Can a guy use anise extract instead of anise oil or peppermint extract for peppermint oil? Is it less potent? I have spearmint oil and peppermint extract. Can I mix the too or will one ruin the other? Say for raccoon not k9.

I use anise extract for coon all the time. Works great. I personally would not mix the two....but I'm no lure maker either.

Try vanilla and cherry extract as well!

It would take a lot of the weaker diluted extract to equal the strong pure oil. Ace

Ace...I think some of the suppliers migt be selling anise extract as anise oil. I have some from a trapping supplier, and it seems identical to the extract I get from the store.

Does this sound feasible?

peppermint seems to overpower alot easier then the anise to me.

Thanks for the answers. There both about the same price its convient to just pick the extract up at the grocery store but if it takes alot more to equal the scent then its cheaper to order oil.

Daniel Edinget wrote...Ace...I think some of the suppliers migt be selling anise extract as anise oil.

Never thought of that, some may dilute the oil for greater profit or for easier usage for formulating small batches of home brew. One would need so much extract to flavor large volume commercial lure making that the extract would be impractical. I believe the extract is a large percentage of alcolhol, more or less a tincture of the genuine product. Ace

Thank you Ace...I might just buy some from another supplier and compare the two directly to see what the deal is. I suspect that it is in fact extract though.

If its alcolhol and I mix the Peppermint extract with the spearmint oil will the alcolhol break down the oil making them both useless?

I bought some Almond extract from the Grocery store last summer and couldn't wait to crack the cap once I got out to my car. Well, I did and dumped about 1/3 of an ounce onto my pant leg. Wasn't long before the smell was gone. Evaporated right away. I assumed it was the alcohol base.

The anise i use is black as coal. The extract is clear. Go figure. The stuff i get is pure black and has the consistency of tar. And is has a great staying power. So if you can find the pure stuff its the best.

There are alot of extracts out there being sold as a higher quality oil. It's not always the fault of the supplier you bought it from, though they should know the difference if they are going to offer it for sale. Some trapping supply dealers don't know the difference. They buy from suppliers that advertise it as being something that it is not.

As Ace said some dilute the original product (called cutting) to make more profit.

Being a lure maker myself I have thrown away more product than I care to think about. Always shop around and ask questions from those that you make purchases from. Then buy a small quantity of product to see if in fact it is what you are looking for.

There are also different grades of anise and other essential oils out there and some of the lower grades are sold as higher grades. My biggest complaint is that of Catnip. Most of what I see on the market is Cat Mint and not true Catnip. A big difference in smell there. We extract real catnip that we grow.

It takes tons of material to make essential oils and the cost of real oil products are higher most of the time than extracts.

I laugh when I see so many recipes calling for catnip and other products that we don't have anymore. That's not to say that all products are bad. Some synthetic products are now better than the original product, or so they seem to be.

Making lure for yourself is one thing and it's fun to catch things on what you make. If you plan on going into business making lure find a money tree and water it well! High quality product is expensive and you have to spend money to have quality products to sell. If you don't have quality products you don't stay in business long.

One last thing, if you have a favorite lure that works good for you,test what you make and see if your lure works better than that. Then see how much it cost to make yours vs. what you were using.

Making baits and lures can be fun, but it can cost you a pocket full of money and time. Your on the right track by asking questions on trapperman as you can gain insight by some of the best lure makers out there! Good Luck!

Hey MN don't get caught up in the Smoke and cloke and daggers of lure making. If you pay attention to the basics you'll do fine. Get a few books from Nick Wysinski. The problem with most lures I have used the past 10 years is that they have been thined down themselves. I make all my own lure and I don't cut cost. I don't care if a lure cost me $10.00 an oz. to make I'll get that back the first catch. And don't get caught up in mixing up a batch on ingredents either. Every time you add another ingredent the end result smell may or may not change, and this takes years to learn. Good glands a little urine little glycine and ONE additive and you got a great lure.

Thanks for the help. I have nick wyshinski's book. I just thought it would be fun to mix up a lure to use in combination with store bought ones.I'll never stop buying them thats half the fun, like buying a new fishing lure and i make some of those once in a while too.I don't have a money tree, but I do have about a hundred plum trees and a couple crab apple trees they would probly make a good early season bait if you can get them before the raccoons do.

I think Kaatz Bros. make a lure called Plum River. Maybe you can trade some plums for ingredents. Just kidding. As Glen said It doesn't matter what a lure might cost if it brings you results and your happy with it.

When making a lure it is not what we smell it's what the animal smells and I use several ingredents in my lures for many reasons. Sometimes the first smell you smell is what I call a top note. The animal can smell it to but may be drawn to a secondary smell or note or third smell or note. And it can be a comination of notes that has the attraction to the lure. It does take awhile to learn formulations of this type that stand out above the rest. But start with simple formulas and have fun with it. If making lures intrest you you'll invest more time and money and dig deeper into formulating for better results. Have fun! Stan