Bob,

I agreed with your post I just have an obsession with tinkering with baits and lures, have had since I was a kid. I guess it gets in your blood or something. At times is seems more like an infection.

I guess if I was trying to make any point other then just confessing it would have been that I aknowledge that it would certainly be a lot cheaper and easier to just use commercially prepared baits and lures. (most likely get better results too.)

But I just cannot do it. LOL The best way I can relate it is the same reason I did not kill a bear while bear hunting in California. I was living out there as a software trainer/developer and decided to go bear hunting. In CA at the time you could not bait bears but you could use dogs. Well, as a software trainer/developer it was a little short on bear dogs. I could have paid a guide to let me ride in HIS truck while HIS dogs ran and HIS dogs treed a bear, then I could get out of the truck walk up to the tree and shoot the bear. Yeah!!! then I would have been a big time bear hunter/killer, look out Davy crockett.

Instead I went out every weeked after work and spent the weekend camping out of my truck and scouting for bear. I found alot of bear sign, and had the time of my life spending the weekends in the Sierra's... (which was alot of fun for a midwestrn farm boy)but alas I was a failure as I did not get to shoot my guides bear. Note the sarcasim in that last sentence.

I was just curious on the eggs because, if cats/dogs were not interested I was going to try these for targeting skunks early in the fur season. Also use these around farm buildings where cats can be a problem, but coons and skunks need to be removed.

Nothing is fool proof, but sweet lures and baits are even better than eggs for coon and skunk IMO... Bob makes some good skunk lure... I have only bought coon lure once and it worked fine but not better than my own stuff so I just use it. Have caught 1 cat only in the time I have used it, and I have used many "other" things that most people have tried for coons, including cat food, but obviously I don't use that stuff anymore.

I use what works- for me. It may be a commercial bait; it may come from the grocery store; it may be something of my own formulation; or, it may be no bait at all. Some peanut butter, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, (maybe some nut oil) and food coloring mixed together and put into a non-labeled (or computer generated labeled) jar will work for many species of rodents. However, I probably do more "no-bait" cage trapping than I do using baits or lures.

I don't have any woodchucks in my area. I understand that many folks recommend various fresh vegetables to catch them though. I would think that it is difficult to disguise broccoli, cabbage, clover, etc. Yes, there are commercial baits available, but do they work better? Other folks use body catch traps (with no bait); still others use unbaited cage traps.

I have very few skunks here too. If using bait, a chicken or fish based bait is hard to beat. Again, I seldom use bait for skunks. Problem skunks, around here, are found under homes. If they went under, they have to come out. I close all potential entrances except the main one. The setup only allows one way out- into the trap(s).

I have heard though, that the best skunk set-up is make the best coyote, bobcat, or fox setup that you can. Use the most expensive bait or lure. Use absolutely scent free procedures. Leave no indication that a human has ever passed that area. In the morning you should have a skunk or opossum.

Ron Fry

Always worked for me...(LOL)

I would think that skunk scent would work the best. Back when I fur trapped in skunk country I would often move into a new area and have skunk problems so whenever I caught a skunk I would make sure that it sprayed then remake the set. Every skunk in the country was attracted to the set and often I would catch a skunk each night for 5-10 nights until they were gone.

It took me several years to develop a consistent and universal skunk bait and LTS lure.Skunks can be caught on many different things at different times as with other wildlife. It does however depend greatly on the setting where you are going to use it. This will determine your product ingredient selection to a great degree.

If using your product in fur field trapping conditions only, a combination of food and animal gland by products and essence will work very well.If nuisance work is the main focus things must be very different in your product ingredient list.Due to subsequent odor related issues.

If you are using it for control work you are usually on that job call because of an odor problem most likely in the first place. So using a product that is containing essence is not always a good choice.

There have been many homemade cookie, cake, pie and bakery shop items mentioned on this forum and others. However there is much to be desired with respects to professionialism when using such baiting procedures for hire.

This topic has been discussed before in detail on one of these forums I recall not long ago.