not want smelling like a bait site, because that scent travels with whatever touches it.
Pick this when: your site gets weather and you need something that will still be working days after you leave.
Not for you if: you want a scent you can carry in a jacket pocket and sprinkle in seconds.
5. Bear Attractant Spray- Butterscotch Spray
The one you keep on the stand for scenting brush without leaving your seat
Every other product on this list requires you to get to the bait site and physically place something. This spray does not. It throws butterscotch scent in a streak out to 20 feet or as a fine mist, so you can lay a scent line across brush and surrounding trees from a distance. It doubles as a cover scent, which matters when you are trying to mask what is standing up in the stand.
Hunters who use it report bears coming in on the scent trail, and the convenience is the whole point — a quick pass over the brush around your site refreshes the aroma without ever touching the pile. For stand hunters who want to top up a site without a walk-in every time, that is a genuinely different capability than the powders offer.
The recurring gripe is hardware, not scent. The nozzle and cap are known to leak or work loose, and owners have lost bottles because of it. Cheapest fix is the one that shows up in the reviews: pull the nozzle, cap the bottle, and tape it before it goes in the pack.
The real advantage: Twenty feet of spray range means you can scent an area you cannot reach on foot, which no shaker or paste can do.
Plan for the bottle: The leaking complaints all trace back to the cap and nozzle, so a wrap of tape or a spare container keeps your pack dry.
Suits: stand hunters and anyone covering brush around a site without walking the whole perimeter.
Consider the powder instead if: you want a scent source that stays put and keeps working rather than needing a fresh spray.
Know the Specs
Form: additive, powder, paste, or spray
The form decides how you use the product, not how well it smells. An additive like Gold Rush gets stirred into a carrier — fryer grease in that case — and the carrier spreads the scent into the ground where it lingers. A shaker powder sits on top of a bait pile and works by transfer, sticking to whatever steps through it. A paste clings to a surface and resists weather. A spray covers area you cannot reach. Choose the form that matches your access and your routine first.
Concentration and package size
A concentration figure such as 500 times sweeter than sugar tells you how little you need per application, and that changes how far a container goes. A small shaker with a high concentration can outlast a larger bottle used without discipline. Package weight is the clearest clue to how much product you are actually getting, so pair it against the recommended dose to judge value over a season rather than per trip.
Common Questions
Does the butterscotch powder need to be mixed with anything before use?
Can I use a bear attractant on public land where baiting is restricted?
How much Gold Rush additive do I mix into fryer grease?
Will these attractants bring in animals other than bears?
How do I stop the spray bottle from leaking in my pack?
Does rain wash these attractants out?
Is the Widowmaker paste safe to handle with bare hands?
What is the difference between the butterscotch powder and the apple powder?
How far in advance should I put an attractant out before hunting?
The Bottom Line
For most hunters, the black bear attractant to start with is the Gold Rush Bear Bait Attractant Additive, because one to two ounces per five gallons of fryer grease turns a single bottle into an entire season of scent. If you want a shaker you can dust over a pile without mixing anything, grab the Gold Dust Butterscotch 500X. For a site that takes weather, the Mark June’s Widowmaker Paste keeps working when powder would have washed away. And if you hunt from a stand and want to refresh scent without walking in, the Bear Attractant Spray covers brush you cannot reach. Match the form to your baiting routine and the scent will do the rest.
How we choose
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of October 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
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