Just bought a bottle of Hellfire to try out for fisher/cat season and am super bummed at how weak it is. You have to almost stick your nose in the bottle to get a wiff. I do however love the consistency of the lure,but what's the point of easy application/weather resistance if it doesn't smell... thinking this was possibly old stock that lost its punch from sitting on the shelf?? Gusto has always been my go-to, and it would lose a little stink over a year,but still burned your nose hair's.

Was it still in the vacuum sealed bag?

That is weird. I have some Hellfire that will knock your socks off!! I have to store the bottle in a jar , just so I can stand the smell. If yours is that weak something is definitely up.

It came in a little bubble wrap bag. I don't think there was even tape around the cap. Though it did appear new/never opened..Bought it Amazon,only because I already had Christmas gifts shipping and free shipping. Probably should have just bought off MTP...

I thought the same thing,it's odd how weak it actually is. I got some on my hat yesterday and there is absolutely zero smell on it now. I could dab it behind my ears and go to work and nobody would be the wiser

Wow! I’ve seen shows using H-fire and I was under the impression it was almost straight skunk. I’d bet you just got an old bottle or something. I prefer my lures and urines from a trapping site, but I have ordered some off Amazon and they smelled and worked the same.

That's your problem right there bought at Amazon.

I've never used Hellfire, but I've used quite a bit of Gusto and I know if you have opened a bottle of Gusto and then hold it over for a year or two it loses a lot of its skunk punch. Actually makes it a decent canine lure then, but loses that long range, loud skunk I like for marten. You can add a few drops of pure quill to it and bring it back.

I went to making my own marten lure to make it more waterproof, and it seems to hold the skunk better from year to year, but skunk is highly volatile and will leave lures with age.

Most all LDC lures will lose strength over time. Just the nature of skunk quill. As stated, essence is comprised of extremely small vapor molecules which is how it is able to travel miles in the air once it has been released either in defense, by roadkill or breeding purposes.

During breeding season, the release of skunk essence by the animal is used to put on notice to the other skunks where they are and if they are in heat or ready to breed.

Essence is constantly a challenge to hold the vapor within a container and within a product. Just the chemical nature of the material. You can add some more pure quill to the base to spike it to where you like. I believe some of these LDC products may require heating the base. Some may be made with a type of grease or other very viscous material that needs melting to allow it to be remixed well once again. Then cooled.

I've never used a skunky lure that held it's skunky odor more than a year or so. Some of the lures develop a "sweet" & mild skunky odor and I leave those alone and use as is. Others completely lose the skunk smell...I just add a drop or 2 of pure essence and stir.

You will find some lures, that once held a high push of skunk and have seasoned out will actually be better than the original. They become a sweet skunk odor as we call it. The trace skunk odor is still present, but all the harshness has escaped. This happens with a lure that has been built with a good base.

That will not be the case with odorless bases used just for holding the essence. Once the skunk bleed outs of some of those base materials there usually isn't much odor left. Sort of like sucking all the syrup out of a snow cone slushy. All that is left is the slushy ice with little flavor.

Very well said Bob, on both of your replies!!

If the sole intention of buying these LDC lures is for the overwhelming skunk quill smell then as Bob and many of us lure makers know, it has a very short shelf life. As Bob also said the base is important if you still want a lure that performs long after the overpowering skunk smell dissipates. I always advise my customers to buy only what you'll use during that season. The vasoline, wax based skunk mixtures don't add much appeal after the skunk leaves town. A well formulated LDC lure will still be of value in a weaker state. If the strong skunk is what you're looking for, buying pure quill is the best option but an expensive one.

I too have a bottle of Hellfire that I bought from a trapping supply house this year that I’m not impressed with. Gusto has more skunk and I just got a bottle of crossbones from Night Owl lures that blows Hellfire away.

First time I bought the hellfire and probably won’t be buying another.

I bought a bottle of it from a trapping supplier and thought it was a bit weak. I added some skunk to it. Don’t think I’d get it again.

I wouldn't be too hard on the Producer. If they sold a good volume to a wholesaler when the product was fresh, and they held over a good amount of product, it just may have dissipated in the time frame they had it until it had been sold. Or if the producer had a large inventory in house and it didn't all sell quickly it can bleed off just sitting on the shelf. It happens.

There is no telling how long someone holds your products or if they are a wholesaler and resell to another dealer, then they may hold it a while also until sold.

Maybe contact or write the lure maker and explain the circumstances. It they deem it is a legitimate complaint they may offer to replace it for you.

Most of these folks if not all, will stand behind what they sell if you are honest and are being reasonable. There can always be some situations that are unforeseen conditions out of our control that take place.

All products can't be judged fairly if you are comparing one that is fresh and one that is months or a year older. There also is no way in accurately determining that fact either when you purchase from different supply houses or retail outlets.

Just my .02 cents.

I like being able to order from somewhere like MTP just because I can get everything I want in one order.
BUT, I’ve found ordering from the maker themselves ensures I get the best product.

Good comments Bob. You’re a class act not to mention a scholar and a gentleman.

In my opinion,good lure should get better as it ages.not worse.

I also just got a bottle of Hellfire from MTP and I can barely smell it. I still used it at a few sets because the consistency seems like it will hold what little smell it has left for a long while. I wish it was as strong as gusto with that consistency.