Making Trapping Lures

Lures and Lure Making

Lure making takes time, it is a smelly process at best. For this reason, lures are best processed and stored well away from where anyone lives.

Making trapping lures is interesting if one has the time and inclination to do it. There is something very rewarding about formulating a lure for a species of animal and finding that it works. It is something similar to a trout fisherman tying his own flies and catching trout on them.

Lure making can be a money saver to the trapper. Beginning trappers should probably start with basic, easy to make trapping lures and buy a few lures if they can afford them.

The best sets for trapping are simple. Trapping lures can be simple and effective. Location of the trap set is the most important component in effective trapping.

If flies or maggots get into any lure or lure ingredient, they will ruin it. A protective cover can be made by constructing a wooden box with one side open. Place your mixture in the box and then nail screen wire over the opening to exclude flies. An old root cellar is a good place to age and store your lures.

Fish Oil

Fish oil, a common lure ingredient, can be purchased from dealers who sell trapping ingredients or can be made yourself.

To make fish oil, use medium sized fresh carp. Gut the fish and remove entrails but leave the head attached. Chop the fish into inch size cubes and place the pieces into a gallon jar. Using a flat lid for the jar, screw the lid on and back off about 1/2 turn. Over the lid and top of the jar place about three layers of broad cloth fabric. (This is to keep out flies and maggots so loosely woven fabric will not work). Hold the layers of cloth in place with a strong rubber band. Over this place a plastic bag and hold in place with a rubber band. Wrap a wire around the neck of the jar and hang up in a isolated place away from residences and where people aren't likely to bother it. Also make sure to hang it well off the ground where animals can't get to it. Locate this jar in a place where the sun will shine on it throughout the days in the summer. Try to prepare this fish oil in April before the fly season and hot weather gets under way. Leave the jars hang in the sun until mid-September. Strain the liquid into separate jars and store in a cool dark place. The clear yellow oil that rises to the top can be skimmed off as it is the best quality, however, all the liquid in the jar can be used.

Fish oil can be used as a lure ingredient as prepared above or in other lures or can be used as is for fox, coyote, and coon lure.

Rotten Eggs

Late October or early November would be a good time to make rotten eggs because fly season and hot weather is over. It takes about four dozen eggs to pretty well fill a gallon jar . You want to leave some head room to allow for expansion . Break the eggs in to the jar and discard the shells. Stir the eggs until they are well beaten. Cover with a flat lid but do not tighten. Let set for a couple of months and they are ready for use.

Rotten eggs put up this way can be used as is for coyote and fox lure or better yet mixed with other ingredients to make lure.

Skunk Essence

Skunk essence can be obtained from fresh road killed skunks. Use rubber gloves, and a cheap hypodermic syringe, and a bottle for the essence. Cheap hypodermic equipment can be purchased in drug stores.

Skunk musk glands lay on either side of the anal opening. Locate the glands, insert the needle and draw out the yellow essence and then put in a bottle for later use.

Skunk essence can be purchased from trapping lure dealers. It can be either straight or as a tincture. A tincture is a weaker form of essence that has been diluted with alcohol. If using tincture in a lure that calls for the straight essence, be sure and use double the amount or more in order to make up for the weaker smell in the tincture.

Beaver Castor

Beaver castor can be purchased or taken from beaver that have been trapped. Remove the castor glands from the beaver in pairs. Dry for about four days in 70 degree temperature. Grind the semidry castors in a sausage grinder (one that you use only for this purpose. Meat grinders can be bought at flea markets and used just for lure making). After grinding, mix oil from the beaver oil sacs (taken from the same number of beaver as the castors). Add enough glycerin to make a heavy paste.

Tonquin musk

Tonquin musk is musk from Asiatic deer. It is very expensive in its pure form, so synthetic form is used in trapping lures. It can be purchased from trapping lure dealers who sell ingredients.

Coon Lure

An excellent coon lure is fresh fish. Spend the summer catching fish and freezing them. When trapping season arrives, thaw and chop into apple-size pieces. The chunks of fish used in pocket sets are the cheapest and best coon and mink bait.

Another good coon lure can be made as follows :

* 2/3 quart fish oil/juice

* 1/3 quart honey (use strained honey)

* 1/4 ounce oil of anise (bought at a drug store)

* 1 tablespoon beaver castor (as earlier described)

It takes this coon lure a little while to bond (a month or two). The finished product is dark nearly black in color and many people think it smells like catfish bait

Beaver Lure

Using beaver Castor (earlier described) add a very small amount of oil of birch. Six or eight drops per 4 oz. bottle is adequate. If too much oil is used, it will dominate the castor smell. Oil of anise can be substituted for oil of birch. If oil of anise is used, four or five drops per quart will be plenty. Oil of birch or food type oils that beavers would be interested in can be purchased from dealers.

Beaver lure is used at trap sets made at the castor mounds during later winter (late December through February). Use foot hold traps at the castor mounds.

Muskrat Lure

Number 1

In a quart jar place :

* 6 oz . Oil of Sweet Flag

* 1 oz. Pure Oil of Catnip

* Fill jar with Oil of Paraffin

* Mix well and age for 2 months. Use 10 drops when scenting.

Number 2

In a quart jar place

* 6 oz . Oil of Sweet Flag

* 1 oz. Oil of Spearmint

* 8 oz. muskrat musk

* Fill jar with Oil of Paraffin.

* Mix well and age for 3 months. Use 8 drops when scenting.

Coyote and Fox Gland Lure

Coyote or fox gland lure is an old time lure made by early fox and coyote trappers. It is still made, sold, and used by modern coyote and fox trappers.

Gland lure for foxes and coyotes are made the same way. Use glands and urine from foxes for fox gland lure and glands and urine from coyotes for coyote gland lure.

When skinning coyotes or foxes the anal area, surrounded by a patch of fur, is left on the carcass. The anal glands are located on each side of the anal opening. Cut deeply all around the opening, pull out about six inches of the intestine. Any droppings in the intestine are included. If using a female animal, take the vagina and the female tract out with the anus and gut. Use the bell shaped bladder from both sexes. Grind up the glands, place in jars, add just enough fox or coyote urine to cover. Protect from flies and let the mixture age as long as a year or two. The flesh should be well broken down by this time. Add just enough fox or coyote urine to thin to the consistency of a paste and bottle for use on the trapline. Gland lure is used at "flat sets" or "dirt hole" sets.

Coyote Lure

Into a clean gallon jar place enough glycerin to fill to a depth of 2 inches. (Glycerin can be purchased from drug stores. It acts as a preservative and an antifreeze and makes the lure stick better during rainy weather.) Add equal parts of sun -rendered fish oil and rotten eggs to fill the gallon jar to within about an inch of the shoulder of the jar. This is the "base" of your lure.

Add:

* 20 drops of pure skunk essence

* 3 heaping tablespoons of beaver castor

* 3 teaspoons of Tonquin musk

Stir well. Let set in a cool dark place for several weeks (6 to 8 weeks). From time to time shake well. At first there will be a separation of the ingredients. After a few weeks the ingredients will "bond". The end product should be rather thick in consistency similar to a thin paste.

This coyote lure works well down in dirt holes or used just under the base of the lure object at "flat sets." It also works well for foxes and will attract coons and many land animals.

Mink Lure

Number 1

In a quart jar place:

* 1/2 pint of ground mink musk

* 2 oz. ground beaver castor

* 6 oz. of ground muskrat musk

* Fill jar with fish oil

Mix well and age in a warm place for 3-4 months. Use 6 drops when scenting.

Number 2

In a quart jar place:

* 1/2 pint of ground mink musk

* 2 oz. ground beaver castor

* 4 oz. of ground Tonquin musk pods

* Fill jar with oil of sardine or fish oil.

Mix well and age for 4 months. Use 6 drops when scenting.