Most of this information is applicable to hunting any species but it's particularly important for hunting black bear over bait. I take it for granted everyone knows black bear are extremely wary when approaching any un natural man placed food source.

I quickly learned they will circle a bait before coming in. They do this  to check for human presence and will sometimes do something or make a noise to get you to move to see what it is. I suppose they already know there is a human nearby but not real sure of their location. On more than one occasion I've had one get behind me while in my stand & pop it's teeth. Sometimes just once but they may do it 3 or 4 times quickly. I'm almost certain  you have been pretty closely located but the bear is uncertain. If you turn your head to look it removes all doubt. NEVER look around quickly. Ignore the sound & sit still. If you're determined to look don't move anything but your eyeballs. You MIGHT get away with turning your head very slowly but probably not. Bear may grunt or slap the ground with a paw to get you to look too.  Eventually the bear will make a complete or near complete circle & if it's satisfied will come to the bait.

Noises other than bear should be ignored too. In Maine there's almost always those pesky little red squirrels cutting pine cones & dropping them to the ground. Them & chipmunks are always scampering thru the leaves & causing havoc to your nerves. Best to learn  the sounds other critters make & commit them to memory & ignore them when you hear them. You never know when a bear is looking at you. I like a stand that's rather difficult to see but gives me a fairly good view of the bait and any approach path's bears use. Hopefully none of these approach paths are in a line where the bear are coming in directly toward you in the stand. I've been in such stands & had a bear show up looking directly at me. When that happens, don't even blink your eyes.

One of the best things you can do every time you get in your stand is look EVERYTHING over GOOD & commit every detail to memory. Dark patches, shadows, blowdowns, stumps, rocks, foilage, EVERYTHING. As time sitting there passes, keep track of changes in your view. Particularly shadows. They change constantly as the sun moves & the light gets dimmer under the trees. Don't skrew everything up by shooting at some shadow that wasn't there a few minutes ago and looks like a bear. If you see something you THINK is a bear, it's not a bear. If it really is a bear, you KNOW it's a bear.

I like a stand slightly uphill from a bait and on the leeward side from the wind. I don't like a stand on a steep hill from a bait. I highly suspect that as darkness moves in & thhe ionosphere starts dropping. it pushes your scent downhill to the bait. .......I'll stop here. My vision is going left on me. Hopefully this will help bear hunters and those just getting into bear hunting over bait. It's a great thing to get into. Sometimes it gets a bit boring & requires the patience of a Saint but things can be a bit hairy or downright terrifying too. Either way it's food for the soul. I love it. .....;Paul H

Great stuff, Paul!

Paul